Efajemue

Efajemue "Efa" Etoroma Jr. (born August 3, 1988), is a Canadian jazz musician most noted for his 2021 album Aesthetics, which was a Juno Award nominee for Jazz Album of the Year – Solo at the Juno Awards of 2022.

As a drummer, Etoroma has been compared to the likes of Brian Blade, Roy Hanes and Tony Williams, while taking modern influences from drummers and producers such as Chris Dave?uestlove and Steve Jordan Efa has served as the drummer for various acts including, Moonchild, Sneakout, Common Souls, Sensae and Zephyr Avalon

He is based in Los Angeles, California, where he has served on faculty at various higher education institutions and has released several albums that blend jazz music with hip hop and rhythm and blues influences.

Early life and education Born in Hamilton, Ontario, he grew up primarily in Edmonton, Alberta, where his father, Efa Etoroma Sr., is a sociology professor at Concordia University of Edmonton. He started playing drums at a young age, taking lessons locally. He took an interest in jazz music in his youth and continued on to study Jazz Performance at McGill University's Schulich School of Music in Montreal. Graduating with a B.Mus. in 2011, Etoroma then went on to graduate with a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from California Institute for the Arts in 2015. At Cal Arts Etoroma grew in his playing abilities and expanded knowledge through extensive study of hand percussion, arranging, composition, and electronic music.

Career Early career Efa always had a passion for music growing up. He grew up in a musical household, with his father, who is a guitarist, exposing him to various styles of music over the years.

2015–present Etoroma has made a living as a session drummer, educator and touring drummer for number of acts. Efa has served on faculty at California State University Dominguez Hills, and Musician's Institute, teaching Drum Set, production and Abelton courses. He is also a contributor to SoundFly, creating educational digital content for musicians. Etoroma has also toured and performed on a number of tours in the United States, Europe and Asia with neo-soul trio Moonchild.

On March 1, 2022, Efajemue received his first Juno nomination in the Jazz Album of the Year – Solo category for his 2021 project Aesthetics. This eight-song album was released independently on November 2, 2021.