Walking on sunshine
DEEPA ALEXANDER
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British Afro-rock band Osibisa returns to regale the Chennai audience after two decades.
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original and engaging: Osibisa
DATE: November 22, 7.15 p.m.
VENUE: The Music Academy
Osibisa could well be the poster band for heterogeneity — its poly-rhythms have made audiences worldwide jump for joy. The band, which celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year, plays a blend of Ghanaian high-life, psychedelic rock, reggae
and Latin jazz that made it one of the first African bands to enter Western rock consciousness in the early 1970s.
The British Afro-rock band formed in London in 1969, was born out of the expatriate dreams of musicians from Ghana and the Caribbean, at a time when Afro-rock was barely a glimmer in the cultural horizon.
Founded by composer, songwriter/musician Teddy Osei the band’s music continues to be thick with the memories of that era, echoing Santana, Steely Dan and Kool and the Gang.
Happy rhythms
The Ghanaian word Osibisa means “criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness,” a phrase that is the trademark of the band which sings about love and happiness backing its utopian desires with music that fuses rock, funk syncopation, jazz harmonies and Latin rhythms.
At its peak, Osibisa came up with music that was both original and engaging, offering hope through cross-cultural synergy. It was lavish music with an abundance of harmonising voices and passionately deployed wind and percussion instruments.
Brushing aside the corrosive 1980s’ influence of hip-hop, Osibisa toured India in 1981 taking many cities including Bombay, Bangalore and Madras by storm with its penchant for elaborate showmanship and the sheer energy of pure Afro-rock.
While the band has been reconstituted with Gregg Brown (rhythm guitar and vocal), Emmanuel Rentzos (keyboards/vocal), Wendell Richardson (lead guitar/vocal), Herman Asafo Agyei (bass guitar), Nii Okine Tagoe Jembe (congas), Alex Kwaku Boateng (drums) and Colin Graham (trumpet), Teddy Osei’s irreplaceable baritone has not waned nor has the band’s choruses about unity and sunshine.
In a voice that sounds as rich on telephone as it does on stage, Osei, speaking from London, says, “Our brand of Afro-rock has grown more cohesive despite long pauses dictated by geography. New opportunities have changed it but Afro-rock still responds to its audience.
Its music is danceable, adapts old songs and styles to the latest instruments, it soaks up international influences and tries to balance traditionalism and cosmopolitanism.”
At the Friday Review November Fest, Osibisa promises music that feels traditionalist, because the core of their music comes from the heart of Africa — from deep-toned Congo drums, pounding out cross-rhythms in an unbroken torrent, without trampling on the intricacies of global sound.
This is a concert that is a signpost to happiness — a rollicking rock hybrid, with messages about living for today and walking on sunshine.
Q & A
Founder of Osibisa, singer-songwriter-musician Teddy Osei spoke to us on the band’s brand of music. Some excerpts:
Has the music of Osibisa changed over the past forty years?
We have had many new band members who have introduced their own style of playing and modern technology has definitely lent a new angle to the sound. But our music continues to remain the same – from the west coast of Africa.
Four decades of being in London. Do you feel the African influence has lessened in your music?
Osibisa’s music still retains the Ghanaian high-life influence. London’s varied sounds have definitely touched our music, which is where its global feel comes from.
Is Osibisa’s music an attempt at cultural preservation?
Our music exists because of the rich tradition and heritage of African sounds. Osibisa put African fusion with Western music genres on the world map.
How are you celebrating your fortieth anniversary?
We’ve decided to come up with two albums. The ‘Very Best Of Osibisa’ is a compilation of our favourites and hits from across the years. The second, ‘Osee Yee,’ is interesting well-played music with great spirit and enough of the original Osibisa flavour.
Your logo is a flying elephant. Would you call it a metaphor for your music?
The elephant is synonymous with Africa. And our music has criss-crossed the globe much like the elephant in flight.
Why is Osibisa’s brand of music so popular?
We sound different, and when we first came out, the world hadn’t heard this kind of sound before. Percussion is an integral part of our music, a practice that other major artists in the 1970s started incorporating in their music. We paved the way for artists such as Bob Marley and Salif Keita.
Any interesting reactions to your shows?
We’ve had plenty of wonderful memories — especially of our India tour in 1981. We played in a host of cities including Madras and the support and strength of the crowd will always remain in my head and in my heart. We’ve also had a great time when we performed with Stevie Wonder in the U.S., in my hometown in Ghana where the crowds, as always, are unprecedented and in Australia and Japan.
How do you feel about performing in Chennai again?
We are excited. For those who come for our show it will be an experience they will never forget.
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