Nigerian percussionist Lekan Babalola came to Birmingham last Friday as part of the Rush Hour Blues series, bringing his inimitable musicianship to the Brummie commuters. Originally from Lagos and moving to London in the 1980s, Lekan has enjoyed a hugely varied and eclectic career encompassing roles as a seminal musician, producer, filmmaker and cultural figurehead. Heavily influenced by Yoruba tradition, his family taught him, first hand, Yoruba art and culture that now informs his musical work. Receiving a cultural and political apprenticeship from the late Fela Kuti, and working as Spike Lee's assistant on Malcolm X are amongst the influences that have led to Lekan Babalola becoming the multi-cultural artist he is today.

So, on a balmy Friday evening at half five, the Lekan Babalola band decamped into the Symphony Hall bar. Augmenting his own percussion set up, he was ably assisted by his young band of keyboard, bass and drums, as well as a tight wind section of trumpets and baritone sax. The overall mood was laid back in the extreme: while his band happily supped pints between songs, Lekan, resplendent in a colourful shirt, engaged the crowd with explanations and banter. However, it was Lekan's virtuosic percussion that was the focus of the show.

The program perfectly demonstrated the variety Lekan has built his career on: part traditional, part urban, part jazz, part funk. Dizzy Gillespie's 'A Night in Tunisia' was arranged with a distinctive African flavour, emerging as 'A Night in Birmingham', as Babalola quipped. Funky djembe and wood blocks with upbeat brass highlights characterised the number, and it was received to tumultuous applause from a packed bar area. Lekan then explained to the crowd his debt to the work of classic Afro-Cuban trumpeters before launching into a sultry Afro-Cuban version of Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time'. The after hours, tribal beat was the perfect antidote to a week's work, and trumpeter Leo Alterelli excelled in his solo.

The guest vocalist kicked off the second set in spectacular style, with the heavily percussive Cuban salsa opener, featuring some feverish splash cymbal slapping from the man himself. Other highlights included songs from previous album 'Songs of Icons', including single Kabioye and work from the forthcoming album.

The most impressive thing about the whole experience was the humility of Babalola. Despite having worked with some musical giants, including legendary drummer Art Blakey, Babalola never once failed to acknowledge his young soloists after each song. This, combined with his eagerness to talk to the audience, meant that despite the large crowd and big sound coming from the band, the performance remained intimate and seemed all too short as it all came to a triumphant end an hour and a half later.

Bringing Afro-fusion to the masses; don't pass up a chance to see Lekan Babalola live, you'll be missing an uplifting and inspirational night's entertainment.