| Highlife | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Afro-pop - African music |
| Cultural origins | 1900s (decade), Ghana |
| Typical instruments | Guitar - horns - vocal |
Highlife is a music genre that originated in Ghana in the 20th century and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920. It is very popular in Liberia and all of English-speaking West Africa, although little has been produced in other countries due to economic challenges brought on by war and instability.
Highlife is characterized by jazzy horns and multiple guitars which lead the band. Recently it has acquired an uptempo, synth-driven sound (see Daddy Lumba). Joromi is a sub-genre.[1][2]
This arpeggiated highlife guitar part is modeled after an Afro-Cuban guajeo.[3] The pattern of attack-points is nearly identical to the 3-2 clave motif guajeo shown earlier in this article. The bell pattern known in Cuba as clave, is indigenous to Ghana and Nigeria, and is used in highlife.[4]
Artists
Artists who perform the Highlife genre include:
- Koo Nimo
- A. B. Crentsil
- Dr Sir Warrior
- S. E. Rogie
- Fela Kuti in his first band, Koola Lobitos
- Solomon Ilori
- George Darko
- Rex Lawson
- Prince Nico Mbarga
- E. T. Mensah
- Osibisa
- Daddy Lumba
- King Bruce
- K. Frimpong
- Amakye Dede
- Victor Uwaifo
- Oriental Brothers International
- Bobby Benson
- Victor Olaiya
- Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe
- Babá Ken Okulolo
- Orlando Owoh
- Alex Konadu
Highlife in jazz
- Saxophonist Pharoah Sanders recorded a song called "High Life" on Rejoice (1981).
- Pierre Dørge and his New Jungle Orchestra played in the highlife style, e.g. on Even the Moon Is Dancing (1985).
- Guitarist Sonny Sharrock had a song called "Highlife" on the album of the same name (1990).
- Craig Harris (trombone) had a song called "High Life" on the album F-Stops (1993)
- High Life is an album by jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter that was released on Verve Records in 1995.
- Pianist Randy Weston recorded an album called Highlife in 1963, featuring compositions by West African musicians Bobby Benson ("Niger Mambo") and Guy Warren ("Mystery of Love").
References
- ↑ Oti, Sonny (2009). Highlife Music in West Africa. African Books Collective. ISBN 978-978-8422-08-2.
- ↑ Davies, Carole Boyce (2008). Encyclopedia of the African diaspora: Origins, experiences, and culture. ABC-CLIO, Inc. p. 525. ISBN 978-1-85109-700-5.
- ↑ Eyre, Banning (2006: 9). "Highlife guitar example" Africa: Your Passport to a New World of Music. Alfred Pub. ISBN:-10 0-7390-2474-4
- ↑ Peñalosa, David (2010: 247). The Clave Matrix; Afro-Cuban Rhythm: Its Principles and African Origins. Redway, CA: Bembe Inc. ISBN 1-886502-80-3.
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