Cart 0
On July, 21, 1928, the West Africa magazine published a photograph with a caption that read, “The Kumasi Trio came to London to record 36 double-sided records, mostly in Fanti, for Tarquah.” The Tarquah Trading Company’s position as a general retail in key Gold Coast cities was not matched by competitors. By 1928, it had become the main agents for Gramophone Company.
Kumasi Trio was made up of three main performers: Kwame Asare (Guitar); H. E. Biney (Guitar); and Kwah Kanta (Drums). The legendary guitarist Kwame Asare, was compelled to record under the name Jacob Sam. Kwame Asare and his friends hailed from Saltpond, in the Central Region of present day Ghana, where the Fanti people live. It is no coincidence that the songs were sung in the Fanti language. The town of Kumasi is about 100 miles north of Saltpond, and is the central hub for the Asante people who speak Twi. The name “Kumasi Trio” could have been for a commercial purpose as they all assembled in Kumasi to begin their band, and not a representation of their hometown.
In a paper titled, “Ghanaian Highlife,” John Collins wrote that after World War I, “dozens of guitarists came to prominence in Ghana; they included Kweku Bibi, Kwesi Manu, Kwese Peprah, and most of all, Kwame Asare, the first to record highlifes.”
The recordings heard here are the earliest-known by Kwame Asare and his group. They were recorded in June 1928 for Zonophone. The landmark and standard highlife song, “Yaa Amponsah” is featured here. According to John Collins, “some years ago, R. Sprigge offered a musical analysis of the melody of the very early highlife “Yaa Amponsah,” which he considers to be a product of West African gong rhythms, the West African two-fingered style of guitar playing, and hymn music, which is manifested especially in the suspended thirds and hymn harmonies and progressions.”
The Legendary Kwame Asare (Jacob Sam)
Kwame Asare (Jacob Sam) was born in 1903 in Cape Coast. The first highlife guitarist was taught the guitar by a Kru Liberian seaman. His famous guitar style came from the two finger technique of playing the seprewa, a traditional harp-lute. Asare was trained as a goldsmith and he moved to Kumasi where he formed the Kumasi Trio.
Life and career
He was a trained goldsmith. He moved to Kumasi and formed the Kumasi Trio. He was taught guitar by a Liberian seaman. He is known to be the first Ghanaian to record highlife music in Ghana known as “Yaa Amponsah”. In 1928, on Zonophone in London‘s Kingsway Hall EZ series, he recorded guitar-band highlife classic music with his melodic and finger-style guitar picking. He was accompanied by the Kumasi Trio, featuring guitarist H.E. Binney and percussionist Kwah Kanta.[3]
Under the name “Kwanin” he recorded his voiceover on the JZ series. His recordings in 1928 were in Fante languages.
