Ebo Taylor
JID022
Jazz is Dead
Beat legend Ebo Taylor made his first trip from Ghana to the United States at age 88 to perform as part of the Jazz is Dead concert series. While in the US, Taylor took advantage of the chance to collaborate with Jazz Is Dead founders Adrian Younge (Wu Tang Clan, Ghostface Killah) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) on new music. JID022 was recorded at Younge’s Linear Labs studio with a band that included Ebo’s son, Henry Taylor, and a Ghanian chorus.
The music on JID022 recalls that of Ebo’s seminal work from the 1970s. The songs are propelled by the interplay of funky drums and scratchy guitars. Keyboard fills and dub reggae effects add color while the horns spur on the rhythms. Taylor’s voice is like aged leather. His world-weary voice contrasts nicely with the youthful Ghanian chorus. The sound is lively and dares you not to dance.
While few of the songs are sung in English, they are mainly about love, peace, and spirituality, the elder Taylor passing on life lessons to the generations. Songs such as “Beye Bu, Beye Ba” demonstrate how God provides for his people. “Kusi Na Sito” teaches life lessons on gratitude.
JID022 is being released as Ebo Taylor turns 90. Time wears on everyone, but some, like Taylor, seem to be able to resist the tides of time and continue making great art.
Ebo Taylor, the pioneer of highlife and father of Afrobeat, tours the US, Mexico, and Brazil this summer. Find dates at jazzisdead.com.
