Etuk Ubong

Based between Lagos and the international stage, Nigerian trumpeter Etuk Ubong has, since the early 2010s, been developing a path he calls “Earth Music,” at the crossroads of afrobeat, highlife, jazz and more spiritual dimensions drawn from West African religious and popular music. Born in Akwa Ibom State and trained from a young age in Lagos brass bands and churches, Etuk Ubong honed his playing in various ensembles before performing with established afrobeat groups, notably around the New Afrika Shrine, which firmly established him on the local scene. Leading his own bands, he favors a direct brass sound, repetitive bass lines and dense rhythmic work, supported by vocals in English and Nigerian languages with lyrics often social and political in character. The album Black Debtors (2021) captures this collective approach in the studio, born of long work onstage. At the same time, Etuk Ubong runs an independent space in Lagos devoted to rehearsals, workshops and performances, serving as a base for his projects and those of the younger generation of afro-jazz musicians.