Ghana Soundz

It doesn’t seem very long ago that a release like this would have been unthinkable - until the last few years, there were no CDs digging into the funky fringes of vintage African music like this one does. And yet, these days, it fits right in - the various releases by Afrostrut, Duncan Brooker’s “Afrorock” anthology on Kona, among others, show that there is now real (if, admittedly, still very specialist) interest in aspects of African music that until very recently, most of us knew little or nothing about.

Influences are not hard to find - the 3rd Generation Band and Ebo Taylor pursue the Fela sound, the Uhuru Dance Band try out some Osibisa-type Afrorock - but their takes on the music are always fresh and interesting. Marijata build more explicitly on an American funk foundation, but there’s no way this music could have been made outside West Africa. One of the interesting aspects of the selection is to hear popular highlife bands like The African Brothers and The Sweet Talks experimenting with the broader fusions. The former offer a frantic lecture about “Self Reliance”, exhorting their audience to “Stand on your feet”, while the latter take traditional percussion rhythms and work them into a deep dance groove. And then there’s the lovely “Hwehwe Mu Na Yi Wo Mpena” by K.Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas - an irresistible hypnotic rhythm, chiming guitar (with a touch of the Congo about it), the horns taking it in turn to solo and then the vocals adding a beautiful highlife-style minor-key melody. Sheer musical pleasure.

“Simigwado” by Gyedu Blay Ambolley & the Steneboofs evokes a memory of the kick the present writer got turning up a copy of the original single for 10p in a shop in Notting Hill. How did it get there? Who knows - that’s the joy of record collecting. Maybe one day I’ll turn up a copy of The Black Star Sound’s “Nite Safarie”, said to have been released in the UK in the 1960s. The earliest track included, it was cut in London, with Teddy Osei on flute and sax, and offers a glimpse of proto-Afrorock, a couple of years before anybody else had ever thought of it.

So, plenty of good listening, but another big treat is that this must be one of the very few releases where the booklet shares this website’s fascination with the ephemeral side of African music - record labels, company sleeves, album sleeves etc. It’s packed with lovely illustrations, as well as a long, highly informative introduction and equally fact-filled notes on each track, by compiler Miles Cleret, all enhanced by very attractive presentation and professional design, incorporating a great photo of Nana Ampadu on the front.

RT (11/02)


Various Artists: Ghana Soundz... Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in 70s Ghana - Soundway SNDWCD001 It doesn’t seem very long ago that a release like this would have been unthinkable - until the last few years, there were no CDs digging into the funky fringes of vintage African music like this one does. And yet, these days, it fits right in - the various releases by Afrostrut, Duncan Brooker’s “Afrorock” anthology on Kona, among others, show that there is now real (if, admittedly, still very specialist) interest in aspects of African music that until very recently, most of us knew little or nothing about. Influences are not hard to find - the 3rd Generation Band and Ebo Taylor pursue the Fela sound, the Uhuru Dance Band try out some Osibisa-type Afrorock - but their takes on the music are always fresh and interesting. Marijata build more explicitly on an American funk foundation, but there’s no way this music could have been made outside West Africa. One of the interesting aspects of the selection is to hear popular highlife bands like The African Brothers and The Sweet Talks experimenting with the broader fusions. The former offer a frantic lecture about “Self Reliance”, exhorting their audience to “Stand on your feet”, while the latter take traditional percussion rhythms and work them into a deep dance groove. And then there’s the lovely “Hwehwe Mu Na Yi Wo Mpena” by K.Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas - an irresistible hypnotic rhythm, chiming guitar (with a touch of the Congo about it), the horns taking it in turn to solo and then the vocals adding a beautiful highlife-style minor-key melody. Sheer musical pleasure. “Simigwado” by Gyedu Blay Ambolley & the Steneboofs evokes a memory of the kick the present writer got turning up a copy of the original single for 10p in a shop in Notting Hill. How did it get there? Who knows - that’s the joy of record collecting. Maybe one day I’ll turn up a copy of The Black Star Sound’s “Nite Safarie”, said to have been released in the UK in the 1960s. The earliest track included, it was cut in London, with Teddy Osei on flute and sax, and offers a glimpse of proto-Afrorock, a couple of years before anybody else had ever thought of it. So, plenty of good listening, but another big treat is that this must be one of the very few releases where the booklet shares this website’s fascination with the ephemeral side of African music - record labels, company sleeves, album sleeves etc. It’s packed with lovely illustrations, as well as a long, highly informative introduction and equally fact-filled notes on each track, by compiler Miles Cleret, all enhanced by very attractive presentation and professional design, incorporating a great photo of Nana Ampadu on the front. RT (11/02)

	Various Artists Ghana Soundz Afro-Beat, Funk and Fusion in 70s Ghana Soundway SNDWCD001


back to reviews index