EBO TAYLOR JID022 komt op 25 oktober uit in samenwerking met Jazz Is Dead founders Adrian Younge en Ali Shaheed Muhammad

At 88 years of age, the Ghanian highlife and afrobeat pioneer Ebo Taylor traveled to the US for the very first time to perform at the now iconic Jazz Is Dead concert series, selling out venues across the country. It was during this time that Ebo recorded a psychedelic afrobeat album alongside Jazz Is Dead producers Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The collaboration is one that could not have been anticipated by Ebo fans worldwide and will surely satisfy connoisseurs of classic West African funk.

Adrian Younge: “Collaborating with Ebo Taylor is definitely a bucket-list accomplishment. For me, it is the equivalent of working with musical genius Fela Kuti, because of how much I have studied both of their work and influence on the genre of Afrobeat. Seriously, recording the genius to analog tape while highlighting the raw recording styles of 1970s Africa is a dream I never thought could come to reality! It was also great to work with Ebo’s son, Henry Taylor, who is a true musical force in his own right.”

The swirling horns and gritty guitars heard on Ebo Taylor JID022 are reminiscent of his seminal seventies recordings that made him one of the most prolific and revolutionary African artists of all time. Recorded inside of Younge’s Linear Labs studio, this album captures polyrhythmic percussion and twangy, fuzzed out guitars that prove that rhythm is key. The ensemble of Ghanaian background vocalists emanates a uniquely spiritual sound that takes the listener back to Taylor’s prime.

However, one of the most exhilarating components to this album is Taylor’s signature approach to vocal stylings. His heartfelt lyrics about love, peace and spirituality echo decades of experience and wisdom. Songs such as “Beye Bu, Beye Ba” demonstrate how God provides for his people as songs like “Kusi Na Sibo” teach life lessons on gratitude. This is an afrobeat classic that stands as a true highlight in the canon of Ebo Taylor’s undeniable catalog and a crown jewel in the Jazz Is Dead library.