I'm touched by the high intensity of Stevo's music

Stevo Atambire is a well-known musical figure in Ghana, and is the voice behind an international hit with over 120 million Spotify streams He will be performing with the Swiss band World Citizen on the main stage of Jazz Night Zug on the 20th August.
 

"What we're doing is a bit crazy," says musician Stevo Atambire from Ghana regarding the joint project with the Swiss band World Citizen. On Thursday, 20th August, the six professional musicians will be performing on the main stage on the Landsgemeindeplatz in Zug as part of the Zug Jazz Night. The band includes drummer Dominic Eschmann, who has been playing with the Big Band Zug for twelve years, and trumpeter Niki Jäger, the leader of the Big Band Zug and a prominent figure in the Zug jazz scene. He is also, as he writes, "passionately involved in youth and talent development."

What is now touring Switzerland as a Ghanaian-Swiss band project began years earlier, 3,000 miles away in Ghana, explains Dominic Eschmann.

He primarily plays at funerals
During a study abroad programme in West Africa, the drummer Dominic Eschmann travelled to northern Ghana to explore traditional rhythms. Shortly before the 14-hour bus journey to Bolgatanga, he made contact with musician Stevo Atambire. "A spontaneous meeting turned into a week together, and ultimately led to a concert on a simple wooden stage in Bongo," he recounts. It was there that the idea arose to make music together and build a musical bridge between Ghana and Switzerland. “I’m personally touched by the high intensity of Stevo’s music. And I am always surprised by the profound meaning of the lyrics.”

World Citizen on the main stage of Jazz Night Zug on Thursday (from left): Valerio Lepori (trombone), Dominic Eschmann (drums), Stevo Atambire (vocals, kologo), Bruno Hochstrasser (guitar), Tobias Asuming (percussion), Niki Jäger (trumpet).              
Stevo Atambire and “World Citizen” performed on a simple wooden stage in Ghana.           Photos: supplied
 

Stevo Atambire is a well-known musician In northern Ghana, and often plays solo at funerals in his homeland. Two Belgian film directors, Sofie Hanegreefs and Kris Pannecoucke, made the documentary “Long Live the Dead!” together with Stevo Atambire, reporting on the local tradition of the Fra Fra people, who celebrate the life of the deceased with numerous rituals, music, and dance. “We honour our ancestors because we feel that they are always with us,” he explains in the film, describing the local funeral traditions. “I can only hope that one day people will celebrate my life, too.” The following quote from the musician in the film is also striking: “When I play kologo, I am happy. Kologo music means everything to me”.