Great fun in the mountains
The first Okuapeman Jazz Festival, presented by guitarist, George Darko’s Okoman Records, was undeniable evidence of the liveliness and variety of music available from practicing artistes in this country at the moment.
The festival happened at the Palm Hill Hotel, Akropong-Akwapim last Saturday and it featured Ofie Kodjoe, New Vision Borborbor Group, King Ayisoba, Felix Owusu, Koo Nimo and George Darko.
The music that floated on the cold winds across the Akropong township was strong and authentic, like fresh plamwine tapped from the Akwapim woods.
Emcees for the show were Kwami Sefa Kayi and Micky Darling, both of Peace FM.
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Attendance was good. There were foreign tourists, music lovers from Accra and the Akwapim ridge as well as government officials and prominent politicians including Dr Henry Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The New Vision Borborbor Group kicked off the show at about 9:15pm. It was a big contingent of drummers, dancers, singers and trumpet players. They livened up the atmosphere for about 30 minutes before King Ayisoba also came on with his band that utilised only indigenous instruments.
Ofie brought the audience to contemporary music realm with her delightful, soulful voice. She has command over the nuances of singing in the jazz vein and the audience loved her.
Felix Owusu had not been mentioned in the pre-event publicity as being part of the show but he was well-received and even asked to stay on a little longer when he finished his set.
Koo Nimo is a revered name in music circles in this country. He and his Adadam Agofomma took the evening in another pleasant direction which prepared the way for George Darko and his highlife-influenced brand of jazz.
He played his known tunes and versions of some jazz fusion standards to wrap up the show in the early hours of Sunday.
A highlight of the bash was when chiefs in the Akwapim area came on stage and promised to let peace reign in their territory.
“That was a remarkable gesture that made me feel the whole event had been worthwhile,” George Darko said later.
He stated that more young artistes doing contemporary stuff and “on the right musical track would be invited to perform at future editions of the festival.”
One major drawback at the event was that the venue was not exactly suitable for a concert of that nature where everyone needed to have a good view of the stage. The lay-out of the place seemed like something created for group dinners with its segmented sitting areas.
Most of the audience had to sit in the flanks of the stage and catch side views of the performers.George Darko said that was the most suitable venue available in terms of the short preparation time.
According to him, some potential sponsors in America are already considering bringing some big-name American acts to next year’s event and that might need a bigger venue where all the audience could get direct views of performers.
“Next time around, we might talk to the authorities at the Presbyterian Training College. They have a very big field where a stage could be mounted and people can have a better view of the stage,” George Darko said.
Ofie Kodjoe’s posting on Facebook soon after the festival aptly captured the mood and flavour of the event: “ Man oh man! It was fantastic. Congatulations to Nana George Darko and his team for putting such a great event together. It was great fun in the mountains. If you missed it, please look out for next year’s.”
Sponsors of the first Okuapeman Jazz Festival were HFC Bank, Deloitte & Touche, Paytel, Guinness, Dayak Water, Mechanical Lloyd, Frankopat and Bradco Limited.
By Kouame Koulibaly / Graphic Showbiz / Ghana