Ghana, Swiss music collaboration makes great strides

 It was billed ‘The  Swiss-Ghana Jam Session’ but what happened at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra on Tuesday, October 22,2024 can also be termed as the gathering of young but ultra-serious adherents to the Jazz tradition from Ghana and Switzerland.

Tuesday nights at +233 are usually for Frank Kissi & The Electric Band but last Tuesday was taken over by students from the second edition of the Accra Jazz Academy and colleagues from the Haute École de Musique (HEMU) in Switzerland.  

Jazz has always been fueled by young blood eager to establish their own voices. That motive was what urged on the music students -eight from Ghana and ten from Switzerland - to express  how far they have come by way of vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, clarinet, guitar, flute, saxophone, trombone and kit drums. 

The Accra Jazz Academy was initiated by the Ghana Jazz Foundation, Switzerland-based  Thomas Dobler Music outfit and the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill. It aim to groom young Ghanaian players and create a Jazz orchestra capable of holding out its own on any stage across the world. 

Twelve students were chosen for the first edition after a call for applications. After intensive tutoring sessions, they performed at +233 on March 2, 2024. Eight students were picked this time around for the second edition. They were outdoored at a concert at +233 on October 17 and had the pleasure of being part of the jam session last Tuesday.  

 HEMU is highly regarded for its high quality musical training and close ties with professional circles. Its curriculum embraces Jazz as well as classical and contemporary music. Students from the school, accompanied by two of its Artistic Directors- percussionist Thomas Dobler and bassist Etienne Mbappe, have been coming to learn and perform in Ghana since 2022. 

Helped along on stage by the GHJazz Collective and the two HEMU Artistic Directors, the Ghanaian and Swiss students pleased the audience last Tuesday with their deft interpretation of a variety of scored pieces as well as improvisational abilities. The repertoire ranged from Jazz standards to contemporary approaches, classical-tinged tunes and Highlife. 

Etienne Mbappe played with a group of students he referred to as the Highlife Squad and they gave a lovely interpretation of Lord Bob Cole’s well-known ‘Aban Kaba’ Highlife song. Two Swiss trombonists alone on stage managed to sound like a bigger unit and vocalist Emmanuel Mireku impressed everyone with his Jazzy take on the ‘Twinkle Twinkle Litte Star’ nursery rhyme.

“For most of our students from Switzerland, it’s useful for them to be here in Ghana, their first time in Africa. It’s good for their mindset,” said bassist Mbappe. “Some of them are very young. The clarinet player, for instance, is only 18. They really appreciate the high level of musicianship they’ve seen here. ”

 People in the audience who could sing or play an instrument joined in with the students at various points. Some of the songs got sections of the audience to dance. It was a jolly evening of music that demonstrated how effective collaboration could help bring out the best in our young people as they strive for worthy careers in music. 

The Accra Jazz Academy students and their colleagues from Switzerland will perform in a concert dubbed ‘The Swiss-Ghana Jazz Experience’ at the Alliance Francaise, Accra from 8.00pm on Saturday, October 26.