We got rhythm and we drum it

It’s Wednesday night at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra and the Lipstick all-female band keeps patrons enthralled with their varied repertoire.

The band’s percussionist, Vida ‘Mannye 1’ Ofoli, keeps to a steady groove but flows in intermittently with some tasteful fills and solos to enhance the band’s overall sound. She has a good sense of time and tempo that successfully gels with virtually any form of popular music style on hand.

Vida Ofoli

Ofoli is just one of a crop of new-age Ghanaian percussionists helping to highlight the fact that some of the world’s best percussionists are from Ghana.

At other venues across the nation’s capital, especially before the Covid-19 restrictions kicked in, one could routinely catch other exciting percussionists like  Joseph ‘Kunimyelor’ Bannor, Injoly Tetteh, Akweley Amedormeh, Okoe Amarteifio and Nii Adjiri ‘Shikome’ Williams at work.

Joseph Bannor

One could also walk into Gabriel Gablah jamming with the Zuum band, Okyerema Kuntor shepherding his all-girl Bomsaka drum ensemble, Efo Martin hammering away at his special contraption of  gongs with the Takashi band or Richmond Laryea pumping up the rhythm with the  Bessa Band.

A percussionist in a popular music setup usually plays an assortment of drums such as congas, bongos, djembe, atumpan, gome, dondo and brekete as well as other instruments like gongs, bells, rattles, claves and tambourines.

It is widely known that Ghana has over the years, produced some of the world’s best percussionists in popular music.

Ghanaba, then called Guy Warren of Ghana, almost single-handedly injected African rhythms and instrumentation into mainstream jazz with his dondo drum in the 1950s and 1960s. He earned praises from jazz greats like drummer Max Roach and  saxophonist Charlie Parker.

Mohammed Alidu

Kwaku ‘Rebop’ Baah, Speedy Nii Moi Acquaye and Kwasi ‘Rocky Dijon’ Dzidzornu were also brilliant percussionists who lived in the United Kingdom and played with numerous world-class acts such as Georgie Fame, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Randy Weston, Jimmy Cliff, Traffic and Eric Clapton.

“For us in this part of the world, percussion instruments are the toys  we grow up with. You start banging on your mother’s pots and pans even before you learn to walk,” says Okyerema Asante who has played with many famous musicians including  Paul Simon, Hugh Masekela, Herbie Hancock and Lee Ritenour.

“You develop a sense of rhythm even at that tender age. When you eventually get your own first  small rubber drum for Christmas, that enables you imitate the drummers at traditional festivals and funerals,” Okyerema Asante says.

It is impossible to talk about the notable percussionists Ghana has produced without referring to the great Mustapha Tetteh Addy.

He was born into a family of drummers and has plied his trade all over Europe and Africa. He has recorded albums with musicians from different genres of popular music, apart from being deeply steeped in traditional stuff.

“In my view, a good percussionist  hooks the groove. You don’t need to play solos until you  are given your spot to do so. Your real role is  to maintain the rhythm to fit whatever music  is being played,” says Shikome who plays regularly with Gyedu Blay Ambolley. He is a close relative of Mustapha Tetteh Addy and was adjudged Instrumentalist of the Year at the 2016 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards.

Ghanaian capabilities in the field of percussion are so heightened that there won’t be enough work at home  for the players if they all chose to stay at home. That probably accounts for the current widespread of Ghanaian percussionists around the world.

Ayi Solomon

In the United Kingdom for instance, the well-travelled Nana Tsiboe has worked with acts such as Trevor Watts Drum Orchestra, Dade Krama, George Lee, Louis Moholo, Pan African Drum Ensemble and Oumou Sangare. He has material under his own name and is noted for his infectious African as well as Latin, Cuban and Brazilian grooves.

The London-based famous Afro-rock band, Osibisa has travelled with Nii Tagoe who also does a lot of session work across Europe.

The mention of Osibisa obviously brings back memories of the late Darko ‘potato’ Adams who played with the Uhuru band in Ghana before joining and travelling extensively with the well known Afro-rock band.

Kofi Ayivor is also an Osibisa veteran. Kofi Adu, initially known for playing the kit drum set with Boombaya, is also a fine percussionist who regularly takes on jobs in Canada and other places.

Shikome

In the United States, Mohammed Alidu and Ataa Addo are among the enterprising Ghanaian percussionists trying to follow in Okyerema Asante’s giant footsteps.

Germany also harbours a number of them including Nii Armah Gomez, Gordon Odametey and Ekow Alabi Savage. They are all competent players flying high the flag of Ghana and have recorded their own material.

Ayi Solomon is one of the leading percussionists in Denmark and plays with all the big acts there. He played with the Encounter 9, Boom Talents and Classic Vibes band in Ghana before relocating to Denmark in 1982.

He has five albums under his name. There are many other excellent Ghanaian percussionists working at home and abroad. The obvious common thing about them is the demonstration that we have rhythm in us in Ghana and we aren’t afraid to drum it out.