Ivorian guitarist celebrates Kofi Annan’s legacy
There can be no doubting that the late former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan touched a lot of lives with his work and one of such persons whose life he impacted is Ivorian Jazz guitarist and composer, Constant Boty, who is celebrating the great man’s legacy on his upcoming album titled Comme çi, comme ça.
Kofi Annan, who was the seventh UN Secretary-General, served from January 1997 to December 2006 and was a co-laureate of the Nobel Peace prize in 2001. He died last year at the age of 80.
For Constant Boty, there is the need to pay tribute to the man who was an epitome of humility and whose desire to see a better world inspired his tireless diplomacy, while he provided solutions for hunger and disease.
The 12-track Comme çi, comme ça album is the second album of Constant Boty and is produced by Mevicon Services, a concierge company based in Ghana.
It is co-produced by Mauritian Jacques Jolicoeur alias Dj Imhotep.
Comme çi, comme ça was recorded at the Conveyor NYC Studios in Brooklyn, New York and in realising this album, Constant Boty worked with a number of world renowned musicians from different parts of the globe.
They include legendary Ghanaian master drummer, Okyerema Asante on percussion; Jazz piano master, Benito Gonzalez (Venezuela); Jazz vocalist, Heather Maxwell (USA); legendary Jazz bassist, Lonnie Plaxico (USA); Saxophonist, Kris Allen (USA); drummer, Luiz Santos (Brazil) and drummer Daniel Prim (Venezuela).
Others are Grammy winning Jazz clarinetist, Oran Etkin (Israel), percussionist, Nkumu Katalay (DR Congo); drummer, Franscisco Mela (Cuba); Jazz vocalist Maiko Hata (Japan) and drummer Daniel Freedman (Israel).
New York-based Ghanaian film director, Kobina Johnson, and engineers Jason Berisof and Andrew Sharon from Conveyor NYC Studios recorded the project, while American Jazz bassist/sound designer, Michael Pope, was in charge of the mixing and mastering.
Some of the songs on the album are the title track Comme çi, comme ça, Guru Guru, My People, Coup de foudre, Soleil du jour, Venus in Gemini, Mankalo, Shine on Kofi Annan, Soleil du jour and Give me the night.
Constant Boty, will embark on a tour of West Africa, visiting countries such as Ghana, Cote d’ivoire Ivory Coast and Nigeria in December and will tour the United States and Europe next year.
He is in talks with the Kofi Annan Foundation to collaborate and honour the global icon on August 18, the anniversary of the day he died. Comme ci, Comme ça will be on the market from August 18.