WOMAD

Ebo Taylor

From Ghana

Forgotten man of Afrobeat and pal of Fela
Over the years, WOMAD has been delighted to help rediscover musicians from the golden age of African music in the '60s and '70s. These have either been reformed bands (Orchestra Baobab from Senegal or Benin's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo) or individuals enticed out of semi-retirement (see here miscellaneous Ethiopian musos lionised by the Ethiopiques reissue series). The spotlight now shifts towards Ghana to entice Ebo Taylor into its glare. Now in his seventies, Ebo has led a multitude of highlife and Afrobeat bands back home. Although overshadowed - like every Afrobeat musician - by his old college pal Fela Kuti, it was Fela himself who encouraged Ebo to take on a defiantly African sound ("He said 'You're always playing jazz. Jazz is for Americans'"). Never one to merely relive a past life, Ebo continues to pursue new musical adventures and his current young band are superb - all swampy rhythms, wiry guitars and knife-sharp horns. It's Afrobeat o'clock!

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2011)

WOMAD se enorgullece de haber redescubierto a músicos de la época dorada de la música africana de los 60 y 70 a lo largo de estos años, ya sean grupos que se han reunido o músicos solistas que han salido del retiro. Ahora la atención se centra en Ghana y en la figura de Ebo Taylor, estrella del afrobeat, que, a sus setenta y tantos años ha liderado en el pasado a multitud de bandas en su país. Aunque a la sombra de Fela Kuti -como todos los músicos de afrobeat-, Ebo siempre ha perseguido nuevas aventuras musicales en las que, ahora, le acompaña una banda de jóvenes músicos. ¡Es la hora del afrobeat!

Ebo Taylor - Love And Death (live Paris)

Ebo Taylor's » Myspace Page