| Franklyn Ajaye, aka "The Jazz Comedian,"
is a man of many talents. He was born in Brooklyn,
NY, but raised in Los Angeles by an African
father and a Florida-born mother. Ajaye is, as he likes
to joke, a "true African-American."
The former
law student is an Emmy-nominated TV writer (In
Living Color, Politically Incorrect, NYPD Blue), a skilled film
actor (Car Wash, Stir Crazy, The Jazz Singer), author (Comic
Insights— the Art of Stand Up Comedy)
and a musician.
Ajaye's first time on stage was at an
amateur night at the Village Gate in New York's
Greenwich Village. Encouraged by the laughter, Ajaye quit law school, returned to Los Angeles
and spent his evenings perfecting comedy routines at
The Comedy Store on Sunset.
In 1973, he made his network debut on The
Flip Wilson Show and a year later made his first
appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny
Carson. At the same time, the first of Ajaye's three
comedy albums, Franklyn Ajaye, Comedian,
was released by A&M Records. The success of his initial
release led to: I'm A Comedian, Seriously and Don't Smoke Dope, Fry Your Hair.
Reviewing his nightclub performance, Variety commented:
"If Lenny Bruce were to be reincarnated, he might
come back in a slightly different form as Franklyn Ajaye.
The San Francisco Chronicle said, He has Pryor's
insights, and Cosby's cool.
Ajaye believes that standup comedy is an
underrated art form. He's written a how-to
book on stand up called Comic Insights— The Art
of Stand Up Comedy, featuring full-length
interviews with 17 of America's best stand up comedians.
Ajaye, a restless man with a taste for
adventure, emigrated to Melbourne,
Australia in 1997. He performs his
one-man show, teaches TV writing, and
acts in the children's adventure TV series, Pirate Islands.
Ajaye periodically returns to the U.S. to
do clubs, specials and television performances.
contact:
Gail A. Stocker
1025 N. Kings Rd Suite 113
Los Angeles CA 90069
323.654.4015 phone
323.654.1150 fax
gail@comedycontact.com
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