The Black Album

Description

Soundway revives two highlife gems by K. Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas, recorded in 1976 and 1977 - peaks of West African musical tradition and boldness. Known today as the Blue Album and Black Album, these legendary records reveal two sides of Frimpong’s art: the Blue, a vibrant reinvention of Ghanaian melodies driven by the classic Kyenkyen Bi Adi M'awu ("Come Back, My Love"), covered and sampled by major names; the Black, more futuristic, which reaches its peak with the hypnotic trance of Adam Nana, where serpentine guitars, haunting keyboards and celestial percussion weave a quarter-hour of pure musical intoxication - a Ghanaian response to the afro-jazz explorations of the era. Never distributed outside Ghana, these albums have become extremely rare collector’s items, briefly reissued in 2011 before disappearing again, adding to their legend.