Dances of Lake Volta emerges out of Songs of Lake Volta, a 2018 album that wove together nine Ghanaian folk songs with original chamber music. After completing Songs of Lake Volta, I imagined the same songs in a more vibrant, energetic context, and began to rewrite each piece to greater and lesser effect. These re-compositions, to which is added one additional piece based on a Ghanaian folk song, and an original afrobeat composition by Ghanaian musician Samuel Boateng, comprise Dances of Lake Volta.

 

At the heart of Dances of Lake Volta are ten folk songs from several ethnic groups within Ghana. These songs were learned from traditional musicians in Ghana over several trips to the country. For me, the songs cultivate a wisdom, beauty, and elegance that is mysterious and beautiful. I strove to preserve their integrity while creating original music to “dance” alongside. The final versions of these pieces were also shaped by the members of Kinetic, who added new ideas and nuances.

 

Kinetic is committed to supporting traditional music, musicians, and artists in Ghana. 40% of profits from Dances of Lake Volta will support the following Ghanaian cultural organizations: artists from the Jamestown Boutique, the Tamale Youth Home Culture Group (YHCG), and the African Heritage Dance & Drum Ensemble.

 

-Joe Sheehan

  

Personnel

All tracks are Ghanaian folk songs with original music composed by Joseph Sheehan, except ‘Another Day’ (composed by Samuel Boateng).

 

Anita Levels: vocals (1, 11)

Mariko Reid: vocals (2, 3, 5, 7, 8), background vocals

Samuel Boateng: composer (6), vocals (4, 6, 10), organ (6), wurlitzer (6)

Roger Romero: alto, tenor saxophones (6)

Reggie Watkins: trombone (6)

Maya Brown-Boateng: background vocals (6)

Anthony Ambroso: guitar, composition (10)

Joseph Sheehan: piano, rhodes, mbira, kora, gyil, background vocals, percussion

Claude Flowers: bass

PJ Roduta: percussion, gyil

James Johnson III: drums, percussion

 

Thank You

Thank you to all of the amazing musicians who gave their artistry, creativity, and beauty to the record: Anita, Anthony, Claude, James, Mariko, Maya, PJ, Reggie, Roger, and Sam, who also contributed his composition ‘Another Day’. Thanks to Dave Hidek at the Church Recording Studio for the recording and editing sessions, and to Daniel May for mixing and mastering. Thanks to Sam Boateng for creating the album cover artwork, and to Steve Groves for the adaptations for physical CDs. Thanks to C.G. Geum for creating the music video for ‘Dusime’, and to Mackenzie Horne for curating the social media and press materials. Also, thanks to Julie Chiem for loaning her lovely kora.

 

Thanks to all of the exceptional Ghanaian musicians I worked, especially Atsu “Gasco” Ablordui, Yawuza Alhassan, Apetsi Amenumey, and Reginald Sackey; and members of the African Heritage Ensemble, Yesu Gogu Dance Ensemble, and Wuza Wuza Dance. Thanks to Nii Markwei and Yawuza Alhassan for the connections to artists at the Jamestown Boutique, and the Tamale Youth Home Culture Group (YHCG). 

 

Thanks to Dean Wehr, Colleen Woods and the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University for their generous support of this album. Thanks to Gerald Boodoo and the Center for African Studies for a 2014 Loogman Faculty Research Grant to conduct the fieldwork in Ghana that forms the basis of both Songs of Lake Volta and Dances of Lake Volta.

 

Finally, thanks to my fabulous wife and wonderful parents for their support and love.

 

-Joe Sheehan