Ebo Taylor - 1977 - Ebo Taylor

Ebo Taylor 

1977 

Ebo Taylor

01. Saana 5:45
02. Ntsir A 6:05
03. Bra 4:16
04. Ohye Atar Gyan 6:05
05. Heaven 6:04
06. Amponsah 6:21

Composed By, Arranged By, Guitar – Ebo Taylor
Lead Vocals – Pat Thomas .

Ebo Taylor is a Ghanaian icon who embodied highlife (read more) and later represented afrobeat for the country.

As an arranger and a producer he put C.K Mann and Pat Thomas on the map but his self-titled debut may be one of the best and underated first records of all time. As a bandleader and musicians you can already tell Taylor had larger composition ambitions and if the A-Side of the record is all very solid, entertaining and proper music to dance to; the B-Side goes deep.

Ohye Atar Gyan is what highlife is all about. The multiple horns blend into the rythm section and give a dark pulsating presence to the impeccable melody. Then Heaven hits and its obviously an automatic hit record, but its much more complex than a simple dance-floor designed composition. For a debut album to have such focus and execution and to produce such hard hitting songs is truly a feat and Ebo is responsible for orchestrating the whole thing. The rest of his career was a series of very solid albums but for me nothing compares to the rawness of the first one… Except maybe Come Along with one of his many groups the Pelikans.

Originally released in 1977, Ebo Taylorʼs self-titled album is a rarity that truly exposes the genius of the Ghanaian producer and arranger. Having spent most of the 1970s involved in Ghanaʼs afro-funk output, working with different bands and musicians alike, Taylor put forward his own unique blend of Ghanaian highlife and afro-beat with this self-titled release.

The six songs that make up the album exemplify Taylorʼs desire to experiment and move beyond the constraints of colonial influences on Highlife and African musical traditions. Saana combines highlife guitars and jazz horns with a funked up rhythm and the sweetest chants, a vibe carried over on Ntsir A with its funky horns and Ghanaian singing. Throughout the album Taylor injects elements of funk, jazz and afrobeat into his compositions without being obvious, instead channelling the experimentation he once referred to as ʻa way to develop our African music to enable us to get global attention.ʼ Heaven is perhaps the albumʼs highlight and widely recognised as one of the finest examples of Ghanaian afrobeat from the late 70s. Its popularity has endured through the decades and the song even found a new lease of life after Usher sampled it.