Ayi Solomon to receive Ben Webster Foundation honorary award in Copenhagen

The award will be presented during the foundation’s annual ceremony at Bartof Station in Copenhagen on 26 April.

In a statement, the foundation said the honour is awarded to individuals who have made a lasting impact on jazz in Denmark.

“This award is given to a person who, over a long life, has left a personal mark on the Danish jazz scene,” a statement reads. “And it is with great pleasure that we recognise percussionist and singer from Ghana, Ayi Solomon, as a recipient this year”.

Ayi Solomon has been active in the Danish jazz and world music scene for several decades. Since 1990, he has been a member of Pierre Dørge’s New Jungle Orchestra and has collaborated with a number of Danish musicians, including Palle Mikkelborg and Bo Stief. He has also participated in numerous jazz and world music recordings and has released solo material since 2003.

Born in Accra, Ayi Solomon began his musical career performing in Apostolic churches before joining local groups in Ghana during the 1970s. He later became part of the band Classique Handels, which toured across West Africa, before the group evolved into Classique Vibes, a reggae-focused act that toured Europe.

Following a performance in Copenhagen in 1982, Solomon later settled in Denmark, where he continued working with jazz and world music ensembles.

During the awards ceremony, Ayi Solomon is expected to perform with his band, featuring guitarist Alain Apaloo, saxophonist Anders Banke, pianist Morten Schantz, bassist Yasser Pino and drummer Rasmus Lund.

The Ben Webster Foundation, established in Copenhagen in 1976 under the patronage of Queen Margrethe II, supports jazz activities in Denmark through grants and annual awards.

The organisation is named after American jazz saxophonist Ben Webster, who spent the final years of his life in Copenhagen before his death in 1973.