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2LP
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AR 139LP
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Double LP version. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is revered as the Simigwahene in Ghana, the king of Simigwa-highlife. Because of his deep, soulful, and funky highlife sound, he is also sometimes referred to as the "James Brown of Ghana". And not without reason. His blend of highlife, funk, jazz, soul, and proto-rap was and is still exhilarating. He learned music from outstanding artists like Sammy Larteh and Ebo Taylor, with whom he played in the Uhuru Dance Band. Together they founded the Apagya Show Band in 1974. Now, after more than 40 years active in music and his numerous albums, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a living legend, too. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley exploded on the music scene in 1973 with a jazzy, funky, and soulful highlife sound he called "Simigwa-Do". Building his own Simigwa style and leaving traces around the world, today the versatile, irrepressible and highly revered singer, composer, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and "musical-life-force" has more than 30 music albums to his credit. On his new album Gyedu-Blay Ambolley And Hi-Life Jazz you can hear his versions of some classic jazz tunes like "Round Midnite", "Love Supreme", "Footprints", and "All Blues" as well as some new compositions by the Simigwa-man himself. For fans of: Ebo Taylor, Orlando Julius, Dele Sosimi, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock.
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CD
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AR 139CD
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Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is revered as the Simigwahene in Ghana, the king of Simigwa-highlife. Because of his deep, soulful, and funky highlife sound, he is also sometimes referred to as the "James Brown of Ghana". And not without reason. His blend of highlife, funk, jazz, soul, and proto-rap was and is still exhilarating. He learned music from outstanding artists like Sammy Larteh and Ebo Taylor, with whom he played in the Uhuru Dance Band. Together they founded the Apagya Show Band in 1974. Now, after more than 40 years active in music and his numerous albums, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is a living legend, too. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley exploded on the music scene in 1973 with a jazzy, funky, and soulful highlife sound he called "Simigwa-Do". Building his own Simigwa style and leaving traces around the world, today the versatile, irrepressible and highly revered singer, composer, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and "musical-life-force" has more than 30 music albums to his credit. On his new album Gyedu-Blay Ambolley And Hi-Life Jazz you can hear his versions of some classic jazz tunes like "Round Midnite", "Love Supreme", "Footprints", and "All Blues" as well as some new compositions by the Simigwa-man himself. For fans of: Ebo Taylor, Orlando Julius, Dele Sosimi, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock.
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2LP
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AR 131LP
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2LP version. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley was born on the 11th Street in Sekondi, Ghana 72 years ago. On the cover photo, on the right side, is the house of his birth, which was also his parental home. The Ghanaian legend's latest release 11th Street, Sekondi shows off a pride in his heritage, and his honed talent for mixing highlife with other genres like rap, Afro-funk and disco Ghanaian highlife. 11th Street, Sekondi is his 31st album since his debut in 1973. The charismatic stage personality, no stranger to mixing humor into his music and who has performed alongside Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and highlife bandleader Ebo Taylor, has been a record collector's staple since his appearance on the seminal Ghana Soundz (SNDW 001LP, 2002), which re-introduced the world to his trademark Simigwa style. Highlife, which started in Sierra Leone and Liberia, took hold in Ghana in the 1940s as a coming together of the musicians fed up with the foxtrot and quickstep parties originally hosted by English colonists. It began with big band horns and happy lyrics, popularized by artists such as E.T. Mensah, before opening up in the '50s and '60s with a wave of guitar-driven, socially conscious and more danceable Afro-funk hits -- a product of the easy movement of people between Nigeria and Ghana. It was then that Ambolley's trademark baritone vocals burst onto the scene, under the tutelage of close personal friend Taylor. Ambolley's latest album, named after the area of West Ghana in which he grew up, is a look back at the area and musical styles that shaped the musician's life. "Black Woman" is a funky number that opens the album with Ambolley on a tenor sax solo, while tracks like "Little Small Girl" showcase his renowned James Brown-influenced vocal flourishes. Soul, jazz, blues, and comedy are present -- in keeping with his fervent belief that music must always be entertaining for the listener. The album is the second of his to be released German label Agogo records, after the acclaimed Ketan (2017). It also stays true to highlife's social ambitions, with reflections on the misguided pursuit of European ideals ahead of African values. Ambolley's career has been filled with accolades, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Charles R Drew University in Los Angeles, and formal recognition from the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington DC for producing the first ever commercially recorded rap album.
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CD
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AR 131CD
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Gyedu-Blay Ambolley was born on the 11th Street in Sekondi, Ghana 72 years ago. On the cover photo, on the right side, is the house of his birth, which was also his parental home. The Ghanaian legend's latest release 11th Street, Sekondi shows off a pride in his heritage, and his honed talent for mixing highlife with other genres like rap, Afro-funk and disco Ghanaian highlife. 11th Street, Sekondi is his 31st album since his debut in 1973. The charismatic stage personality, no stranger to mixing humor into his music and who has performed alongside Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and highlife bandleader Ebo Taylor, has been a record collector's staple since his appearance on the seminal Ghana Soundz (SNDW 001LP, 2002), which re-introduced the world to his trademark Simigwa style. Highlife, which started in Sierra Leone and Liberia, took hold in Ghana in the 1940s as a coming together of the musicians fed up with the foxtrot and quickstep parties originally hosted by English colonists. It began with big band horns and happy lyrics, popularized by artists such as E.T. Mensah, before opening up in the '50s and '60s with a wave of guitar-driven, socially conscious and more danceable Afro-funk hits -- a product of the easy movement of people between Nigeria and Ghana. It was then that Ambolley's trademark baritone vocals burst onto the scene, under the tutelage of close personal friend Taylor. Ambolley's latest album, named after the area of West Ghana in which he grew up, is a look back at the area and musical styles that shaped the musician's life. "Black Woman" is a funky number that opens the album with Ambolley on a tenor sax solo, while tracks like "Little Small Girl" showcase his renowned James Brown-influenced vocal flourishes. Soul, jazz, blues, and comedy are present -- in keeping with his fervent belief that music must always be entertaining for the listener. The album is the second of his to be released German label Agogo records, after the acclaimed Ketan (2017). It also stays true to highlife's social ambitions, with reflections on the misguided pursuit of European ideals ahead of African values. Ambolley's career has been filled with accolades, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Charles R Drew University in Los Angeles, and formal recognition from the Ghanaian Embassy in Washington DC for producing the first ever commercially recorded rap album.
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CD
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ACD 007CD
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"Gyedu-Blay Ambolley unleashed his unique brand of 'simigwa' music on an eager yet unsuspecting world in 1975 with the release of this, his debut album. Suffused with his larger-than-life personality, this LP is an absolutely irresistible manifesto of his heavy afro-funk simigwa philosophy. This record spawned a genuine dance craze in Ghana and is even considered a foundational record of the hip lifestyle of hip hop that is popular in Ghana today. Long sought-after by collectors, Academy LPs and Voodoo Funk have teamed up once again to revive this incredible record from the vibrant musical scene of 70's West Africa. Mastered from the original master tapes and featuring the rather remarkable original sleeve, this is an ultra high-quality reissue that continues the reputation we've built with our previous releases. CD comes with a 15" x 15" poster of the cover art."
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