Solomon Ilori

Biography

Solomon Ilori (born c. 1934) is a Nigerian drummer, percussionist and bandleader. Raised in Lagos and based in New York City from 1958, he played on *Art Blakey*'s 'The African Beat' before leading his Afro-Drum Ensemble on his own #Blue Note Records# album 'African High Life' in 1963. Built around talking drum, percussion and his pennywhistle, the record set traditional West African highlife at dance tempos, and a freer 1964 session from the same period surfaced as bonus material on the album's 2006 reissue.