Dotun Bankole

Dotun Bankole is an Afro-fusion musician from Nigeria.

Bankole started doing music as a trumpeter at the age of 19. He only switched to saxophone rather incidentally at the age of 24 after his trumpet was stolen. He had access to a tenor sax at the time and he would practise for 12 hours daily for around seven (7) months. He went on to study music at the famous Peter Kings Music College in Badagry, Lagos with the likes of Asa.

Upon completion he studied music at the Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. Dotun Bankole, who initially started out loving and playing highlife music soon fell in love with and discovered his passion for Jazz particularly fascinated by the unique sound of jazz musicians as Miles Davis, John Cotrane, Charlie Parker, and Sonny Rollins.

Dotun Bankole’s unique saxophone sound can be heard on numerous artistes tracks, albums and performances which include but not limited to his performances with the famous peter Kings, Steve Rhodes, Asa, Ade Bantu and Femi Kuti with whom he had travelled severally on tours around the world. However, he has gone ahead to pursue the dissemination of his own signature sound; a result of over a decade of hard work and research to deliver a fusion of the Awori traditional music and jazz as can be heard in his tunes Ajantiele, Mobólájí, Mánámáná Aso Baba , Lànà, Ore Fún Jésù and Esẹ́ F' Ówu Lẹ̀se.

Dotun Bankole and his Lagos based band have been consistent and regular performers at the Lagos International Jazz Festival from 2011 . His band membership include his brother, Olusola Bankole (Piano), John Isadolo (drums), David Oladipupo (Bass), Yemi Ojole (Vocal) and Opeyemi Oyewande(Trumpet).