Grant Phabao and Djouls - 21st Century Afro Extravaganza (MP3 Podcast on www.ParisDJs.com) Colored-Inc., 2010-07-10 The Paris DJs extended family has among the most pro-active in spreading the good word about worldwide African music. Celebrating the recent releases by One Foot In Jail or Franck Biyong on our brand new Colored-Inc. label, and announcing the upcoming albums from Oghene Kologbo (thru Kraked) or Ebo Taylor (thru Strut), here's nearly 4 hours of 21st century afrojazz, afrobeat, ethio-jazz, afrofunk and afrolatin grooves - selected and mixed by Grant Phabao and Djouls who are...

One Foot In Jail - Hard 2 Find Vol.3
(Download/Limited CD) Colored-Inc. COLI005, 2010-05-17

One Foot In Jail is the first venture for the Colored-Inc. label into African vibes. Blending Nigerian harmonies with American Soul or Jamaican Funk, European folk & electronics with Afrobeat, Jazz with souful reggae or deep poetry, with some hefty doses of Reggae, Psychedelia and African percussions in between, this is indeed a kind of a Afrofunk Jazz Thing, a fantastic record pushing the Colored-Inc. label's identity quest deep into the exploration of African, Carribean and Afro-American music.

Production duties by David Murray (10), Doctor L (2,4,8,9), Franck Biyong (7), Grant Phabao (3,5,6), Loik Dury (1), with star guesting Amayo from the Fu-Arkist-Ra, Antibalas, Clip Payne and The Deacon from The Duke & The King (USA), Kiala Nzavotunga and Oghene Kologbo (from Nigeria), Ranking Trevor and The Jays (from Jamaica), and The Gwo Ka Masters (from Guadeloupe)

Some of you discovered Kologbo on stage at the Afrofunk party we organized last summer with Ebo Taylor & The Poets Of Rhythm. Some others already knew he was the tenor guitar player from Fela Kuti's Afrika 70 and he now plays on stage with Tony Allen. Some of you might even have heard the Remember Fela Anikulapo Kuti album he released in 2007 with Berlin's heaviest afrobeat ensemble Afrobeat Academy... Well he's now preparing a new album called Africa is the Future, produced by Loik Dury and to be relased early 2010!! Here's a preview, with Freedom Back featuring The Deacon (from The Duke...

Ebo Taylor & Afrobeat Academy - Love Is Not Too Far
(Exclusive YouTube video from ParisDjs.com) 2009-08-23

Ebo Taylor, the legendary composer, arranger and musician from Ghana took the stage for the first time in Europe, together with artists of the internationally assigned Afrobeat Academy (featuring musicians from the Poets Of Rhythm, Karl Hector & the Malcouns, Kabu Kabu and Fela's Afrika 70's guitarist Oghene Kologobo), in Paris on July 17th, 2009 (organized by Rockers International & Paris DJs) and in Frankfurt on July 18th, 2009 (organized by Africadelay & Analog Africa).

The exceptional guitar player is considered as one of the most distinguished Highlife, Afro beat and jazz composers of Ghana. Between 1962 and 1965 he studied together with his friend Fela Kuti at the renowned Eric Guilder School of Music in London. As early as the 50th and 60th he caused quite a sensation as the head of the Stargazers Dance Band as well as the Broadway Band. In the early 70th he headed the best known Big Band of Ghana, the 'Uhuru Band' (later called Uhurus) and so formed the Highlife.


Photo by Damien Darricarrere

Since the 70th Taylor produced different albums as solo artist and developed more and more his own, innovative and distinctive style - recognisable for instance on his albums "Ebo Taylor and the Pelicans" or "Twer Nyame". Ebo has been very active in numerous projects as session musician. Besides his solo works, he contributed significantly to the development of music in Ghana, as arranger and producer to the big labels in Ghana, like Essiebons and Gapophone. For these labels, being their musical director, he produced i.e. well known musicians such as C.K. Mann of the Apagya Show Band, a legendary All-Star-Highlife-Funk-Band, or artists like Pat Thomas, Jewel Ackah and Papa Yankson.

Lovers of Afro beat, Highlife and Afro jazz may now wait for the new album Ebo Taylor recorded this summer in Berlin for the Analog Africa label with the same Afrobeat Academy crew of musicians. Thankfully here's an extract from the Paris concert. We should podcast the highlights of this fantastic show quite soon on ParisDJs.com, and might upload some more live videos in the future so stay connected...

The Musicians :
- EBO TAYLOR - guitar, vocals (Ghana)
- EKOW ALABI - drums (Ghana / Kabu Kabu/Jimi Tenor Band, Afrobeat Academy)
- PATRICK FRANKOWSKI - bass (Germany / Kabu Kabu/Jimi Tenor Band)
- J.J. WHITEFIELD - guitar (Germany / Poets of Rhythm, Karl Hector & the Malcouns, Afrobeat Academy)
- THOMAS MYLAND - clavinet, organ, etc (Germany / Poets of Rhythm, Karl Hector & the Malcouns)
- BEN ABARBANEL-WOLFF - tenor & bariton sax (USA / Poets of Rhythm, Karl Hector & the Malcouns, Afrobeat Academy)
- STU KRAUSE - trumpet (Canada / Poets of Rhythm, Karl Hector & the Malcouns)
- OGHENE KOLOGBO - guitar (Nigeria / Fela's Afrika 70, Afrobeat Academy)

Links :
youtube.com/user/ParisDJsVideos
discogs.com/artist/Ebo+Taylor
myspace.com/themalcouns
myspace.com/thepoetsofrhythm
myspace.com/kabukabuberlin
myspace.com/afrobeatacademyband
myspace.com/kologbo
parisdjs.com
myspace.com/parisdjs
facebook.com/parisdjs
twitter.com/parisdjs
analogafrica.blogspot.com
...

ROCKERS INTERNATIONAL & PARIS DJS présentent BAM BAM CLUB ATOMIC - 70's AFROFUNK

LIVE : EBO TAYLOR with KABU KABU, KARL HECTOR & THE MALCOUNS and AFROBEAT ACADEMY !

Redécouvert récemment à travers les compilations GHANA SOUNDZ (Soundway Records), le guitariste et arrangeur ghanéen EBO TAYLOR fusionna durant les années 70 Highlife et Afro-beat en un genre nouveau: Afro-funk! Il sera en concert pour la première fois en Europe le Vendredi 17 juillet à Paris à la Bellevilloise, accompagné de la crème des musiciens Afro-funk actuels: EKOW ALABI (Kabu Kabu, Jimi Tenor), PATRICK FRANKOWSKI (Kabu Kabu, Jimi Tenor) STU KRAUSE (Poets of Rhythm/Karl Hector & the Malcouns), BEN ABARBANEL-WOLFF (Poets, Karl Hector, Afrobeat Academy), J.J. WHITEFIELD (Poets, Karl Hector), THOMAS MYLAND (Poets, Karl Hector), et OGHENE KOLOGBO (Fela's Afrika 70, Afrobeat Academy).
La soirée continuera avec les deejays du collectif et site PARISDJS.COM, MANU BOUBLI, DJOULS, LOIK DURY, ainsi que RADIO SALAH, DJ résident et organisateur des soirées BAM BAM CLUB. Ils s'assemblent pour la première fois sous la bannière commune BAM BAM CLUB ATOMIC pour une soirée Afrofunk, Afrobeat, Afrojazz, Afrolatin, Afrosoul et Spiritual Afro!