On this "Kaya" disc, he is ably aided by Ray Allen; on alto saxophone, and Stan Plange, the producer and arranger of the pieces.

Kpakpo preferred instruments are the trumpet, and flugelhorn.  He is also the voice on all the songs.

The resulting effort from the above artists is on the disc; an outstanding collection of music in the highlife lore that is going to be a favorite for music lovers for a long time to come.

Kpakpo for the past decade and half is based in Los Angeles, California. The recording, however, was done in Ghana.

That the "Kaya" album is an authentic sound of the highlife music of the 60s in Ghana should come as no surprise. Kpakpo, Ray and Stan were all former members of the famous Uhuru Dance Band, the dance band of choice of that era in Africa that helped to establish the highlife genre for the rest of the world.

Sadly, in Ghana today, the home of the original highlife, the genre has morphed into something else. The music has departed from what was an established, peculiar sound image; a thumb print that in the past helped establish Ghana's musical presence in the world of music, into the current musical form that is a medley of many cultures and no character.

Yet, in the memory of veteran performers like Kpakpo, the highlife still lingers on with the support of fans who had the good fortune of growing up in the 60s to appreciate the musical form.  And, surprisingly, even some among the youth, who sometimes reluctantly come to the music, get to admit these days that they have come to appreciate it with time.

For the initiated, the original highlife sound comes in a recognizable type – sweet, bluesy, usually bouncy type but not hard swinging; just rhythmic enough to turn lovers into dancers.

These days the highlife sound has become one of Africa’s greatest contributions to the world.  Though often disguised as  “World Music,” you know from the rhythm that  it is highlife.  Listen to Paul Simon on “Spirit Voices” from his album “Rhythm of the Saints,” and what you will hear is authentic, unadulterated Ghanaian highlife music as perfected in the 60s.  It is the same catchy old Ghanaian song called "Yaa Amponsah."

In its basic aesthetic form, the highlife is both danceable and contemplative. Kpakpo’s selections, his simple raw vocal style, and his dexterous interpretation of the songs on his horn explain why the highlife is a great musical form.

The song “Odo Bra” on the album “Kaya,” caresses like a lullaby while encouraging estranged lovers to reminisce about the past, when thoughts were more pleasant, and to allow those thoughts to bring about a reunion.

Hear “Kaya,” the title song and you would be listening to the taunting voice of a jilted lover, who in his mind, has lost the love of his life to an "inferior".

In another song, “Awusa Dzimi,” you hear the universal lament of the orphans of the world. The composition is much much older than Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” But the pathos is the same.

Regardless of the title of the song, you will still be within the sensuous world of highlife music. The pity is there is a lot of this stuff out there from the past that has been ignored, and would have been shoved into oblivion but for the efforts of few enterprising musicians like Kpakpo.

Fortunately the skill and the talent of Kpakpo and his collaborators match the musical quality of these evergreen selections on "Kaya" .

Listen to Kpakpo play alongside Ray, or any of the musicians on some of the songs, and you hear fellow travelers heading in the same direction, each providing out of his head a tonal edge to the other’s effort while still delivering the musical attitude that is highlife.

Kpakpo’s interpretation of these highlife standards is full of memories. Faces of forgotten lovers will, perhaps, pop up as particular songs work their magic on the old and the young. And that’s one effect of highlife music.

But as you listen, under it all, you may notice some other influences this time; mostly in the style of the horn player Kpakpo. As an avid student of jazz, he shows tinges of Hubbard, Farmer and Masekela.

In a sense, “Kaya” can serve as a primer for the highlife novice. The initiated will still be at home, while “Kaya” provides the tie that pulls a precious cultural heritage into the 21st century and beyond – bringing along a heavy load of nostalgia.

And along the way, the album “Kaya” will tell you what to do – Dance!

E. Ablorh-Odjidja, Washington, DC May 21, 2004: