One of the greatest trumpeters in West Africa,

Zeal traversed the West African Coast and made his mark in every country. His trumpet was not limited to highlife alone it was extended to all facets of music and was proficient in the performance of jazz, classical, and what have you. Zeal’s proficiency on the instrument was acknowledged in 1957 by America’s Louis Armstrong who referred to Zeal as the ‘hep cat in Africa’. And truly he played the instrument with the intensity, power, and tonal conception of Armstrong who was a major influence in those early days, having dominated the jazz that existed from the 1920s till the 50s. Zeal will always be remembered for reinvigorating the Melody Aces band of Ghana with his appearance as the co-leader and lead trumpeter. His career started in Lagos where he stood out in those days like a sore thumb. Zeal was the most consistently influential and dominant of the formidable trumpet section that Bobby Benson Jam Section boasted in the early 50s an outfit which also included Chief Billy Friday and Eddie Okonta both of whom were also very hot on the trumpet. As a jazz musician, he was a guest trumpeter with the Fela Ransome-Kuti quintet in 1963 at Cool Cats Inn, Apapa Road, Lagos and he often shared solos with Fela on the same instrument. This great trumpeter passed on in 2002