Highlife in the key of Rim Akandoh Jnr

Drummer, singer, arranger and composer, Rim Akandoh Jnr and his Amamere Band have over the last few weeks, been spending several hours daily in a rehearsal studio at Cape Coast in the Central Region, preparing for an album release concert on February 22, 2025 at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra.

The album is Akandoh Jnr’s eight-track Man Shall Be Free collection. It primarily takes inspiration from the guitar band Highlife style of the 1960s and 1970s but rejuvenated to resonate with contemporary audiences. 

“I know there’s so much music being made and people are ascribing all kinds of names to what they are doing.  I’m not ashamed to put it plainly that I’m a Highlife musician. 

That’s where my roots lie,” says Akandoh Jnr, a former drummer with well-known Highlife giant, Ebo Taylor’s Saltpond City band. 

The roots he refers to point directly to his late father, Rim Akandoh Snr, who led his Prince Sparrows band in the 1970s. A prolific composer, drummer and singer, Akandoh Snr’s music greatly influenced his son.

Some of the songs on the Man Shall Be Free album are reworked pieces by Akandoh Snr who recorded several albums of his music during his career. 

Akandoh Jnr, who shuttles between his base in Denmark and Ghana, contends that it is necessary for African musicians to continually explore rhythms from their backyards for better attention around the world.

“You hardly hear of big music festivals in Europe that don’t include African musicians these days. Those that get noticed on those circuits are the ones that often rely on home-nurtured elements to convey what they have. That’s why I lean so much toward Highlife. It defines us so well,” says  Akandoh Jnr.

Sometimes, the test of how good a band is, is how successfully it communicates the leader’s ideas. Akandoh Jnr is clear about the direction he is going and praises Amamere for being a tight-knit unit that smoothly flows along with him. 

Apart from him, others in the Amamere Band are: Michael Awuni (keyboards), Emmanuel Adjei (trumpet), Daniel Yiadom(tenor sax), Dominic Ansah (percussion), Emmanuel Ackon(electric bass), Eric Asiedu (guitar), and John Hakeem (lead vocals). They are all heard on the Man Shall Be Free album which is on the Germany-based Afro Urban Project label. 

“They are wonderful guys. We all appreciate the fact that we need to make some useful impact with our different skill sets so we are collectively pushing on and doing our best to succeed.”

Guest players on the Man Shall Be Free album are Akablay and Kweku Mensah (guitar), Bright Osei (bass) and  Richmond‘Nii Dzata’ Bilson (trumpet).

Akandoh Jnr knew he had to constantly do his best to move ahead as a musician when he started as a singer. 

He was encouraged by many along the way that to truly carry his father’s legacy ahead, he should combine playing the drums with singing, as his father did. 

He accepted the challenge and became a sought-after drummer on the Ghanaian scene. Kicking off with the Ghana National Fire Service Band (Fire Angels) in Cape Coast, he went on to log time with notable acts such as Western Diamonds, Jewel Ackah, A.B. Crentsil, Pat Thomas, Gyedu Blay Ambolley, Rex Omar, Amakye Dede, Daddy Lumba and more. 

Ghanaian drummers Akandoh Jnr admired most were Kofi Mintah who played for acts such as C.K. Mann, Jewel Ackah and the Marriots Band and a former Western Diamonds drummer, George Hanson who now lives in Italy. He also liked the acclaimed Nigerian drummer, Tony Allen, whom he was lucky to meet during a tour of Europe with Ebo Taylor. 

Akandoh Jnr was with Ebo Taylor for about five years and regards the veteran musician as a superb mentor. Taylor, on the other hand, is excited about the progress his former drummer is making and said this about him:

“I’m happy to see Akandoh Jnr come out with his first album. During his time with me, I was impressed by his intense energy and composure in his drumming. Rim Akandoh Jnr brings the Highlife of our time into the future.”

Tagged Bringing Back Highlife, the upcoming concert will feature Pat Thomas, Henry Taylor, Akablay & Abiza Band, Orkore and Native Afrik Band as guest performers. 

“I want everybody to come and feel the Highlife I’m talking about. We should not stop listening to Highlife. You go to places and as soon as the music of people such as Nana Ampadu, Paapa Yankson, C.K. Mann and others is played, people are happy and they get up to dance. It tells you Highlife is very much alive.” 

Akandoh Jnr expressed gratitude to all the people who have in various ways helped his career get this far.

They included his immediate family, Ambolley, Pat Thomas, Ebo Taylor, Joseph ‘Sarge’ Sam who played bass with his father, Kwame Yeboah, the Afro Urban Project in Germany and Prof. Karen Lauterback, Head of African Studies at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. 

“Our people say it takes a whole village to raise a child. These days, the village is not just that small location tucked away in a remote corner somewhere. Many people from different places and backgrounds have helped me clearly discern what is genuinely mine and to be proud of it. May they all be blessed,” Akandoh Jnr stated.