Kwabena Nyama ~ Sunday Monday [Buda Musique, 2001]

01. In the Car
02. Sunday Monday
03. Mabre Me Ho
04. Frafra Song
05. Okunin Nusu
06. Momo Yensom Nyankopong
07. Mahamadu
08. Agoo
09. Mame Buabi Menna
10. Moa Mose Drabin Onye
11. Daakwafo Maa
12. Okunumun
13. Owu Yeyea

Kwabenah Nyama [vocals, guitar]; Kofi Poku, Kofi Annor [vocals, premprensua]
Agyemang Duah [vocals, bouteille]; Addas Seni [vocals, kunku]

Recorded in Kumasi, Ghana between March 20 & April 15, 2000



'In Ghana it was the Kru-taught musician Kwame Asare [Jacob Sam] whose Kumasi Trio made the first recordings of 'palm wine music' in 1928 when they went to London to record for Zonophone. This session also included the first recording of the famous song 'Yaa Amponsah' which provided one of the most enduring and important melodo-rhythmic riffs found in Ghanaian highlife.

When the costal Fante-style music moved inland into Asante and Kwahu during the 1930s it blended with the music of the local seprewa harp-lute. The result was a more Africanised or rather Akan variety of palm wine guitar music known as 'Akan Blues' or 'Odonson.' It was sung in a recitative way rather than in structured verses using African modal progressions [between two tone centres a full tone apart] rather than the western harmonic progressions [I, IV, V chords] of the earlier costal style. These small palm wine guitar bands consisted of just one or two guitars accompanied by 'clips' [i.e. claves], 'Adakam'[wooden box as drum], and Gome [giant bass frame drum] or 'Premprensua' [hand-piano].' ~ John Collins

'Palmwine is a local drink. In villages you find, under a shady tree, in the afternoons old men would relax and be telling stories about life. Marriage experiences, disappointments. Now, at that time seprewa was the instrument, the African harp-lute. And the seprewa player might be sitting around, then a palmwine tapper would bring a pot of palmwine, usually identified by the foam on top. Then the calabash is passed round and they drink of palmwine. Now the music that is played under that environment was called palmwine guitar music. In this way, acoustic and folklore Highlife music inherited its name from the fact that it gained its popularity at Palm Wine bars, which symbolically represented music of the masses.' ~ Koo Nimo [palm wine musique legend]

i know i've been neglecting mama africa lately, but fortunately there's plenty of other bloggies holdin it down. just peep the sweetspots in the sidebar fer proof positive. dunno much about palm wine except that it's a sweet name for a style & some super sublime musique that soothes my savage soul. eyed love to sample the elixir after slaving away in the blazing noonday sun. the Kumasi Trio are a recommendable point of reference for these tunes, but this recording is equally essential & just gets better with age, like a fine palm wine? my only minor gripe is that the vocals are a bit close-mic'ed in contrast to the gorgeous guitar which can sound comparatively distant on occasion. 320 gentle breezes