Nathaniel Bassey

Nathaniel Bassey was born in Lagos, Nigeria. He is from Ikot Ofon Ikono, Uyo local government area in Akwa-Ibom state, South-South Nigeria. He studied of Politics and International Relations at the University of London, and attended music courses while living in the UK, including the Middlesex University Summer School UK, where he studied popular music and music business.

In his early years, he developed an interest for jazz music and began listening, imitating and playing to the music of Louis Armstrong, Miles Davies, Clifford Brown, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Kirk Whalum, Phil Driscoll, Hugh Masakela and other Jazz luminaries. His zeal for the Jazz form stirred him to seek out bands and groups. He joined Spectrum 4, a jazz quartet in Lagos, where he played alongside his childhood friends.

He later served as the and lead trumpet player for The Steve Rhodes Ochestra for a period of two years and later moved on with his music career. His peculiar and particularly soulful trumpet playing style caught the ears of top Artistes and composers within and outside the country. Teemac, Ayo Bankole Jr, Cobhams Asuquo, Wole Oni, Yinka Davies, Adlan Cruise, Funsho Ogundipe, Peter King, Sotiris Papadopoulus, Paul Petersen, The French Cultural centre, and American International School.

While in the UK, Bassey later took time off his mainstream commitments to become a gospel minister, and has since then remained so. His debut album, Elohim, was recorded and mixed in Cape Town, South Africa in 2008. It includes the hit single “Someone’s knocking at the door”.