Vibrant unison ensemble passages interspersed with splendid solos won the day for the Ghana Jazz Orchestra at its inaugural concert on September 5 at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra.  

Especially outstanding was the orchestra’s treatment of Austrian composer Joe Zawinul’s iconic 1977 Jazz-fusion instrumental, ‘Birdland’. That piece had been covered and reinterpreted by several prominent musicians and groups across different genres. The 19-piece Ghana Jazz Orchestra brought a sparkling Afro-feel to the work that evidently delighted the audience.  

It was a well-attended affair, and patrons responded warmly throughout the programme, which kicked off with a rendition of American guitarist Pat Metheny’s ‘Song for Bilbao.’ Drummer Frank Kissi’s solo on the piece showed off his masterful exploration of the entire drum set.

Conducted by Victor Dey Jr., the orchestra went on to play more material from composers including Rick Margitza, Lee Morgan, Nat Adderley, Oscar Brown Jr. and J. Fred Coots from the United States; Bernard Ayisa from Ghana and Marcus Wyatt from South Africa.

They were demanding pieces by every standard, and one could tell the ensemble had worked hard to get this far. The collective thrust and rhythmic energy were appreciable as members turned in a performance that definitely earned them new fans.

Derbie Light flew high on vocals.  She sang with a fine, clear voice that projected well. Various instrumentalists popped up with solos at the proper moments.

“Members are not all on the same level of proficiency. So we went with compositions which those with superior abilities could comfortably play alongside colleagues with average abilities,” said the orchestra’s director, Bernard Ayisa.

He added that the orchestra was still recruiting and membership was open to all. The lead trumpet player, Moises Lugo, is a Venezuelan. There are also two female Russian alto saxophonists - Alina Abban and llmira Abzgildina - in the fold.

Multi-disciplinary artist, Kofi Boachie-Ansah, presented a water-colour painting of a big band Jazz orchestra to the President of the Ghana Jazz Foundation, Dr Adrian Oddoye, in support of efforts to raise funds for the Ghana Jazz Orchestra.

Peter Fisher of PF Music in Nigeria and President of the Africa Jazz Network (AJN) that seeks to promote and advance Jazz from Africa, was at the concert. He reminded the audience that there are incredible Jazz musicians all over Africa who are not known outside of their countries.

He urged relevant people such as Jazz venue owners, artiste managers, music promoters and entertainment lawyers in Ghana to register and join the AJN to help showcase Jazz musicians from the continent.

Many in the audience felt it was a afascinating experience and also a privilege to be present at the concert.  They asked for an encore, and the orchestra obliged with ‘Birdland.’