Kwashibu Area Band
Biographie Kwashibu Area Band
Kwashibu Area Band
Founded in Accra, Ghana in 2014, Kwashibu Area Band is a dynamic musical collective led by Kwame Yeboah and Ben Abarbanel-Wolff. Dedicated to preserving and innovating Ghanaian Highlife music, the band has emerged as a pivotal force in contemporary African music.
Multi-instrumentalist Kwame Yeboah brings a lifetime of musical expertise, having been steeped in highlife music from birth: Kwame’s father is the iconic Ghanaian bandleader A.K. Yeboah. He played with Eddie Donkor as a teenager and served as musical director for Osibisa in his early twenties. His versatile career includes long term roles as musical director for international artists like Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Craig David, and China Moses, as well as collaborations with Ghanaian stars Kojo Antwi, Amakye Dede, and Daddy Lumba.
Saxophonist Ben Abarbanel-Wolff's musical journey includes producing Ebo Taylor's acclaimed albums "Love and Death" and "Appia Kwa Bridge", which set a new blueprint for contemporary highlife on the international stage. For over 20 years, Ben has worked on stage and in the studio with many of the luminaries of afrobeat and highlife music, including Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Tony Allen, Orlando Julius and Oghene Kologbo. Stints with free jazz legend Sirone, funk revolutionaries Poets of Rhythm, and German pop superstar Xavier Naidoo round out Ben’s multifaceted experience.
Kwashibu Area Band has gained international recognition through extensive touring, performing over 250 shows at prestigious festivals including Glastonbury, Roskilde, WOMAD, Sines, Down the Rabbit Hole and Mimo among others. Their collaborative approach has seen them work with legendary singers like Pat Thomas and a rotating collective of world-class musicians. Under the moniker “Pat Thomas and Kwashibu Area Band,” they released two acclaimed albums on Strut Records demonstrating their deep understanding of the heart and soul of the Ghanaian music experience.
Their upcoming release on Soundway Records, titled “Love Warrior's Anthem”, marks a pivotal moment in their journey. Recorded in Berlin with renowned reggae drummer and producer Giuseppe "Big Finga" Coppola and percussion maestro Eric Owusu, the album represents a jazz-influenced exploration of highlife. The record showcases the band's ability to reimagine traditional genres, offering a range of sounds from danceable rhythms to meditative compositions. Songs like "Nkwanta Bisa (Ask at the Junction)" and “Love Warrior’s Anthem” encapsulate their nuanced approach, incorporating elements of jazz, reggae, and dub while maintaining their deep musical roots in Ghana. With Love Warrior's Anthem, Kwashibu Area Band not only pays homage to the roots of highlife but reimagines its future, embracing the softer, more introspective dimension to the genre. Alongside contemporaries like Kokoroko and The Cavemen, they continue to push the boundaries of African music. They are poised to return to the live stage, bringing their innovative new sound to audiences worldwide.
