“To get lost is to learn the way,” declared Wynton Marsalis as he introduced the emotionally charged Mother Africa suite Friday night at a sold-out +233 Jazz Bar and Grill — and indeed, the audience was happily lost in a musical journey that blended history, rhythm, and soul.
The legendary trumpeter and composer brought the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) to Ghana’s vibrant capital as part of their 2025 Africa Tour, delivering an unforgettable night curated by the Ghana Jazz Foundation.
From the moment the horns struck the first note of Mother Africa, the crowd was locked in, swaying between groove and gravitas.
The first set, a stirring trilogy (Mother Africa, Mothers, and Families) co-created with master percussionist Weedie Braimah, resonated deeply with the local crowd.
Marsalis’ trumpet sang with ancestral echoes, while Braimah’s percussive storytelling brought the drums of the motherland back to center stage.
Set two elevated the energy. With War/Play and Beliefs, the JLCO navigated the tensions of chaos and resolution, leaving the audience breathless. But it was the closer, Kuku’s Theme, composed by Ghanaian saxophonist Bernard Ayisa and arranged by Sean Nowell, that brought the house down. A seamless fusion of Ghanaian motifs and big band brilliance, it was a homegrown triumph that lit up the night sky.
Before Marsalis and his crew took the spotlight, the stage belonged to The Ghana Jazz Collective, who dazzled the crowd with their sophisticated improvisations and unmistakably African jazz voice. Their performance was met with roaring applause — a testament to Ghana’s ever-rising jazz scene.
Uncle Ken Addy, a legendary Ghanaian radio personality – who hosts the Jazz on Joy- described them as “genius.”
Ghanaian musician and leader of the Sekondi Band, Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, expressed his excitement at seeing Wynton Marsalis share his expertise with local audiences. He believes there is a growing market for jazz in Ghana and urges young musicians to embrace and explore the genre’s rich possibilities.
With patrons spilling onto the streets long after the final note, the evening was a bold declaration: Ghana loves jazz — and jazz loves Ghana back.
In a city known for its highlife, hiplife, and afrobeats, jazz found not just a welcome, but a home.
A super show, indeed.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Ebenezer Madugu