Danish jazz festival hosts Ghanaian artists
Accomplished Ghanaian percussionist, Ayi Solomon, and flutist Esinam Dogbatse, took turns to thrill patrons at the Music Cafe in Copenhagen at a show which formed part of the city’s just-ended jazz festival.
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Alongside Danish guitarist John Sund, the duo sent the audience at one of the World Scene Platforms on a musical journey that terminated with brilliantly-shaped original material laced with Ghanaian rhythms.
With a crafty ability to play a variety of percussion instruments on stage, Solomon and Sund varied their repertoire and style with subtle individual and collective play.
The two musicians allowed themselves to break loose at various points with short but well-honed solos to demonstrate masterly grasp of their instruments.
Ayi Solomon was a member of the famous Classique Vibes band. He is now based in Copenhagen and has worked with a wide variety of notable musicians all over the world.
They include Randy Brecker, Moussa Diallo and Ep Estein.
He has three albums under his name.
“Ayi Solomon never ceases to amaze me. He is an innovative artist with deep imagination and has boundless energy on stage,” said Lene Merethe Jacobsen, a social worker in Copenhagen.
Earlier, the Belgium-based flutist Esinam Dogbatse rocked the audience with a stimulating flute work that dug deep into Ghanaian traditional rhythms.
She went into her own world and dished out tunes that captured the imagination of the audience, who cheered and applauded in response.
She employed local Ghanaian drums and shakers, thereby creating awareness of the deep connections between her music and her Ghanaian heritage.
Esinam is expected in Ghana later in the year for a series of workshops and performances.