The Ghana Bigshots - African Music
Performance - 5 July 2014
Probably the best “young band” in Ghana at the moment, the Ghana Bigshots present their first album ‘Tu Na Me Nsa’ in April 2014. Originally formed in 2008, the band came to its present line-up 2 years ago, and has since then steadily improved.
Their motto is “Redefining our Music”. It shows them creatively blending Ghanaian and other West African traditional music with Highlife, Soul, Funk, Son, Afrobeat and Reggae for which they chiefly draw on what Ghana’s earlier popular music had to offer. They are creating an exciting and vibrant new modern Ghanaian Pop Music, to be fully explored in their live performance on their first European festival concert here in Hertme. The large, 12-piece outfit boasts of two female vocalists/dancers and three hornsmen, a fully modern band set up blended with Ghanaian balafon, atenteben (flute) and kpanlogo (drums) instrumentation.
Mark Millas ‘Fish’, lead vocals & balafon;
Benedicta Mawutornyo Adzraku, vocals, percussion;
Shirley Abena Amponsah, vocals, percussion;
Seth Kwesi Klutse, 1st trumpet;
Henry Owusu Ansah, 2nd trompet/trombone;
Michael Kwesi Matey, flugelhorn;
Alex Kojo Kye, atenteben (bambooflute)/kpanlogo drums,
Aristedes Narh Hargoe, dance/percussion;
Michael Owusu Kuffour, drums;
Gabriel Yeboah, keyboards;
Samuel Agyeman Boahen, gitar;
Ransford Nartey Acquah, bass.
