I never knew that I wanted to hear the West African talking drum in concert with a 54-piece orchestra until I witnessed it for the first time. But as soon as it happened, it became apparent that this was something I needed as a matter of life-affirming urgency.

On Sunday 23rd November, the genre-defying afrobeats singer-songwriter Adekunle Gold performed with Guildhall Session Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, as part of the EFG London Jazz Festival. While listening to Fuji, his latest album, I could begin to imagine how an orchestra might fit into a live arrangement. The album is an expert blend of traditional influences with modern musical expansions, but I was still intrigued to see how it would play out in front of a live audience in the legendary Royal Festival Hall.

The only way I can describe the experience is that it felt like my soul left my body on a number of occasions. The artist fondly known as ‘AG Baby’ took us all on a journey; from a cinematic rendition of ‘Don Corleone’, through to an emotional performance of ‘Love Is An Action’ (dedicated to his five-year-old daughter who was sat in the audience), to an explosive version of ‘Party No Dey Stop’ that would have blown the roof off of the Royal Festival Hall if it hadn’t of been so well-constructed.