Adzohu - Music and Dance Styles

Adzohu performs a wide variety of music and dance styles, including...

Anlo-Ewé The Ewé live predominantly in the eastern Volta region of Ghana. Their traditional ensemble comprises bells, rattles (shakers), and drums constructed in a barrel-like fashion. Their music is renowned for its complex rhythms, and their dances are often performed for special occasions. For example, funerals are a common focus for music and dance in Ewé society.

There is a very comprehensive site on Ewé music and dance, maintained by C.K. Ladzekpo.

Ga-Adangmé The Ga come from the central coastal region of Ghana, around the capital Accra. Adzohu performances almost always include Kpanologo, irresistible street music from Accra, and this has proven a timeless favourite with audiences not only here in Australia, but elsewhere in Europe and America as well. Tokoe, the female puberty dance from the Adangmé, is another commonly performed favourite.

Asanté (Ashanti) The Asanté live in central Ghana. Their regional capital is Kumasi. Their music comprises several idioms, including kete (royal court music), adowa, fontomfrom, and fetish music associated with various religious cults. Their drumming is extremely complicated and forms dense, sometimes shifting, polyrhythms. Part of this complexity is due to "speech-mode" drumming, in which spoken language is played by manipulating rhythms and pitches of drums. The drums really do talk!

Asanté dance is very distinctive, but is rarely "choreographed" for special occasions.

Ijaw The Ijaw are from Nigeria. Adzohu peforms one Ijaw piece -- Eseni -- which celebrates the lives of fisher people.

Dagarti The Dagarti are from northern Ghana and play a variety of instruments. Adzohu performs the energetic harvest dance Bawa, and plays a selection of Dagarti xylophone pieces.

Palm wine Ko Nimo is an exponent of the palm wine guitar style and has composed hundreds of songs. Adzohu performs a selection of his songs.


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