Daniel "Koo Nimo" Amponsah - Ghana
Visiting Artist 1998-2000
Koo Nimo is considered one of the greatest performers of
West African "highlife" guitar style. Rooted in African polyrhythms, his
music draws on the "palm wine" guitar idiom that developed early in the
20th century (named for its association with people gathered to drink the
local brew). His playing also reveals musical influences from jazz and
Spanish and classical guitar traditions. Koo Nimo's impact on West African
popular music has been acknowledged by a lifetime award from the
International Association for the Study of Popular Music, and in 1997 he
was the recipient of the Grand Medal for Lifetime Service to Ghana from
the Head of State of that country. His recordings include a compact disc
titled "Osabarima."
As a young man Koo Nimo taught drumming, guitar, and brass band music in
his village. He first received national acclaim in 1957 for his Ashanti
ballads, heard on Radio Ghana; in 1988 these ballad texts were published
in both English and Twi. In addition to his reputation as a fingerstyle
guitar classicist, Koo Nimo has had a long association with the Asante
King's Palace and frequently performs as a drummer for festivals and
funerals. Performances by his own ensemble, Adadam Gofomma ("Going Back
to Roots"), include a 1976 appearance at the American Bicentennial
Celebration in Washington, D.C.
In addition to international concertizing in Europe, Australia, and the
United States, Koo Nimo has appeared in several documentaries. He was
featured in "Repercussions," a film on West African popular music produced
for British television in 1985. In 1988 he was invited by UNESCO to
appear along with calypsonian Lord Kitchener in "Crossing Over," a
documentary
produced in Trinidad.
Koo Nimo may be heard on a new compact disc "Koo Nimo - Tete Wobi Ka"
released on the HumanSongs label
Link to HumanSongs Records
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