Ozi Ozaa AfroFunk Highlife
Nov 8 @ 8:00 pm
Presented by: Ozi Ozaa
Hello Tauranga. The mighty Ozi Ozaa is going to move Totara St! Afrofunk, High Life and Ghanain traditional music, packed with horns, percussion led by Ghanain Master musician Yaw Asumadu. Bring your friends, breathable clothing and your dancing shoes, and sing and dance non-stop to NZ’s foremost highlife band. Ozi Ozaa has packed audiences at Cuba Dupa, Auckland Arts Festival and venues around Aotearoa. Get tickets now for you and your friends for a joyous night of unstoppable grooves and melodies.
“A joyful and jaw dropping fusion of afro-grooves and jazz that hits you like a burst of sonic sunshine” Phil Jackson, BBC specialist music presenter describing Yaw Asumadu who is a master drummer, composer, African flautist, bass guitarist and xylophone player. Yaw was born in Ghana, started playing drums at a young age and was taught Atentenben Flute and music theory by Nana Danso. He worked with the Ghanian Pan African Orchestra for 12 years as master drummer and assistant conductor touring the United States, Canada, Europe, South and West Africa. In 1992 Yaw appeared on Stevie Wonder’s workshop demo in Ghana. Yaw later moved to London in 1999 and worked/toured with Adzido Pan African Dance Ensemble as a master drummer and composer for five years. Yaw has performed with Andy Summers, Oren Marshall, Michael Jackson, Tunde Jegede, Annie Whitehead, Angelique Kidgo and the Kakatshitshi drumming group from Ghana. In 2004 Yaw toured with Wole Soyinka’s ‘The Lion and the Jewel’. Yaw is skilled in making traditional African drums. In 2008 Yaw formed Ozi Ozaa a highlife Afrobeat band in London. In 2018 Yaw moved with his Kiwi partner and family to NZ and after meeting Tauranga based guitarist Tristan Hancock has formed a new band to play his music. The new Aotearoa based Ozi Ozaa is a eleven piece band packed full of funk & jazz with sweet highlife and traditional African rhythms, with members who have previously played in Kiwi acts including Batucada Sound Machine, Tahuna Breaks, The Scribes of Ra, The Yoots , Twinset, Ijebu Pleasure Club. Ozi Ozaa has played many venues and festivals around New Zealand including Womad NZ 2022, Cuba Dupa 2024, Auckland Art Festival and many more.
Song: Don’t Leave
Song: Selfishness
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Poster Design: Owen Johnston. “Sankofa” is an Akan Adinkra symbol which depicts a bird with its head turned backward retrieving an egg from its back.
