Love is so beautiful, Love is so wonderful, Love is only alright when I am with you
Kojo Antwi Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
By the time this piece is published, Vodafone Ghana would probably have organized the second more public musical concert. With the kind of publicity preceding it, I can imagine that it might attempt to eclipse the more exclusive first concert staged in commemoration of Vodafone’s first anniversary at the plush La Palm Royale Beach Hotel yesterday.
I don’t mind. Whatever Vodafone does, they most certainly cannot best the piece of art that maestro Kojo Antwi and his talented team put on display on the night in question. How else do two star struck individuals describe our initiation into the first Kojo Antwi experience? Thrilling? Perhaps. Enchanting? Certainly! If unleashing Kojo Antwi on corporate and social partners was a trap set by tactical minds at Vodafone, then they certainly succeeded in securing a captive audience that was too happy to be trapped. Take the missus and my good self for example; with her physiologically compromised oversized belly with its live occupant, we embarrassed ourselves by sitting out the entire performance till the very last drop of music had been wickedly squeezed out of Kojo Antwi.
Perhaps it is best to commence with some context. Vodafone, Africa Aid- a US based organization (now Switchboard) and the Ghana Medical Association are involved in a unique partnership that has spawned the first free doctor-to-doctor telephone call service in the world. Of course, following its successful launch in January 2008, SwtichBoard has expended some energy replicating the success story in neighboring Liberia. While allowing free doctor-to-doctor telephone calls plus bulk messaging in emergencies etc, the MD Net-Medicareline concept has proved to be a creative deployment of mobile telephony to advance patient care. Many doctors thus glowingly testify about how specialist consultations between district and secondary/tertiary practitioners and even within Teaching Hospitals between consultants and younger colleagues have greatly been facilitated. Additionally, the drudgery of referring patients to hospitals without beds or leaving them stranded in Accra and other big cities on account of not knowing days for specialist consultations etc have all been greatly curtailed.
But for a night which was high on the music, good food and informal chit chat, long speeches didn’t particularly have a forte. I must thus be careful to preserve the flavor.
If first impressions are important, then it would be interesting what ours of the musical icon were. First of all, Kojo is much smaller in stature than I had anticipated. What he lacks in physical gigantism however, he more than makes up for in what appears to be physical fitness. Kojo Antwi has a lean and mean body. Totally shorn of fat, the fine physique was adroightly adorned in a black suit, a designer black shirt amplified with red trimmings that made him appear very sharp. Of course, on his head was the trademark artistically rearranged long black confetti wrapped in a wine turban.
Rasta-fari! I might as well add.
Secondly, Kojo Antwi does not dance much. But then again neither Bob Marley nor Lucky Dube was a Michael Jackson. What he might lack in silky dancing skills however, he more than makes up for in sheer physical energy, unforgettable stagecraft and rabid showmanship. Attempt to take a shot with Kojo Antwi and his legs are way up in the sky. When he is deep into his groove and his band is a-fire, the jacket is twirling in the skies and every single band member is infectiously jumping up and down frenetically. In the meantime, the music never stops. Mind you, this is a live band performance, no fake and/or sloppy miming tolerated.
Thirdly, when it comes to stage craft, when it comes to drawing the audience into his music, creativity, improvisation and actually meeting expectations, Kojo Antwi’s quintessential skills are peerless. Here he was seeking out special requests from his audience which once made, he would subsequently bell out as if it were all prearranged. Enfa me nko ho, densu… all rolled out on request! The afro haired man on the sax was phenomenal, the music sound quality was crystal clear (apologies to Vodafone) and the understanding between Kojo Antwi as band leader and his band was nothing short of telepathic. Theirs was the seamless harmonious unspoken language of music. I tell you, it was amazing!
It is noticeable that Kojo Antwi actually enjoys the music. I once listened to him in an interview in which he eulogized his production of not just music but a focus on art music of an enduring value. Truly, what he does is a whole art form. Beyond this, Kojo Antwi has a certain rare abiding quality I have isolated in certain outstanding individuals, professionals and artistes whose works endure and make an impact. It is a quality I call appetite. Kojo Antwi has a huge appetite for what he does. Perhaps as in the case of the legendary Azumah Nelson, it is an appetite that is second only to or better still, fed by his talent, rigorous discipline and thoroughbred professionalism.
The band is so well rehearsed. They play like they do this every day. He doesn’t take a contract to perform for two hours and show up one and half hours late. Stage lighting was just right. Perhaps most impressively, unlike many an African herbalist sworn to take the secrets of his trade into the grave, Kojo Antwi actually trains and grooms younger talents. In his stable, I counted not less than three very promising young artistes including Dela of Mentor fame who set the hall afire with an inspirational rendition of Bob Marley’s Turn your lights down low.
Special mention must of course be reserved for the lady who won everyone’s heart with an excellent star performance. I refer of course to the delectable Nana Yaa; her undisputed stardom buoyed no less by the right combination of musical genes. Biological daughter of hi life legend Pat Thomas and musical daughter of Kojo Antwi, Nana Yaa is the real deal and in my unlettered view, the next big thing to hit our music scene. I have neither seen nor heard anyone so far with the same depth of musical talent and ability. Her understanding and appreciation of the music appears deep and I could swear she has music coursing through her very veins. She has featured on numerous Kojo Antwi hits including the domestic altercation Tom and Jerry and the gallop-y Ammrika. With her smooth voice, lithe body and sublime musical talents, no efforts must be spared in ensuring the success of this beautiful young woman. The first step I guess is a massive patronage of her upcoming album.
Perhaps now more than any other time is a good time to give an honorable mention of famous radio presenter Abeiku Santana. Abeiku Santana virtually singlehandedly brought the entire house down after first setting it ablaze with some picturesque gyrations of his body all in the name of dance! Kweee! Obaanye? Onyeee! Asopko was what! It was a full work out and he added to the good fun tremendously. When I pointed out to one top executive that this was the famous lawyer/presenter, she simply shook her head in wonderment with the exclamation, “what a life!”
By this time, I had espied the lady seated ahead of me negotiating an uninterrupted supply of alcohol from the waiters. Initially pretending to be shy, it was not until towards the end when Kojo Antwi sought our permission “to lower the tempo of the music a bit” that her true colours emerged. “Any of your music is good,” which she subsequently quickly amended in a drawl to “Anything you play is good enough for me, Kojo.” Adweaa! The alcohol had finally struck its intended target and she was free at last, her tongue set loose. And then as in walking the talk, she started moving from table to table trying to rally people to the dance floor.
Blame it all on the Kojo Antwo experience.
admin note: original piece first released on the occasion of Vodafone’s first anniversary in Ghana under the heading Vodafone@1: Kojo Antwi unleashed!