Who are rocking the bass here?

It can be four, five, six or eight-stringed and fretted or fretless but whichever calibrations it comes with, the electric bass guitar has become a very important instrument in  many styles of music, including highlife,  rock,  soul, R&B, country, reggae, gospel, blues and jazz.

Almost all bands in this country now include the electric bass in their set-up.

The delightful thing is that some contemporary  players here like Dan Grahl,  Emmanuel Ofori, Emmanuel ‘Shabo’ Koomson, Kwesi Arko, Paa Kwesi Nunoo and Philip Acquah are thumbing, plucking, tapping and slapping the electric bass with authority and getting as much attention as players of other instruments.

They are often part of the frontline for the bands they play with and take solos that demonstrate their deep understanding of the bass player’s role in modern popular music.

The current bass heavyweights have come after path-clearing efforts by players such as Seth Adu and Slim Amoako who learnt to play on the upright or double bass in the 1960s and later moved to the electric bass.

Their generation was followed by the likes of inventive players such as Gilbert ‘Chikenchee’ Amarh, David ‘Osibio’ Sasraku, Maki Flash, Amarh Marshall and Ralph Karikari.

“It used to be that a bass player’s function was to keep time and add occasional voice. That’s been updated now. The bass has become much more than simply a rhythm instrument,” great American jazz bassist, Ray Brown, said sometime ago.

For the present generation of bass players in this country, the revered Ray Brown’s words support why they play as many solos as any other instrumentalists that they share stage with and approach their work with a lot of creativity and imagination.

Various people may see who a good bassist is, from differing perspectives. It is, however, generally regarded that a good bassist’s role includes holding together the overall sound and establishing a groove to inspire the rest of the band.

Music producer and artiste manager  Nana Nyarko ‘Quantos’ Ackah-Yensu says he likes bassists  who play what is essential but deliver perfectly when given solos.

“Some bass players sometimes become too flashy and go out of the pattern being played by the other guys in the band. My favourite bass player is the one who keeps the song locked down and puts things precisely where they need to be”.

“There are players who do that well here but Paa Kwesi Nunoo who plays bass with drummer Frank Kissi’s band best fits that bill for me,” Quantos pointed out.

Music maestro Kojo Antwi works mostly these days with Emmanuel Ofori though he has done work in the recent past with Dan Grahl who is also leader of the Shabo Crew band.

“I like those two players because they always understand my mood and know what to do at the appropriate times. They know how to control their sound and always sensitive to what the others are playing around them.” Antwi stated.

Gyedu Blay Ambolley goes for the bassist he works with in his Sekondi band, Kwesi Arko. He claims there is a sort of telepathic communication between them and he plays well without getting unnecessarily adventurous.

Philip Acquah plays with the Sound Factree group and leads the Patch Bay band.  Holder of degrees in music and psychology from the University of Education at Winneba, Philip is definitely one of the finest, most active and highly- respected bassists in the country at the moment.

Another hard-working bassist in the system is the burly-framed Emmanuel ‘Shabo’ Koomson. He won the Best Instrumentalist award the Ghana Music Awards about three years ago and he leads his own band. He is regarded as one of the best soloists on bass in the country.

The liberation of the bass has definitely placed a greater burden on the shoulders of the bass players everywhere. The man seen by many as probably the world’s best electric bass player now is Richard Bona from Cameroun. He has played in this country on three occasions and says he believes the next great bassist to conquer the world could also come from Africa.

For us here, our wish is that the next great bassist to be recognised around the world for his hard work should come from Ghana.

By Nii Laryea Korley
The Mirror/graphic.gom.gh/Ghana