The History of High Life Dance in Africa
High Life music had other names decades before the term emerged in the 1920s. Indigenous to Ghana, Africa and rapidly spreading to Sierra Leone and western Nigeria, High Life blends the influence of European military brass bands of the late 19th century, with both the music of Liberian port sailors and local African rhythms. High Life's golden age peaked through the 1950s into the 1960s. Young African musicians embracing High Life in the 21st century, offer the world a Hip Hop version with renewed enthusiasm and success.
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The Name
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The poorer populations of 1914 Cape Coast Africa would often gather outside the upper class large music clubs, listening to the ballroom and ragtime orchestras inside. They eventually termed the music "High Life" because of the posh, high-class revelers inside. By the 1920s, both kinds of tempos inside the affluent festivities influenced local musicians with a new version of the High Life.
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Adaha
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The first form of the High Life music appeared in the 1880s with the local brass bands of the Fanti coast (located in the south of modern Ghana) playing "Adaha." This form adapted the metal instruments from the British West Indian regimental musicians stationed at the British Cape Coast colonial administration. Poorer villages developed a version called Konkoma using drums and voices.
Coastal Fanti Osibisaaba
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Kru seamen of the Liberian coast contributed an African-form of cross-fingering guitar music to local percussion music forming the "Osibisaaba" style of High Life music during the 1920s. Spreading to western Nigeria, High Life then combined Juju (an African form of rock and roll) with Central Africa's "dry" guitar--African guitar playing in this case, using a single-note style based on using a plectrum rather than the thumb and index finger.
Palm Wine Music
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Palm wine music in its pure form emphasizes acoustic guitar. Associated with palm tree wine, brewed by the humble residents of rural villages of Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria, Africa, this is the "gathering around a shade tree" form of High Life music. Considered the most gentle form of African guitar music (noted for intertwining guitar chords), Palm wine music edges on relaxing while at the same time pulling the listener to the dance floor
Hip Hop - Hip Life
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The modern trend in Ghanese High Life music comes from the young. The influence of American and British Rap music as well as High Life bands on young Ghanaians evolved into popular jazz-like dance music some call Hip-Life.
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- Photo Credit "Ducky Daydreams" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Ravenelle (Ravenelle Zugzwang) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
