Ebo Taylor: The road to Highlife heaven

If we glance at the musical tastes of the West, we will see a recent shift in perspective that has brought into view a Highlife icon, one who has always been revered, but never quite on such a global scale. Born in 1936, Ebo Taylor was a figure of prominence for Ghanian music throughout his earlier years. Now in his 70s, Ebo is touring with his band throughout Europe, captivating audiences on a scale bigger than ever before. Contrary to a fading athlete past their prime, Ebo’s age only enhances his creative output, layering his voice with the kind of weathered emotion that is impossible to replicate; the perfect accompaniment to his band’s minor, and often sombre tones.

“So like a bee I always fly to a guitar when I had a chance”

Ebo’s father provided the first nudge into the direction of music, encouraging his son to learn how to play the family organ at home. His interest sufficiently piqued, Ebo soon took up the guitar at school, the instrument with which he would fall in love and the tool for expressing his creative visions. He would soon lead his first group, an eight-piece band named ‘The Stargazers’.

In 1962, Ebo departed his native Ghana for London. Furthering his rhythmic intelligence through his study of musical composition, his stay in the UK would prove to be instrumental in forming the musical mind we know today. Eco surrounded himself by a circle of West-African musical visionaries, most notably the Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. They indulged in endless jam sessions in jazz clubs off Oxford Street, after which Fela would often join Ebo in his flat in Willesden Junction. For hours they would listen to jazz records, analysing the structure and chord progression of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker.

Upon returning to Ghana, Ebo would enjoy fame as both a musician and a producer, providing the backbone for artists such as Pat Thomas, with whom we would later collaborate on multiple musical ventures. Despite his education focusing mainly around jazz composition, Ebo remained loyal to the music of his country and region. Where Fela cemented the energetic Afrobeat genre in dances throughout the 70s and 80s, Ebo championed the Highlife sound he so loved; where Afrobeat’s emphasis is on the first and third drum beat of each quartet, Highlife focuses just as much on the second and forth beats, expressed through minor tones. Ego’s genius lies in his fusion of jazz and highlife, providing a musical voice that was both thoroughly modern and tied into his own cultural history.

His hypnotic 1977 track ‘Heaven’ (we couldn’t recommend highly enough clicking on the link below to listen) summarises this perfectly. Comprising modern jazz elements, this song’s vocals borrow their format from a Ghanian nursery rhyme style, whereby children would repeat the final word of each sentence.

In 2010 this track was unexpectedly sampled by modern R’n’B artists Ludacris and Usher, in the song ‘She Don’t Know’, providing a link to modern pop music in the US. More recently in 2015, European DJ and producer Henrik Schwarz remixed the Ebo and Pat Thomas collaboration ‘Ene Nyame ‘A’ Mensuro’, launching Taylor’s name into the modern House circuit.

Ebo’s most recent tour culminated in a sell-out show in Barcelona earlier this year, however we would strongly recommend checking out his 2010 Strut Records release ‘Love and Death’ to see just how such a talent can truly span generations whilst still remaining relevant.

Jim Morris