Ghana’s Gyedu-Blay Ambolley set for US tour this August

The tour, presented by record label and live music project Jazz is Dead, will for the first time see Ambolley bring his ‘simigwa’ sound to the US, performing his debut album Simigwa-Do in its entirety, backed by his eight-piece Sekondi Band.

“I’m very excited to announce we will be on tour in the US for the first time,” the musician shared on Instagram. “We will introduce highlife music from Ghana, which is the mother of jazz music.”

Kicking off on 1 August in Seattle, the 18-date marathon will take him to venues in Los Angeles, Washington, California, Massachusetts and Philadelphia before closing off in Brooklyn, New York, on 22 August.

Simigwa-Do was originally recorded with the Uhuru Dance Band and released on Norman Bentsil-Enchill’s Capeside Records. The project blends highlife, funk, disco and rap.

Speaking before his European tour in 2020, Ambolley said: “Some believed ‘Simigwa-Do’ is profane, but in Fanti  –  my language  –  it’s a proverbial phrase which means a kind of composed dance, done by a chief or a well-established person. He’s sitting on a chair, feeling good with so much pride, as if he has achieved something and is in a happy mood. Then an inner feeling makes him get up for a moment and dance. People thought it meant ‘let’s go and have sex’, but it is not the case.”

With 32 albums under his belt, Ambolley is among Ghana’s leading exponents and experimenters of highlife. A singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and bandleader. He is renowned internationally, especially among the black youth of the coastal Cartagena region of Colombia, whose champeta music has been heavily influenced by the music of Ambolley and other African musicians.

Ambolley’s musical journey began in the port city of Sekondi-Takoradi where he began playing his father’s flute at the age of eight. He developed his guitar skills under mentors Sammy Lartey and Ebo Taylor, who recruited him to be a member of the Uhuru Dance Band. In 1973, Ambolley and the band embarked on a transformative journey to Nigeria where they performed alongside Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti in Lagos. 

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley US 2024 Tour Dates

• 01 August: Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
• 02 August: Chicago, IL – Outset
• 03 August: Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
• 06 August: Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone
• 07 August: Santa Cruz, CA – Kuumbwa Jazz Center
• 09 August: San Diego, CA – Music Box
• 11 August: Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
• 13 August: Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
• 15 August: State College, PA – 3 Dots Downtown
• 16 August: Long Beach, CA – The Bamboo Club
• 17 August: San Diego, CA – Music Box
• 18 August: Santa Cruz, CA – Kuumbwa Jazz Center
• 20 August: New York City, NY – TBA
• 20 August: Somerville, MA – Crystal Ballroom
• 20 August: Amherst, MA – The Drake
• 22 August: Washington, DC – Black Cat
• 22 August: Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
• 22 August: Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl