This is easily the most joyous adaptation of a war song you will hear today (unless you're on a Ken Burns kick). Ghanian Highlife legend Ebo Taylor has a new record out on the mighty Strut and the septuagenarian Afro-Soul king has managed to stave off all erosion. The LP has guest spots from the similarly venerable Tony Allen (of Fela Kuti's band not the NBA) and the sadly unsung Pax Nicholas . The band is called the Afrobeat Academy and I have been rejected from them for six seasons running. The video is shot [...]

Provavelmente uma das memórias mais felizes da última edição do Festival Músicas do Mundo de Sines, Ebo Taylor é já um nome incontornável na música do Ghana, aliando tradição e modernidade como só os grandes mestres o fazem. Appia Kwa Bridge é o novo álbum de Taylor com lançamento previsto dentro de algumas semanas pela Strut Records. Segundo palavras do próprio, trata-se de um regresso à herança highlife, cada vez mais recuperada e reinterpretada, até por músicos exteriores ao continente. Exemplo desse rumo é Yaa Amponsah , um clássico do género que remonta até meados da década [...]

Ebo Taylor is now well on his way to attaining 'legendary' status. The Ghanaian artist had been thought of as the preserve of particularly enthusiastic highlife fans, but thanks to Strut he is now enjoying an international renaissance. Taylor's forthcoming album Appia Kwa Bridge includes a number of Ghanaian standards, including this beautifully pared back version of 'Yaa Amponsah'. Showcasing his extraordinarily compelling voice in a different context to that of his more upbeat work, the track helps to demonstrate the breadth of Taylor's unique talent. Appia [...]
Prestes que está a terminar a ressaca de Sines e com o distanciamento adequado para recordar e resumir para palavras esta magnífica semana e meia de concertos e de férias com os amigos, eis um apanhado rápido dos meus momentos prediletos do FMM 2011:1. CONGOTRONICS vs. ROCKERS (Congo-Kinshasa/Ocidente)Se o "vs." que aparece tanto no título deste espetáculo como no do disco que lhe deu origem
13. EBO TAYLOR & AFROBEAT ACADEMY (Gana)Castelo de SinesDomingo, 24 de Julho, 00h45Devo confessar que nos últimos meses tenho voltado as costas ao afro beat, ao highlife e família. Já não posso com mais compilações de gravações recuperadas no inesgotável património da Nigéria e arredores ou com os tributos e requentamentos que por aí florescem todos os dias. Mas, em Sines, com uma qualidade de

We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity - romantic love and gunpowder. - Andre Maurois We're stinking filthy busy round here reading, cutting, welding, & greasing. The chain in those handcuffs is high-tensile steel. It'd take you ten minutes to hack through it with this. Now, if you're lucky, you could hack through your ankle in five minutes. Go Fingerbanger 1 : Lexy Feat. Soffy O - Chronicles (Original Long Mix) (don lowed) -- Something about this [...]
Novos nomes foram adicionados ao cartaz do Festival de Músicas do Mundo 2011. Da programação fazem parte, até ao momento os seguintes nomes: Luísa Maita; Mercedes Peón; Manou Gallo; Nomfusi; Nathalie Natiembé; Mário Lúcio; Vishwa Mohan Bhatt & The Divana Ensemble; Mamer; Ayarkhaan; Shunsuke Kimura x Etsuro Ono; António Zambujo; Ebo Taylor; Blitz The Ambassador; Congotronics vs. Rockers. "A primeira a subir ao palco do Castelo de Sines, no dia 24 de Julho, é a brasileira LUÍSA MAITA, uma das mais fortes apostas recentes da Cumbancha, editora de referência na área das músicas do mundo. [...]
On en parlait récemment comme membre du groupe Pat Thomas & Marijata , le guitariste ghanéen Ebo taylor est remis à l'honneur grâce au label Strut Records qui édite Love and Death le tout premier album studio de l'artiste. La nouvelle n'est pas mince considérant qu'Ebo Taylor est sans doute l'un des plus grands musiciens africains encore vivant et que, hormis sur la compilation Afro-beat Airways , il était très difficile de se procurer des enregistrements de qualité de ce monstre du [...]
As I try and keep my head above water with school, work and baby on the way I wanted to point everyone to a bit of afrobeat. This video was shot by Tom Bass and provides an interesting look on and off stage of Ghanaian musician Ebo Taylor . Video features the single, "Love and Death" off his record of the same name out now on Strut Records . Check it out.
Né dans la région Ashanti située au sud du Ghana , Pat Thomas (à ne pas confondre avec son homonyme féminin ) est dès son plus jeune âge à bonne école, sa mère est leader d'une chorale et son père est professeur de musique. Mais c'est surtout avec son oncle Kwabena " King " Onyina , un des pionniers de la musique highlife , que le jeune Pat Thomas va apprendre à composer et se perfectionner à la guitare et aux percussions. Un temps dans les formations Broadway [...]
The Very Best are a deliciously odd trio. The band formed more than four years ago, after DJ Gods Johan Karlberg and Etienne Tron of Radioclit met Esau Mwamwaya after buying a bike at Mwamwaya's used furniture/junk store in East London. In 2008, the group released a mixtape, Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are the Very [...]

December was definitely a slow month for me, working a lot, listening to all kind of music but only a few really stroked me. So I skipped my monthly top 10 having only 4 tracks I really liked came NYE. January was more exciting. So here's a melting pot of songs I really liked recently that will make it up for both December and January! Enjoy! And if you want me to remove one of this track, just email me and don't go all blogger on me ===>>> Previous Tops: NOV , OCT [...]

In no particular order. Old stuff today, new stuff later. Amadou & Mariam - The Magic Couple [Wrasse] Best-Of compilation culled from Amadou & Mariam's 1997-2001 material, in which the divinely gifted Malian blind couple honed the style seen on sacred earth-opus, Welcome to Mali . Coldplay-endorsed, NPR-approved, and the darling of every critic cognizant of the word, "polyrhythm." For good reason. MP3: [...]
Il y avait un moment que je ne vous avais pas proposé des extraits de la compilation Africa 100 , sortie en 2005, et difficilement trouvable dans le commerce. Voici le ghanéen Ebo Taylor , véritable star dans son pays et 2 de ses titres les plus connus : "Heaven" et surtout "Atwer Abroba". [Pour écouter sans télécharger, allez visiter l'article] Télécharger clic droit+enregistrer sous ( right clic+save as ) [Pour écouter sans télécharger, allez visiter l'article] Télécharger clic droit+enregistrer [...]

Fela Kuti Afrobeat Afrobeat is a combination of American jazz, funk and Nigerian beat. It was created by Africa's most outspoken artist, the late Fela Ransome Anikulapo of Nigeria in the early 70s at the time British rock and American soul music was dominating most of Africa's music scene. Fela introduced his brand of style to stop the British musical invasion. The closest I've come to experiencing Fela's music was through his youngest son Seun Kuti at The El Rey [...]
photo by Matthew Craig I've said it before and I'll say it again: "It was the sound of post-independence Nigeria, not Vampire Weekend." Suffice it to say that Afrobeat has become an increasingly prominent element in today's fusion music. Yet we seldom stop to think where these unique tones originated. So this compilation marks the beginning of a series dedicated to investigating the peaks and troughs of a glossed-over genre. After all, no musical victory is without its unsung heroes. Various Artists - "Advanced Afrobeat For Beginners Volume [...]

I came across this one while searching for some nice afrobeat pieces to play on the show (and i have to admit that's mostly because fela kuti songs are neverending stories between 8 to 13 minutes...too long for the show) Anyway i'm very happy to have stumbled on this compilation since every song is a gem of spicy afro-funky taste for all Africa 70's fans out there. If, you're content with Fela, Tony Allen , and Manu Dibango on the afrobeat subject like me, you shouldn't be. At least that's the conclusion I [...]