"Sir BORAX" Set Afro-Jazz Music Enthusiasts Agog

"Sir BORAX" Kojo Folson, a Ghanaian International Jazz Guitarists on Friday night set classical music enthusiasts in a state of eager excitement for Afro-Jazz music after a two-hour performance.

Sir BORAX exhibited mastery on the six string musical instrument by pulling the strings and releasing it quickly with little jerking movements of the fingers associated with long strokes across the strings often in a casual aimless way with the fingers or the plectrum.

The audience responded with loud cheers, shouts and gesturing which fuel the International Guitarists to play in a syncopated and heavily accented African beat rhythms, characterized with individualized melodic variations to the amusement of the audience which includes the diplomatic community and a cross section of Ghanaians.

The show dubbed: "Across and Beyond...To The Diaspora," featured songs from South, West, Central, and East African musical regions. Characteristic of the leading guitarists, he blended acrobatic display of the feet, and body with jerking movements of the hands and teeth on the guitar to the amassment of the audience.

Backed by a strong eight-man band, Mr. Folson effectively used five different makes of guitar - Electric, Acoustic, Slide, Electro-Acoustic and the Tremolo "Each piece produces a special musical effect - the slide a glissando, smooth and westerly, the Electro-Acoustic- a natural resonant sound," he told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.

Mr. Folson explained that the show was to give musical impetus to the micro-nationalism being pursued by African states. He said with globalization and unions of continental bodies and ideals, "we must also develop ours own model of Jazz music as fast as we can to survive the onslaught."

Mr. Martin Egos, General Manager of Interbeton commended BORAX for blending music across the continent in a single show. "This is a very high quality Afro-classic musical performance I have witness in my life, the musicians understanding of the musical instrument and the communication among the artiste was splendid," he said.