Bokoor Beats: Vintage Afro-Beat, Afro-Rock & Electric Highlife From Ghana

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2007)
• Original Release Date: March 27, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Music & Words/Otrabanda
• ASIN: B000OQF1IQ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,510 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

In Ghana, the '70s was a time of political repression, high inflation, and funky pop music. Among the musicians working the clubs in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, was a young British emigre named John Collins. Collins played guitar and harmonica, and even sang and composed with local bands. Later on, he became an important music producer in Ghana, where he still lives today. On Bokoor Beats, he compiles some of his favorite songs from his early days on the Accra scene.

Bokoor means 'coolness', and when Collins co-founded the Bokoor Band in Ghana in 1971, they covered Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and James Brown. When the group hit its stride a few years later, the Bokoor Band had folded those influences into original songs. They drew on Ghana's sunny 'highlife' style, the funky, politically-edged Afrobeat from neighboring Nigeria, and even the Latin-tinged soukous sound shimmying out of the Congo.

Afrobeat was forged and immortalized 30 years ago by the late Fela Kuti. You might think of it as an Africanized hybrid of American funk and jazz. No surprise that Collins and his Ghanaian contemporaries went crazy for the sound. Collins' Bokoor Band contributes eight of the twelve tracks on Bokoor Beats, but it is their Afrobeat numbers that really cut to the bone.

American music - especially R&B, rap, and hip-hop - continues to exert massive influence on African pop music. If you turn on the radio in Accra today, you are likely to hear the contemporary 'hiplife', a Ghanaian fusion of highlife and hip-hop. Hiplife certainly has its appeal, but the music on Bokoor Beats feels deeper. The pride and confidence of independence - which Ghana won in 1957 - still dominates. These bands are certainly plugged into the world, but their sound forcefully puts Africa in the mix.

There is no turning back the clock on music, any more than on history itself. Thankfully, there are retrospective CDs like Bokoor Beats, a brand of nostalgia that is easy to share, even if you did not live it the first time around. --Banning Eyre, NPR/All Things Considered, 7/31/07

Product Description

Highlife, afrobeat, rock and blends of all that and more, recorded in Ghana's Bokoor Studio (Guitar and Gun, Vintage Palmwine) in the early 70s.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Collection of Vintage Ghanaian Music, September 12, 2007

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The Delite Rancher (Phoenix, Arizona) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bokoor Beats: Vintage Afro-Beat, Afro-Rock & Electric Highlife From Ghana (Audio CD)

Ghanaian music does not get the respect it deserves. In the West African sub-genre of Afropop, it always seems to get eclipsed by Mali's Desert Blues and the various sounds from Nigeria. "Bokoor Beats: Vintage Afro-Beat, Afro-Rock & Electric Highlife From Ghana" seeks to rectify this sad state of affairs. A case can easily be made that "Bokoor Beats" covers one of the greatest time periods for Ghanaian music. This disc documents the era when Ghanaian popular music had moved away from the big band sounds of the 1950's and embraced Rock and Funk. That written, it also predates the contemporary epoch when Ghanaian musicians too fully embraced modern Pop. These sorts of projects almost always have a fascinating background story. The narrative behind "Bokoor Beats" doesn't disappoint. Bokoor (meaning coolness) was both a band and a studio run by Englishman John Collins. Recorded at Bokoor Studios, this disc features tracks by Bokoor Band and Blekete & the Big Beats, Mangwana Stars, T.O. Jazz and Oyikwan Internationals. Most listeners don't think of Ghana when Afrobeat comes to mind. "Bokoor Beats" reinterprets history with a healthy helping of Afrobeat and African rock. In addition, some songs are infused with that wonderful sound of Zairean guitars. This release also pushes the "H." Yes, it nobly asserts that dirty H-word in Afropop -Highlife. Don't worry -this is great stuff! The most unusual element of "Bokoor Beats" is John Collins' extensive use of the harmonica. While it helps the Bokoor Band stand out, the rock style harmonica also tends to get old quickly. Recorded between 1974 and 1992, the vintage sound is as surprisingly consistent as the overall superb sound quality. The liner notes are extensive and secure Collins' musical legacy. Despite John Collins' promotional interview on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," the listener should still pick this up as soon as possible. As wonderful as these projects can be, they tend to go out-of-print quickly. For a case in point, check out the Ghana Soundz: Afro-Beat Funk & Fusion series. Listeners of vintage Afropop will adore "Bokoor Beats."