Paulina Opoku-Gyimah says: Ghana Rising fave, Atongo-Zimba is set to play Africa Oye
2013 at Sefton Park, Liverpool, from 22nd -23rd June 2013 alongside
other Ghanaian greats including: Osibisa
(Ghana), Black Prophet (Ghana) and Yaaba Funk (UK/Ghana) -and Dele Sosimi
Afrobeat Orchestra (Nigeria) / Mokoomba (Zimbabwe) / Son Yambu (Cuba) and Zong
Zing Allstars (DR Congo). Its free entry for all, –so I look forward to seeing
you there. For more info about Africa Oyé visit their official FB page via: https://www.facebook.com/africaoye
Atongo Zimba comes from the north of Ghana. He was very
young when his grandfather taught him to play and make the koliko (or molo), a
two stringed lute, which is used throughout the savannahs and deserts of West
Africa.
His time as a child was divided between the family farm
and the regional capital of Bolgatanga. During holidays and weekends he would
run the family cattle through farmland and forest, with other boys, looking for
feed and water for the cows. There was a strong musical tradition amongst the
cowboys and they would play instruments such as flutes and percussion, as well
as using their voices to make different sounds, many of which mimicked birds
and animals.
He learnt traditional songs and started to compose his
own and to use the koliko for more complex melodies than the usual strumming.
The instrument is used for many traditional events and to motivate farm
workers, but Atongo was interested in using it for more general entertainment
and decided to travel in order to explore the possibilities of music making as
a career. He found the compound of Fela Kuti in Lagos, where he stayed for two
years in his late adolescence, opening the weekend shows with his solo
performances
He returned to Ghana, this time to Accra where he joined
a very active and creative music scene in the 1980's and 90's, playing with
Osibisa and the Pan African Orchestra amongst others. At the same time, he
continued to develop his own solo style, picking up ideas from highlife, jazz
and funk. Music is part of everyday activity in Ghana and he travelled the
country as part of a concert party with Senior Eddy Donkoh.
He has released four albums in Ghana. During these years
he made two visits to Europe, one in the middle 1990's with Swiss drummer
Gabriel Schiltnecht. Their band was called Allah Mungode. The second was with
the cultural group, Adisa.
Atongo has been based in the UK since 2003 and has
developed European collaborations in addition to keeping a strong link with his
home country and its musicians.
He has released two albums internationally since then
under Hippo Records. The first was Savannah Breeze (2005) for which Atongo put
together a band of Dutch based Ghanaian and Caribbean musicians for this
Afro-funk sound. It was produced by Dave Youell, who had produced earlier famed
koliko player, Captain Yaba. The second was Barefoot in the Sand (2007), which was
a collaboration with Niels Brouwer, well known Dutch guitarist (who also
produced the album) and Monica Akihary, vocals. This album is more jazz
influenced and gently funky.
Atongo has been playing numerous festivals in Europe as
well as in Africa and Latin America. He has recently been playing around the UK
with a trio.
Other activities have included providing the music for
Kwame Kwei Armah's play, "Elmina's Kitchen" with Juldeh Camara. This
ran in the National Theatre, the west end of London and a national tour.
Atongo composes and sings in his native Fra Fra, Hausa,
Ga, English and Twi. The themes of his songs include power and respect in
inter-personal and inter-ethnic relationships, issues of everyday life and
development for Ghana and Africa generally as well as romantic love and
spirituality.
His most recent venture is with Ghana based musicians, in a band called Sankune, building on the sounds of his boyhood, using traditional instruments.
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