Celebrating Edward Jatto a.k.a Ed Jatto

JATTO EYES PMAN PRESIDENCY

2008-10-21T22:07:00.002+02:00

Ed Jatto, the America returnee entertainment impresario who has recorded a quite number of albums may have declared his intention known as you finish reading this as we learnt that he’s already on talks with some stakeholders in the industry to vie for the presidency position of the Performing Musician Association of Nigeria a.k.a. PMAN.

Ed Jatto whose entertainment studio, Riverdale is one of the most patronized audio/visual recording studios on Allen Avenue in Ikeja has been reported to have been making grand preparation to head that sector of the industry. His reason for that top position, according to one of his aides is “to change the face of things in the industry. There is strong affinity between the some of the heads and pirates; our regime is to conquer this venom that has eaten deeply into the pulse of entertainers in Nigeria” Well, if Ed Jatto who presents a weekly programmed named Jatto Live on Galaxy TV is really going for this position, we shall make him talk about it next week. Keep a date.

Soure: NigeriaFilms.com

ARTICLE FROM AMERICAN GAZZETE NEWS PAPER ON ED JATTO

2008-06-02T19:29:00.001+02:00

June 24, 1999
by C. H. Bartlett
Special to The Gazette

Hidden in a dimly lit suite above a pawnshop in Riverdale Heights is Riverdale Music Internationale -- a business well-known for producing top African entertainers.

Nigerian singer Shina Peter's latest CD was recorded and mastered here. CDs were produced here by Ghanaian pop singer Alex Obeng, Nigerian gospel singer Ajayi Michael and Jamaican reggae artists Englishman and Maccabe. Even Riverdale Music Internationale's owner, Ed Jatto, has produced an album of his own in the shop.
For some, this would seem an unlikely spot for such a big producer, however, Jatto disagrees.
Jatto sees Prince George's County as an unrecognized center of "world music."

"When you meet an African musician who is living in or visiting [this part of] the United States, he'll say he's in the Washington area, but he really means Prince George's. You hear a lot of talent in this area."

"World music" has emerged as a term to describe the re-integration of Western musical styles such as disco, rock, gospel, jazz and gospel with the musical traditions -- largely African -- from which they arose.

The results range from sparse, uninstrumented songs of Muslim religious devotion to pop tunes that are upbeat, danceable and rhythmically interesting, in which traditional instruments such as talking drums begin melodies later taken up within intricate guitar playing.
These are the sounds that one hears in the background as Ed Jatto patiently explains how the business began and what his plans are.

Coming from a small town in North-Central Nigeria, Jatto's family was originally skeptical about his choice of career.
"Where I grew up," Jatto said, "people look at musicians as beggars, as people who live in the streets. Making music just isn't seen as a respectable way of earning a living, like being a lawyer or an engineer."
Despite his family's objections, Jatto embarked on a career playing the drums and guitar in clubs in Nigeria and working as a sound engineer for recording giant EMI. In Nigeria in the mid-1980s, he released his first CDs, titled "Love Explosion" and "Love Edition."

After coming to the United States in 1988 and struggling with a variety of odd jobs, Jatto started his music business in 1993, producing the work of fellow African musicians.
He is wounded to see African musicians and other professionals trapped in dead-end jobs after coming to this country.

"That is why I want to help other people. I do not want other people to go through what I went through when I was in Nigeria and when I first came to the United States." Jatto says he wants to enable lesser-known artists to make recordings and to make these recordings more widely available, both within Africa and among foreign audiences.

When asked about any difficulties in working with strong-willed recording artists, Jatto merely smiles. "My favorite person to work with is the one I'm working with right now. ... I can't get mad with anyone, because getting mad means you're not satisfied with what God's given you."

Although the Riverdale Heights studio used to handle all parts of the production of cassettes and CDs, Jatto -- encouraged by the recent democratic elections -- recently moved equipment to Nigeria to handle duplication. He plans a summer trip to West Africa to explore opening studios in Gambia, Sierra Leone or Ghana to produce music from much of West Africa. His plan is to record music in Africa, mix it at his Riverdale Heights studio, and then manufacture and distribute CDs in Africa.

Another of Jatto's hopes is a joint production arrangement with a major label that would allow wider U.S. distribution of the work of African artists. In the United States, most African CDs are now distributed through ethnic grocery stores, according to Jatto. Such markets are likely to have a rack of videos or CDs, but most people will never see them unless they go shopping for palm oil or manioc flour, he said.

At Riverdale Music, one ongoing project is the production of a CD to benefit Ethiopian war victims. Four other CDs are in production, one gospel-oriented for the American market and the others more targeted to African audiences.

Although most of Jatto's recent efforts have gone into producing others' recordings, last year he released his first American CD, "City Under Siege." This pop-influenced recording contains songs in English as well as several African languages, including Yoruba and Ebira. He intends to release another later in 1999 with the working title "Rorajaye," which he translated as roughly meaning "take it easy." This CD will focus on traditional Ebira folk music.

Jatto, who began writing songs in high school, writes his songs in whatever language they come into his mind. Love songs tend to come out in English, while his songs in African languages frequently address moral conflicts or family issues that are not often the subject of Western music.

Jatto welcomes the additional exposure that American artists, such as Paul Simon, who have experimented with incorporating elements of African music into their own work, may provide for African artists. However, he expresses concern about the long-term willingness of Western recording companies to support local artists in Africa and about the possibility that, with its greater commercial backing, Western music may crowd African music off the air on African radio stations.

Jatto was a supporter of last year's Prince George's World Jazz Festival, held at Prince George's Community College, which showcased the work of several African performers. In discussing the festival, Albert Maitland, executive director of the Prince George's Arts Council, described Jatto as "a central figure in promoting the work of local and African artists." Jatto himself expresses great hopes of further building on local talents, tastes and resources to establish the area as an international music center.

ED JATTO

2007-09-25T18:23:00.003+02:00

Ed Jatto: African music and rhymes is a multi-talented instrumentalist who has toured and performed extensively for over 15 years in USA.
A native of Ebira in Kogi state of Nigeria, Ed Jatto performed on over 100 recordings (albums and CDs) and is recognised in the who's who in African Music live performances and CD recordings.

Jatto a song writer, musician and producer who came back home to his native country Nigeria in 2004 to start a recording studio is also the owner of Riverdale Music Recording Studio in Maryland, USA. An experienced singer and recording Engineer, he has in the past worked with International recording artiste and group like THIRD WORLD (Jamaica), KING YELLOW MAN (Jamaica), SOUKOUS ALL STARS (Congo), SONY OKOSUN (Nigeria), EBENEZER OBEY (Nigeria), JEAN PAPPY (Congo), SAM MANGWANA (Congo), AYINDE BARRISTER (Nigeria), OSITA OSADEBE (Nigeria), OLIVER DE COQUE (Nigeria), TONY OKOROJI (Nigeria), OSEI KOFI (Ghana), ALEX OBENG (Ghana), ASTER AWEKE (Ethiopia), ZULU SPEAR (South Africa), BUSTA RHYME (USA), LIL KIM (USA) etc.

On his arrival to Nigeria, he was given the responsibility of the Technical Director who overlooked the technical aspect of hosting the Miss Nigeria Beauty Pageant by Daily Times of Nigeria 2003, and also performed live alongside of other musicians like PASUMA and ARA. He also featured on Sunny Okosun and friends' Music and video recorded for COJA 2003.

Ed Jatto Presents His Expose Live

2007-09-16T12:50:00.001+02:00

This Day (Lagos)

16 September 2007
Posted to the web 17 September 2007

Nseobong Okon-Ekong
Lagos

He is known in the industry for his gentlemanly attributes; and because he allows his work to speak for him, his reputation remains uncluttered without controversies that often surround personalities in showbiz.

His fame is not just about the fact that he is one of the most sought after sound engineers who helped to move the world of Nigerian music in the late 70s and early 80s. Working for EMI (which has since transformed into Ivory Music) back then, he was instrumental to shaping the kind of music that came out of Nigeria. Besides working in the studio, he found time to express himself as a recording artiste. For that effort, Edward Isezuo Jatto, better known as, Ed Jatto has two albums to his credit. There is 'Love Explosion' and 'Love Edition'-both released on EMI label between 1982 and 1986.

The release of Love Edition set-off a string of life transforming events; the biggest of which was his decision to leave Nigeria for the United States of America. Getting a foothold in the US was very challenging, but having left Nigeria, he was determined to succeed. "I did what everybody else did, including working in the famous Kilimanjaro Night Club in Washington DC. I didn't do that for long before getting a break to be my own man". I established Riverdale Limited, a multi-media company.

Partly owing to his experiences in life, Jatto has decided not only to live for himself, but to live for others. He is convinced that one of the ways man can tap into Higher Consciousness is by being selfless. Today, scores of individuals owe the big break they got in life to Jatto's large heartedness. "I not a rich man, but I have financed foreign travels, helped people to settle down abroad, particularly in the US and given a lifeline to many here in Nigeria, since I returned in 2003. I have also had to give out my equipment to some broadcast stations to help them tide over stormy weather. I see the potential in these individuals and corporate organizations. If they were in another clime, I know they would have done better, because they are very hard working. The average Nigerian just needs a little encouragement to realize his dream. I am only too happy to help whenever I can. People are going through tough times in this country due to no fault of theirs".

While in the United States, Jatto took time out to study. He took various Digital Engineering courses at the Prince George's College in Maryland that familiarized him with the application and repairs of transmitters. He went to Howard University to get a first degree in Film and TV Production. Howard was good, for he not met and married his wife, Ayodola, a Nigerian born in the US who was studying Medicine. They have five children. They have five children. Jatto had two other children from his late wife before leaving Nigeria. The two children are in the College of Technology, Okene in Kogi state. He explained his decision to leave them in Nigeria for now. "They are still teenagers. If I allow them to go the US, they will get excited and may not be serious. When they finish their higher education, the opportunity is open to go to the US".

Life in the US was good to Jatto; and that is why he can afford to live in relative comfort since he came back in 2003. With a well-stacked recording studio and printing press at on Allen Avenue and a warehouse full of musical equipment at Ikorodu, Jatto lives on easy streets.

His current album exhibits the versatility in him. Titled Fuji Praise, it showcases Jatto giving some of the best fuji acts a run for their money with tight instrumentation and free-flowing delivery in praise of Jesus Christ. But the busiest enterprise engaging his attention now is Jatto Live, a talk show on Galaxy Television with a tilt towards entertainment. The programme de-emphasizes much music and allows artistes on the programme to tell their story. By asking probing questions, he succeeds in bringing out the inspirational side of these artistes; and this is a mighty lift to many upcoming artistes and members of the public.