Known as "Ghana's most artistic drummer," The Groove Master Paa Kow comes to Buckley Park as the Alpine Bank-Community Concert Hall free "Concerts @ the Park" series continues from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21.
Paa Kow (pronounced Pah-Ko) fuses rhythm and artistry from his home in Ghana with jazz and African pop.
Raised in the small village of Enyan Denkyira near Cape Coast in Ghana, West Africa, Paa Kow began playing music and touring with his family's concert band at an early age.
He has since grown to be widely recognized as one of the most remarkable drum set players to tour in Africa, Europe and America.
A chance meeting with a traveling student from CU Boulder, Peyton Shuffield - who was looking for a highlife drummer with whom to study - led to an instant friendship, and Paa Kow, with the support of CU professor Dr. Kwasi Ampene, was invited to the University of Colorado as a guest artist and teacher in 2007.
Paa Kow's musical and cultural exchange with musicians in the U.S. gave rise to his Afro-Fusion sound.
His deep groove and prodigious talent reveal a unique ability to speak to listeners with his drums.
Paa Kow's songs are captivating and danceable and incorporate lyrics in his native language, Frante, as well as English. His vision is to spread the music and culture of his homeland by touring the world with his Afro-Fusion orchestra.
Wrote Soul Safari, "Take the beat of Ghana's traditional sound, add some American flavor, and mix it with Paa Kow's stellar drumming chops.
"That is the musical recipe for a flavoursome sound."
See the Paa Kow Band performing live at City Park Jazz in Denver at www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCUvu2qAYus.
Designed to make live music more accessible to a broader community audience, the "Concerts @ the Park" shows require no tickets and offer a family-friendly environment for enjoying a diverse music line-up.
Concertgoers are asked to bring their own chairs or blankets, as seating is not provided at Buckley Park.
Fired Up Pizzeria and Schlotzsky's will offer food for sale at the park, but picnics are invited.
Buckley Park is located in the 1200 block of Main Ave. (between 12th and 13th streets) on the north end of Durango's historic downtown.
The 2016 "Concerts @ The Park" series concludes on July 28 with Sneaky Pete and the Secret Weapons - the Jackson, Wyoming, band returning by popular demand with original and popular dance tunes inspired by the "funkiness of life in the mountains."
Further information is available at www.durangoconcerts.com.
