Zethu Dlomo-Mphahlele

Highlife in the key of Rim Akandoh Jnr

Drummer, singer, arranger and composer, Rim Akandoh Jnr and his Amamere Band have over the last few weeks, been spending several hours daily in a rehearsal studio at Cape Coast in the Central Region, preparing for an album release concert on February 22, 2025 at the +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in Accra. The album is Akandoh Jnr’s eight-track Man Shall Be Free collection. It primarily takes inspiration from the guitar band Highlife style of the 1960s and 1970s but rejuvenated to resonate with contemporary audiences. “I know there’s so much music being made and people are ascribing all kinds of names to what they are doing. I’m not ashamed to put it plainly that I’m a Highlife musician. That’s where my roots lie,” says Akandoh Jnr, a former drummer with well-known Highlife giant, Ebo Taylor’s Saltpond City band.