would refine his talents and transform him into a skilled musician, writer, and composer.
Taylor is one of many prolific highlife musicians featured
on Soundway Records latest release, Ghana Special: Modern
Highlife, Afro-Sounds, and Ghanaian Blues 196881, which
delivers thirty-three gems from Ghanaian highlifes golden
years. It was during this period that both Taylors career and
highlife music took shape. Returning from London in 1968,
Taylor quickly became one of the most influential musicians
on the highlife scene. He immediately reformed his old crew,
the Broadway Band (whose later incarnation, Uhuru Dance
Band, is featured on this release), hipping them to the jazzstyled instrumentations that he picked up while abroad. His
writing and composing skills landed him a gig as in-house arranger and A&R for one of Ghanas largest independent labels,
Essiebons Enterprises, where he created hits for himself and
other highlife legends.
Taylors work in the 70s helped shape the modern highlife
sound. His four solo LPs featured classic highlife arrangements
on the A-side and more modern sounding, Afro-fusion tracks
on the flip. Back then, adding new elements in our music was
exciting, he says. I wanted to push things. Taylors modern classics like Twer Nyame kept traditional highlife instrumentationcrisp, big-band-style horn arrangements with
grooving percussionbut added fresh, modern elements like
electric keyboards and guitars, reinventing the highlife sound
for a new generation.
These days, Taylor and highlife music have a rightful place
at the University of Ghana, under the tree in the main court
of the music department where Taylor teaches Ghanas next
generation of musicians their basics in palm-wine and highlife
guitar: Minor chords, its all about your minor chords. Always boasting, he teaches through story and by example. My
solos were outstanding, he says. People called for me when
the band would come and play. Now pay attention to this
solo. . Kristofer Ros