Kwame is the name for the magical, mystical musician and composer John Kwame Azraku. The name Kwame is perfect for this unique, special talent, since it means “Saturday†in Acan, one of the indigenous languages of Ghana. Kwame was born in Ghana in 1958, and began his first ensemble, the City Brothers Band, in 1977. This dance band played diverse styles, ranging from Funk, Afrobeat, and HighLife to Reggae and Makossa. In 1980 he moved to Nigeria where he formed the Super Ashantis Band, whose first album was titled “Waterproofâ€. John played drums in this band ,which eventually became the Zebs Band International, a prestigious band based out of Nigeria, who toured Cameroon, the Congo, Niger, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Senegal, Libya, Chad and many more exotic locales. In 1992 Kwame recorded the album “Afroca Democracy†with a new band, Akumamba. As a result of this recording, Kwame and company signed a 6 year contract with a German promoter to tour all of Europe, especially Germany. This eventually took Kwame to Barcelona, where he currently resides. Upon setting foot on the Catalan ground Kwame was reunited with an old friend from Guinea Bissau named Oli. Kwame proceeded to collaborate with Oli on recordings for the band Qubamba, thus beginning his experiments of playing African music with a variety of musicians from other countries and continents. It was at this point that John felt comfortable enough in his surroundings to carry out his own musical project, thus was born Kwame Afrovibes. This project is an attempt to express John’s personal philosophy formed by his musical experience and general “joy for lifeâ€. Upon seeing Kwame perform one is immediately drawn to his earnest, honest and straightforward happiness and ecstatic stage presence. Kwame is the composer of all the music currently played by the Kwame Afrovibes. However, the musical influences of each of the current members is still quite obvious, and thus the unique and beautiful amalgam that is Kwame Afrovibes stands out. Whether it is a HighLife tune, a Reggae song, a traditional Native Blues or an Afrobeat jam, the crowd and the band are constantly moving, constantly dancing, constantly smiling, imparting to the audience the band’s own happiness and good fortune to be playing with Kwame
Myspace Editor
Pimp MySpace
