Abidemi Amosu, professionally known as Abidemi Sax, is a globally recognised saxophonist and musicologist whose artistry bridges heritage, jazz, and contemporary sounds.

Born in the culturally rich Iworo Awori area of Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria, Abidemi’s early exposure to traditional rhythms and melodies laid the foundation for a career dedicated to exploring the emotive power of music.

From his first encounters with the saxophone, Abidemi found his unique voice — one that conveys emotion, honours heritage, and embraces modernity. Drawing inspiration from African legends like Fela Kuti, Ebenezer Obey, and Orlando Julius, as well as international jazz icons such as Dave Koz and Kirk Whalum, Abidemi has cultivated a style that fuses traditional African sounds with jazz, Afrobeat, and global influences.

His saxophone works, including compositions such as Smile, Temi, Atinuda, Trust in God, and A Dreamer, display a meticulous attention to tone, phrasing, and musical narrative. Smile, for instance, is a warm, uplifting piece that stretches from playful light-heartedness to deeply heartfelt expression.

His use of legato, Ostinato passages, and spiralling decrescendos demonstrates both technical mastery and an intuitive sense of musical storytelling. While some moments in the four-minute track hint at monotony, the performance’s vibrant crescendos, precise articulation, and joyful phrasing leave a lasting impression.

Abidemi’s recent single, Selenkejo, paired with Ife Osupa, further showcases his versatility. Selenkejo is a reflective, slow-burning composition where the saxophone converses with jazz phrasing and melodic contours drawn from Nigerian traditions, creating a meditative and intimate experience. Its companion track, Ife Osupa, shifts into softer, lullaby-like lyricism, revealing his capacity to inhabit both the urbane jazzman and the romantic melodic player.

The single highlights his ear for storytelling, as phrases are shaped like sentences and pauses serve as punctuation, evoking a live-room intimacy rarely captured in recorded music.

Live, Abidemi Sax transforms stages into celebrations of African folk music. On a recent UK performance, he led an ensemble of eight instrumentalists, blending horns, guitars, drums, and keyboards into a rich, textured soundscape.

From Lagbaja’s Coolu Temper to Miriam Makeba’s Malaika, his playing was unhurried yet precise, allowing the music to breathe. A call-and-response moment with the audience during Joromi brought communal warmth to the performance, reminding listeners that African highlife and folk traditions are living, participatory arts, not static museum pieces.

Now based in the United Kingdom, Abidemi Sax continues to captivate audiences across continents, demonstrating that the musical roots of Badagry are a source of global resonance. Through his compositions, recordings, and performances, he preserves the heritage of his community while innovating with contemporary and international influences.

Abidemi Sax exemplifies how an artist can be both custodian of tradition and pioneer of musical exploration, carrying the legacy of Badagry’s rich cultural tapestry to the world stage