Ebo Taylor announces North American tour dates

The new dates, curated by Jazz Is Dead and spanning major cities across the US and Canada, further extend his rigorous 2024 tour schedule, which included a six-date US tour in August and earlier performances in France, Italy, and the UK.

Ebo Taylor will be backed by the Ebo Taylor & Family band, which features his sons Henry, Roy X, and William, as well as longtime collaborator Pat Thomas. In addition to his time in the US and Canada, he will perform at two dates in Brazil and a single date in Mexico.

With over six decades of experience, Taylor was instrumental in the ’50s highlife boom. He led Stargazers and Broadway Dance Band before studying in London with luminaries like Fela Kuti. Back in Ghana, he joined Essiebons label, shaping hits for major artists and blending traditional highlife with Afrobeat and jazz. His 2008 collaboration with Berlin’s Afrobeat Academy produced the internationally acclaimed Love and Death album, followed by Appia Kwa Bridge (2012) and Yen Ara (2018).

Apart from a strong stature as a historical innovator of highlife, Taylor is widely regarded as a blueprint, even by younger generations.

Days ago, Ghanaian rapper Trigmatic shared a new single celebrating Taylor. Titled ‘Ghana Yoo’, the song, produced by Johannesburg-based production duo Epic Minds and featuring South African musician S'Villa, samples Atwer Abroba from Taylor’s 1978 album Twer Nyame, originally released on Philips West African Records.

“Ebo Taylor is a pillar of inspiration for me,” Trigmatic said. “To see him still tour and perform after decades in this industry is truly remarkable and something I aspire to. I teamed up with Epic Minds and S'Villa to take our shared admiration of Ebo’s work a step further.”

Months ago, Taylor, a 2019 Music In Africa Honorary Award winner and past winner of the Music Legend of the Year trophy at the Exclusive Men of the Year Africa Awards, was honoured by the University of Education, Winneba, for his creative impact on the country’s music and culture, touting him as a “prominent figure in Ghana’s music history” who may not have been a pioneer of the big band highlife tradition but whose contributions as a composer, arranger, guitarist and producer have been instrumental in its evolution.

Taylor recently released a new single titled ‘Obi Do Woa’, off the upcoming JAZZ IS DEAD 021 collection due in October.

Ebo Taylor & Family North America tour dates:

North America

• Oct 9 – The Ford, Los Angeles, CA
• Oct 14 – Revolution Hall, Portland, OR
• Oct 15 – Neumos, Seattle, WA
• Oct 18 – The UC Theatre, Berkeley, CA
• Oct 20 – Metro Music Hall, Salt Lake City, UT
• Oct 22 – Cervantes' Masterpiece, Denver, CO
• Oct 24 – Radio East, Austin, TX
• Oct 26 – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
• Oct 28 – Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN
• Oct 29 – Thalia Hall, Chicago, IL
• Oct 31 – The Phoenix, Toronto, ON
• Nov 02 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
• Nov 04 – Howard Theatre, Washington, DC
• Nov 07 – McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ
• Nov 10 – Webster Hall, New York City, NY

Brazil

• Nov 15 – Autêntica, Belo Horizonte, BR
• Nov 23 – Casa Natura Musical, São Paulo, BR

Mexico

• Nov 30 – Foro Indie Rocks, Mexico City, MX