Ebo Taylor, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad – JID022

Jazz Is Dead – Available
Jazz
Ebo Taylor, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad – JID022

Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad this time extend their invitation to Ebo Taylor. Some of you may already be familiar with his name, others perhaps not—so let us embark on a brief introduction.

Born in 1936, Ghanaian guitarist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and producer Ebo Taylor has left an indelible mark on African music for over half a century. In the early 1960s, he played a pivotal role in the influential highlife ensembles The Stargazers and The Broadway Dance Band, whose singles enjoyed extensive national radio play. In 1962, he led his group, the Black Star Highlife Band, to London, where he collaborated with fellow African musicians residing in Britain at the time, most notably Fela Kuti. Upon his return to Ghana, he became an influential producer, overseeing recordings for artists such as Pat Thomas—who would later become his collaborator—and C.K. Mann, among others.

Ebo Taylor’s artistry transcends genres, effortlessly navigating world music, jazz, and funk. Ever the alchemists of sound, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad possess an uncanny ability to distill the very essence of each guest musician. Here, they weave together the three aforementioned styles into a dazzlingly danceable album—its sonic landscape an electrified homage to the fervent ‘70s Afrobeat era. The hypnotic brass arrangements and raw, serrated guitars heard on Ebo Taylor JID022 harken back to his groundbreaking recordings of the 1970s, a period that cemented his reputation as one of the continent’s most prolific and visionary artists. Recorded at Younge’s Linear Labs studio, the album thrums with polyrhythmic percussion and feverish, overdriven guitars, a testament to rhythm’s primacy in Taylor’s musical universe. In the background, a chorus of Ghanaian singers lends the album an ethereal, spiritual dimension, transporting the listener to the golden age of this legendary musician.

At its core, Jazz Is Dead functions as a kind of collective consciousness—a museum in the noblest sense, preserving and illuminating the fiery musical traditions that shaped the twentieth century. One of the album’s most exhilarating aspects remains Ebo Taylor’s singular vocal approach. His lyrics, imbued with sincerity and wisdom, speak of love, peace, and spirituality, distilled from decades of experience. Tracks such as Beye Bu, Beye Ba reflect on divine providence, while Kusi Na Sibo imparts life lessons on gratitude.

We chose to wait until January had passed to bring you this album, hoping to afford it the attention and visibility it so richly deserves. It is, of course, a familiar ritual with Jazz Is Dead releases—but there is simply no question: this album belongs among our “Essential” selections.

Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News

PARIS-MOVE, February 4th 2025

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