OSIBISA — Osibisa (review)

OSIBISA — Osibisa album cover Album · 1971 · African Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
If you are not familiar with early 70s Osibisa then the best way to describe their music would be to imagine a mixture of the horn charts of early jazz-rock bands like If and Chicago, with the fiery guitar/organ interplay of Santana, all driven by an African percussion section. Osibisa has a lot in common with other early 70s African and world beat based rock-fusion groups such as Mandrill, Cymande, War and of course, Santana. Most of the core members of the original Osibisa came up through the highlife music scene in 60s and 70s Ghana. Highlife is a style somewhat similar to RnB in the states, and its open structure allows for the mixing of other influeces such as jazz or rock.

Although many original members were from Ghana, Osibisa later moved to London where they took their highlife music and added modern rockin horn charts and multi-sectioned compositional structures which endeared them to much of the jazz leaning progressive rock crowd. Although some of their songs do have complex arrangements, others are fun two chord workouts in the classic Santana tradition.

Although there were other rock bands in the early 70s with an African base, Osibisa was the band to get the most attention from the traditional rock crowd. Having the popular rock artist Roger Dean supply the striking artwork for their first album cover certainly didn't hurt this effort.
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