Saka Acquaye

Saka Acquaye and His African Ensemble: Ghana: High-Life And Other Popular Music

by AAJ Staff
February 10, 2003

With all the sophistication that accompanied highlife's ascendancy as the popular music of West Africa, its roots remain somewhat obscured. Highlife, born in Ghana, incorporates rhythmic styles and instruments from Cuba and the Caribbean, jazz styles from America, and traditional music from West Africa. In the '50s, it was a revolutionary mix. By the '60s, highlife was rapidly becoming an institution.

This record offers an unusual snapshot of highlife in its rawest form. Saka Acquaye, a multi-instrumentalist who ...