Gregg Kofi Brown: the ‘Man for All Seasons’ at George IV’s Summer Solo Mini-Festival

Gregg Kofi Brown

Gregg Kofi Brown talks Osibisa, songwriting and playing it solo

Jazz at George IV holds its Summer Solo Mini-Festival in the Boston Room on Thursday 20 August, with four solo headliners across the evening: Gregg Kofi Brown, Robin Bibi, Wenfei Liu and Atama ‘Blues’ Bentley, who also MCs the night. Ahead of the show, Larry Pryce, who co-founded the George IV jazz nights with The Chiswick Calendar, spoke to Gregg Kofi Brown about three decades in Osibisa, songwriting and what changes when he plays alone.

Guest blog by Larry Pryce

Gregg Kofi Brown, singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer, is truly a musical ‘Man for All Seasons’. His auspicious career has seen him perform with Damon Albarn’s African Express, the legendary American drummer Billy Cobham and Lauryn Hill, as well as being a member of the world-class Ghanaian/Caribbean pioneers Osibisa for over 34 years. His first solo album, Together as One, featured the likes of Sting, Stanley Jordan, Gabrielle and Des’ree, showcasing the combination of jazz and African music that has driven his career.

Kofi Brown recalls his first musical memories as being the gospel and blues his grandparents listened to, while hearing his mother sing was a big factor in his wanting to play music, along with her encouragement.

‘Osibisa and Santana were the zeitgeist of my era when I was 20, so nearly 10 years after hearing Osibisa’s first album, I asked to do a session for the band as a bass player,’ Gregg remembers. ‘I recorded two songs at a recording studio in Tooting and two weeks later founder and band leader Teddy Osei asked me if I fancied joining the band. With my background it was a no-brainer, so began a beautiful relationship with Teddy, Sol Amarfio, Mac Tontoh and the rest of the Osibisa family.’

‘When Teddy gave me a more active role as a singer, frontman and songwriter, my musical style was greatly influenced by Osibisa. It didn’t matter what type of session I was writing for, be it jazz, rock or pop, if you listened you would hear the influence the band had on me, whether it was a bassline, the cadence of a verse or the lyrics of the chorus,’ admits Gregg.

I asked Kofi Brown whether he was still touring and promoting the music of Ghana in his own right these days. ‘I spend more time composing and recording these days, however, with the release of new music, there are calls for me to do more touring. I performed concerts in Belém, Brazil during the UN Climate Summit COP 30 last November, where we played a combination of Afrobeat, jazz funk and Brazilian music.’

‘I just recently had a concert in London with my Afro-Gaelic Beats show, where we performed a fusion of songs and rhythms of Ghana together with melodies and rhythms from Ireland. It was a sell-out show and the audience went simply crazy! The reviews have been awesome, so there is an album to do for this music… so keep a lookout,’ he assures me.

I ask Kofi Brown what his major musical influences are these days. ‘African music, jazz and Brazilian music continue to be a major influence on my compositions,’ he admits. ‘With the challenges these genres have on me, my knowledge of harmony and theory is constantly growing. This affects my writing and ultimately my performing, as I try to play new chords live. I also love the influence Afrobeats has been enjoying over the last ten-plus years.’

Finally, I ask Kofi Brown, with so many collaborations and recording commitments, how he still finds time to perform as a solo artist, and what he enjoys most about playing unaccompanied.

‘As a singer-songwriter, I will often show up to a friend’s gig or an open mic just to test my songs and my mettle. If you can play a song stripped down to just guitar and voice and still move a crowd, then the song and performer have something. I love the raw energy of playing alone: there is no one to hide behind, it is just your voice and the rhythms you manifest on your instrument,’ says Gregg with some relish.

This then is pure serendipity, as on Thursday 20th August, Gregg Kofi Brown is appearing as one of four headliners in a special Summer Solo Mini-Festival, over in the atmospheric Boston Room at Chiswick’s George IV, W4. Doors open at 7pm, with performances starting at 7.30pm.

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Larry Pryce co-founded Jazz at George IV in the Boston Room with The Chiswick Calendar. A jazz journalist and broadcaster, he was formerly of the Dover Street restaurant and jazz bar, booked jazz acts for the Bulls Head in Barnes.