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Q&A with Ola Onabulé: Connecting Cultures through Music and Travel

Vocalist Ola Onabulé has always had an ear for the more socially conscious frequencies in jazz music. His 2015 album It’s The Peace That Deafens sought to align the two cultural aspects of his persona — he was born in Britain and raised partially in his parents’ homeland of Nigeria — through songs that drew from the musical heritages of both countries, as well as their complicated and entangled pasts.

His latest outing, Point Less , is an even more meticulous exploration of social themes, with music that takes unflinching aim at some of the most pressing issues of our present moment — global injustice, xenophobia, nationalism, civil unrest and violence — through music that nonetheless uplifts and exalts the good in all people. The album is set for release August 30 on Rugged Ram Records.

Onabulé maintains a rigorous touring schedule — he will have made four trans-Atlantic flights before the year is over — but he says it’s exactly this constant sense of motion that keeps him balanced in such troubling times. “Travel has been the essential redemptive quality in my life, and it continues to renew my hope in humanity,” he told JAZZIZ.

We recently spoke to Onabulé via phone to share his thoughts on trave land how it functions to make the world feel smaller, connecting people of dissimilar backgrounds and putting perceived differences to rest. He also shared his fondest travel memories, as well as his favorite spots for food and architecture. Below is an excerpt of the conversation that has been edited for length and clarity.

You’ve traveled to nearly every corner of the globe. Is there a particular place or time in history that most interests you? 

Yes, absolutely. In fact, the moment you first asked the question I began to get a very strong sense of that place. It’s Turkey, and particularly Istanbul. It’s such an ancient city. It’s been under the leadership and imperial rule of so many different civilizations: the Christians had it, the Muslims had it. Pre-Christian, Pre-Muslim times. And all of those influences are there in that city. It’s just so majestic and so ancient. It looks almost like something out of an Indiana Jones movie ( laughs ).

Beijing was amazing, too, just because it’s as far as I’ve gone from everything I know here in London and in West Africa.

Is there a country or city you’ve gone to that has impressed you with its jazz scene? And you can certainly include England among your options, because the scene there is absolutely astounding. 

But really, there’s something about jazz that means that people are already  there  before you show up. Do you know what I mean? You don’t have to work too hard to win them over. They’ve made the choice to be there, and they’re already a receptive audience.

What are some of the most memorable venues you’ve played? 

One really curious place we ended up playing was on the island of Cyprus. It was about eight years ago. Now, politically, there’s always been strife between the two sides that make up the community there. We were going there under the auspices of the United Nations. So we played at the border, and the idea was that, at least for the duration of our gig, we were bringing those two communities together. And those communities are separated by this wide space, with a Turkish Cypriot community on one side and a Greek Cypriot community on the other. And they would gather at the border to watch the gig and enjoy the music. And it was really just a powerful statement about the power of music to unify.

Sometimes you don’t necessarily ascribe purpose to what you’re doing, and this moment reaffirmed that, OK, jazz has a purpose, and this is one such moment when you can appreciate that.

As a traveler, where did you have your best experience with food?

Beijing was impressive, not necessarily for the culinary delights as much as for the culinary curiosities. We tried a bit of scorpion, and I’m still not entirely sure if I enjoyed it or was just confused by it ( laughs ). Again, the culture of Beijing is just so far from the reality that I live here in the West. It’s just a different mindset. So that was fascinating.

But Italy is my real weakness. When I’m there, I eat way too much pasta. I eat everything on the menu, and then I come back home and try to lose a little bit of weight.

Which city’s architecture do you find particularly inspiring? 

Well, the aforementioned Istanbul, for sure. And a lot of places in Italy: Sienna, Florence. And then Spain, certainly. Cadiz is just incredible. And Potsdam in Germany is incredible, too. It’s like a storybook, something out of Hans Christian Andersen. It’s so beautiful and magical looking.

What non-musical item do you have to have with you on your trips?

It would probably be my sketchbook. I actually went to art school for a moment under the misguided notion that I would be doing that for the rest of my life, and it’s just a habit I’ve kept up over the years. I’m always drawing faces and places that I see. It’s something I do on tour in between concerts. I’ll bring it along and doodle something or shade something or fill in some detail whenever I get the chance.

Is there anywhere we can see these sketches?

Oh, God, no! ( laughs ) I’ve never really thought about showing them anywhere ( laughs ). My children are all bona fide artists. I’ve got a painter and graphic designer and fashion designer. And I’m not just saying this because I’m their dad and exceptionally proud, but they’re all exceptional artists, and they give me a real sense of what it looks like when something’s really  good.

Can you sleep on planes?

Oh yes, I’m very comfortable on planes. I’ll sleep, I’ll watch a movie, I’ll sleep again. I’ll walk again. I actually love taking planes. Now, I’ve traveled with a lot of people who are always alert on planes, no matter how long the flight is, but I’ve never even questioned it! I can just ease right into it.

You mentioned you had kids. Do you have a go-to souvenir that you like to bring back for your family?

I used to love to bring them back technology. And there was a time where I could impress them with that. But they’re young adults now, and their tech is so much better than mine. So now I just kind of seek out little unusual thing, anything that sparks my interest, maybe a little figurine we may have laughed about or a T-shirt with a funny emblem on it.

Do you remember your first travel experience?

I do, and it was quite an epic journey. It was the journey back to Nigeria with my parents. My parents came to the U.K. in the late ’50s and early ’60s to study, and when they finished their study, they went back home to nation-build. Nigeria was a freshly independent country at the time. And because my dad wanted to introduce me to Africa and give me a sense of it, which always a thing people did back then, we got on a cargo ship and went to every port along the coast of West Africa, all the way around until we got to Nigeria. So at the age of 7, almost 8, I saw Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Guinea, Togo, Benin, Sierra Leone. And it very powerfully affected me, on a deeply profound level.

How did this trip — and travel more broadly — broaden your understanding of the world?

Travel has been the essential redemptive quality in my life, and it continues to renew my hope in humanity. You turn up to a country where you don’t speak the language or look like anyone else, or talk or eat like them, but you can see that people are desperately searching for common ground. And once you find it, it’s the doorway through which you realize we’re all the same. As airy and sentimental as that sounds, it’s the thing that I’ve been able to prove time and time again. No matter how far away from home I go, I can very quickly feel at home when I’m around kind, gentle, generous people.

That’s what I’ve learned from travel, and I would recommend it to anyone who thought they had anything to fear from people who looked different from them.

Ola Onabulé will be performing at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater in New York City on Aug. 29 as part of a U.S. tour that also includes stops at City Winery in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 30 and that venue’s sister location in Nashville, Tenessee, on September 1. He’ll return to Europe to perform at Club Fola in Aix Luynes, France, on Oct. 31 and Jazz Fola on Nov. 1.  Future dates include stops in Cape May, New Jersey; Bremen, Germany; and London, England. For a complete touring schedule, visit Onabulé’s website . 

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Ola Onabule

Born in North London and raised in Lagos Nigeria, Ola Onabule is known as a charismatic and sophisticated artist and entertainer. His compelling performances possess an emotional intensity and vocal virtuosity that is second to none. Audiences cherish this powerful storyteller and his capacity to cross cultural and musical boundaries with an unflinching pursuit of truth and justice. Ola epitomizes a move towards hearty, sustaining music, made by artisans with a commitment to quality, integrity and authenticity. Ola's songs about love, loss and the human condition have been performed all over the world with his quartet/quintet as well as appearances with much larger ensembles of big bands and symphonic orchestras. These include several projects with the Grammy winning WDR Big Band of Cologne, the SWR Big Band of Stuttgart, the HR Big Band of Frankfurt, Danish Radio Big Band, and the Copenhagen and Babelsberg Film Orchestra and others. Ola states; "Hands-on, self-sufficiency has always been my mantra for survival in the music game. I always felt like the creative parts of song writing, producing and recording were merely different stages of a single process". This ethos has led to endorsements with some of the world's leading sudio technology specialists, including and ACS Custom (UK), Reference Laboratory (Italy) and Hazelrigg industries (US). Technical support of this kind has given Ola new possibilities in the production and recording of his latest album Point Less.

Photo Credit: Alfred George Bailey

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Past Events

Here are the most recent UK tour dates we had listed for Ola Onabulé. Were you there?

• Sat 22 Apr Colchester Arts Centre Ola Onabulé
• Wed 12 Apr Eastleigh, The Concorde Club & Ellington Lodge Ola Onabulé

November 2022

• Tue 1 Nov Winchester, Theatre Royal Ola Onabulé
• Wed 13 Apr Guildford Cricket Club Ola Onabulé Nicolas Meier
• Wed 10 Apr London, PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Ola Onabulé
• Tue 9 Apr London, PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Ola Onabulé
• Thu 15 Mar Aberdeen, Blue Lamp Ola Onabulé

February 2018

• Thu 15 Feb London, PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Ola Onabule
• Wed 14 Feb London, PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Ola Onabule

January 2018

• Sat 27 Jan Chichester Festival Theatre Ola Onabule

November 2016

• Thu 24 Nov London, The Other Palace Ola Onabule
• Wed 23 Nov London, The Other Palace Ola Onabule

January 2016

• Fri 22 Jan Glasgow, The ABC Ola Onabule
• Sun 12 Apr London, 606 Club Ola Onabule

January 2015

• Sat 31 Jan Maidstone, Babasheesh Ola Onabule

November 2014

• Sat 8 Nov Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire Music Centre Jason Rebello, Ola Onabule

October 2014

• Sat 11 Oct Dartmouth, The Flavel Arts Centre Ola Onabule
• Sun 6 Apr London, Queen Elizabeth Hall Ola Onabule, The Estonian TV Girls' Choir, Villu Veski

January 2014

• Sun 12 Jan London, 606 Club Ola Onabule

October 2013

• Sat 12 Oct Newcastle, Hoochie Coochie Ola Onabule
• Fri 4 Oct Maidstone, Babasheesh Ola Onabule

September 2013

• Fri 27 Sep Harrow Arts Centre Ola Onabule
• Tue 3 Sep London, PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho) Ola Onabule
• Fri 26 Jul Stoke By Nayland, Stoke by Nayland Hotel & Golf Club Ola Onabule
• Sun 12 May London, 606 Club Ola Onabule

December 2012

• Sun 9 Dec London, 606 Club Ola Onabule

November 2012

• Thu 22 Nov Southend-on-Sea, Cliffs Pavilion Ola Onabule

October 2012

• Fri 12 Oct London, The Roof Gardens Jazz Morley, Tiger Lilly, Class A, Ola Onabule

August 2012

• Sun 26 Aug London, 606 Club Ola Onabule
• Sun 8 Apr London, 606 Club Ola Onabule

February 2012

• Sat 18 Feb Braintree, High Barn Ola Onabule
• Fri 10 Feb Aylesbury, Queens Park Arts Ola Onabule

September 2011

• Tue 13 Sep London, Bloomsbury Theatre Ola Onabule, Really Sharp
• Sun 8 May London, 606 Club Ola Onabule
• Wed 30 Mar London, Union Chapel Ola Onabule
• Thu 17 Mar Dartmouth, The Flavel Arts Centre Ola Onabule

February 2011

• Sun 13 Feb Milton Keynes, The Stables Ola Onabule
• Sat 12 Feb Alnwick Playhouse Ola Onabule

December 2010

• Sun 19 Dec London, Hideaway Ola Onabule

September 2010

• Sun 26 Sep London, Queen Elizabeth Hall Ola Onabule, Femi Temowo
• Thu 15 Jul London, The Bedford Ola Onabule

December 2009

• Fri 18 Dec Dartmouth, The Flavel Arts Centre Ola Onabule
• Mon 14 Dec St George's Bristol Ola Onabule, Sibongile Khumalo, Pete Josef
• Wed 9 Dec Gateshead, The Glasshouse International Centre for Music Sibongile Khumalo, Ola Onabule
• Mon 7 Dec Manchester, RNCM Sibongile Khumalo, Ola Onabule

November 2009

• Sat 21 Nov Basingstoke, Central Studio Ola Onabule

October 2009

• Thu 8 Oct Winchester, Tower Arts Centre Ola Onabule
• Fri 2 Oct Hemel Hempstead, The Old Town Hall Arts Centre Ola Onabule

September 2009

• Sat 26 Sep Whitehaven, Rosehill Theatre Ola Onabule
• Sat 5 Sep London, Ronnie Scott's Ola Onabule

February 2009

• Sat 28 Feb Milton Keynes, The Stables Ola Onabule
• Fri 27 Feb Brighton, Manchester Street Arts Club Ola Onabule
• Sun 15 Feb Southend-on-Sea, Churchills Cafe Bar Ola Onabule

November 2008

• Sat 29 Nov London, The Albany Ola Onabule
• Sun 23 Nov Bishop's Stortford, South Mill Arts Ola Onabule, Ezio, Booga, Afro Blue
• Sat 15 Nov Basingstoke, Central Studio Ola Onabule

October 2008

• Sun 12 Oct Derby, Assembly Rooms Ola Onabule

September 2008

• Sat 13 Sep London, Ronnie Scott's Ola Onabule
• Fri 12 Sep London, Ronnie Scott's Ola Onabule
• Thu 11 Sep London, Ronnie Scott's Ola Onabule
• Thu 4 Sep Brighton, Manchester Street Arts Club Ola Onabule

August 2008

• Thu 21 Aug Blagdon, Coombe Lodge Country House Ola Onabule
• Fri 1 Aug Edinburgh, The Voodoo Rooms Ola Onabule
• Sat 26 Jul Gloucester Park Ola Onabule, Little Jenny & The Blue Beans, Fat Digester, Lockup, Duke, Blues Brothers Re-Loaded, Skankt, Miss Fusion Lock Up…
• Fri 4 Jul New Milton, Forest Arts Ola Onabule
• Fri 13 Jun The Courtyard - Herefordshire's Centre for the Arts Ola Onabule
• Sat 24 May Christchurch, The Thomas Tripp Late N Live Ola Onabule, The Goodfoot
• Fri 9 May Cheltenham, Bacon Theatre Ola Onabule
• Fri 21 Mar Pitlochry Festival Theatre Ola Onabule

February 2008

• Thu 21 Feb Manchester, Mint Lounge Ola Onabule

December 2007

• Sun 2 Dec London, The Bedford Ola Onabule, I Am Lagan, Barbershopera

November 2007

• Fri 23 Nov Bishop's Stortford, South Mill Arts Ola Onabule

October 2007

• Sat 6 Oct Richmond, Georgian Theatre Royal Ola Onabule

September 2007

• Sat 1 Sep London, Ronnie Scott's Ola Onabule

August 2007

• Fri 31 Aug London, Ronnie Scott's Ola Onabule
• Thu 30 Aug London, Ronnie Scott's Ola Onabule
• Fri 11 May Christchurch, The Thomas Tripp Late N Live Ola Onabule
• Sun 1 Apr London, Pizza Express Ola Onabule
• Fri 23 Mar Doncaster, Camelots Ola Onabule

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Savvino-storozhevsky monastery and museum.

Zvenigorod's most famous sight is the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was founded in 1398 by the monk Savva from the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, at the invitation and with the support of Prince Yury Dmitrievich of Zvenigorod. Savva was later canonised as St Sabbas (Savva) of Storozhev. The monastery late flourished under the reign of Tsar Alexis, who chose the monastery as his family church and often went on pilgrimage there and made lots of donations to it. Most of the monastery’s buildings date from this time. The monastery is heavily fortified with thick walls and six towers, the most impressive of which is the Krasny Tower which also serves as the eastern entrance. The monastery was closed in 1918 and only reopened in 1995. In 1998 Patriarch Alexius II took part in a service to return the relics of St Sabbas to the monastery. Today the monastery has the status of a stauropegic monastery, which is second in status to a lavra. In addition to being a working monastery, it also holds the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum.

Belfry and Neighbouring Churches

Located near the main entrance is the monastery's belfry which is perhaps the calling card of the monastery due to its uniqueness. It was built in the 1650s and the St Sergius of Radonezh’s Church was opened on the middle tier in the mid-17th century, although it was originally dedicated to the Trinity. The belfry's 35-tonne Great Bladgovestny Bell fell in 1941 and was only restored and returned in 2003. Attached to the belfry is a large refectory and the Transfiguration Church, both of which were built on the orders of Tsar Alexis in the 1650s.  

To the left of the belfry is another, smaller, refectory which is attached to the Trinity Gate-Church, which was also constructed in the 1650s on the orders of Tsar Alexis who made it his own family church. The church is elaborately decorated with colourful trims and underneath the archway is a beautiful 19th century fresco.

Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is the oldest building in the monastery and among the oldest buildings in the Moscow Region. It was built between 1404 and 1405 during the lifetime of St Sabbas and using the funds of Prince Yury of Zvenigorod. The white-stone cathedral is a standard four-pillar design with a single golden dome. After the death of St Sabbas he was interred in the cathedral and a new altar dedicated to him was added.

Under the reign of Tsar Alexis the cathedral was decorated with frescoes by Stepan Ryazanets, some of which remain today. Tsar Alexis also presented the cathedral with a five-tier iconostasis, the top row of icons have been preserved.

Tsaritsa's Chambers

The Nativity of Virgin Mary Cathedral is located between the Tsaritsa's Chambers of the left and the Palace of Tsar Alexis on the right. The Tsaritsa's Chambers were built in the mid-17th century for the wife of Tsar Alexey - Tsaritsa Maria Ilinichna Miloskavskaya. The design of the building is influenced by the ancient Russian architectural style. Is prettier than the Tsar's chambers opposite, being red in colour with elaborately decorated window frames and entrance.

At present the Tsaritsa's Chambers houses the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural and Art Museum. Among its displays is an accurate recreation of the interior of a noble lady's chambers including furniture, decorations and a decorated tiled oven, and an exhibition on the history of Zvenigorod and the monastery.

Palace of Tsar Alexis

The Palace of Tsar Alexis was built in the 1650s and is now one of the best surviving examples of non-religious architecture of that era. It was built especially for Tsar Alexis who often visited the monastery on religious pilgrimages. Its most striking feature is its pretty row of nine chimney spouts which resemble towers.

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Saturday 09 December 2023

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