If for nothing, the Swiss-Ghana Jazz Concert at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra on November 8 showed off Highlife as a priceless commodity that can be sustained through constant rejuvenation.
The concert featured the Accra Jazz Academy from Ghana and the Haute Ecole de Musique (HEMU) Jazz Orchestra from Switzerland. The young musicians from the two countries presented a pleasant repertoire of rearranged popular pieces that leaned heavily toward Highlife.
They made the Highlife sound new as they tackled material by acts like Pat Thomas, C.K. Mann, Safohene Djeni, Nana Kwame Ampadu, P.K. Yamoah, and Ramblers.
Thomas Dobler, a composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher at HEMU, was the music director at the concert. He said since he had a number of singers, strings, and horns, he decided to do a programme between Highlife and Rhythm & Blues.
“So the repertoire was chosen according to the people I had. I wanted to do a really popular programme with the young musicians on the night, and I think it went well,” Dobler stated.
The people available to Dobler for the show were a trombonist, two saxophonists, a trumpeter, and three singers from Ghana. The Swiss side comprised three violinists, a cellist, a saxophonist, a keyboardist, a bassist, and three singers.
Swiss singer Gaiane Ganter endeared herself to the receptive audience by singing in Twi and Ga. She took advantage of online lessons and was also helped with pronunciation by a few people connected to the Ghana Jazz Foundation.
Apart from the Highlife items, the concert also presented rearranged stuff from Commodores, Nina Simone, Earth, Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, and Bee Gees.
Students from HEMU have been coming to Ghana since 2022. Apart from the +233 gig, they also performed at Accra Alliance Française, the Swiss Embassy, and the University of Cape Coast on this year’s trip.
The Accra Jazz Academy was started in early 2024 by the Ghana Jazz Foundation, Thomas Dobler Music, and the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill. Among other things, it aims to help promote music education and general enrichment of the cultural environment in Ghana.
Ghanaian saxophonist Bernard Ayisa, who is also a tutor at the Accra Jazz Academy, said he was happy with last Saturday’s concert because it demonstrated dexterity and confidence from the young musicians.
To him, there’s no limit to what one could do with Highlife, and it’s up to Ghanaians to constantly explore and make the genre better known around the world.
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