233 pays tribute to bassist Nee Sackey

Compositions by Nenyi Quaison-Sackey, also known as Nee Sackey, filled the cool night air at a concert at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra on Tuesday, July 16 as the venue in cooperation with the bassist’s family, paid tribute to him for his lofty musicianship and the outstanding personality that he was.

Nee Sackey died in Accra on May 22, 2024. He was 62. A Director at +233 and a close friend of his, Dr Adrian Oddoye, described the late musician as one of the finest to have come out of Ghana. He said Nee Sackey was the club’s biggest Ghanaian international collaborator who was always there for them.

“He came up with useful suggestions for programmes and performers for the club. He was always there for us. It’s difficult to imagine what it’s going to be like without him but we can only pick up from where he has left us. We know we’ve got to go where he would want us to be,” Dr Oddoye stated at the concert.

Nee Sackey attended Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast. He later obtained a degree in music from the famous  Berklee College of Music in the United States. Together with his American guitarist friend, Bill Macpherson, they  formed the  Native Vibe band. Their Jazz and Fusion  style was loved by many across the US and beyond.

Native Vibe played several gigs at +233 over the years. Bill Macpherson  was in the house on July 16, backed by the GHJazz Collective, to play some of Nee Sackey’s compositions which were mostly Jazz but with sparkling doses of Reggae, Highlife and other styles.

With multiple photos of Nee Sackey alternating on the big screen  behind the players, they rendered tracks such as ‘Doc and the Bottle’, ‘Vegas at Midnight’, ‘One for the Road,’ ‘Ten to Ten’ and ‘My Father’s Son, Brother’s Brother.’

Macpherson narrated how they first met in California in the US in 1991 and how their music collaboration unfolded from then on. He said Nee Sackey had a special way of writing melodies, adding that he would forever miss the man whose musical ideas jelled so much with his that they were able to work together for 33 years.

The tribute concert was attended by Nee Sackey’s widow Unabette, close family relations, friends and colleague musicians.

A funeral service will be held for Nee Sackey at the Lashibi Funeral Home, near Tema, on Thursday, July 19. He will be laid to rest the next day at Winneba in the Central Region.