Ozi Ozaa will bring its unique sound to The Dome at the end of the month with an 11-piece band playing a jaw-dropping fusion of Afro-grooves and jazz.
Ozi Ozaa is a groundbreaking fusion band with a very distinct African twist. The band weaves genres as disparate as traditional Ghanaian folk songs with African pop genres such as highlife, as well as funk, soul, Latin and jazz.
It is fronted by Ghanaian master drummer Yaw Asumadu, famed for
his work with the Pan African Orchestra and Rob Navratil, who are joined by a stellar line up of top musicians from Ghana, Nigeria, Italy, France and the UK.
Ozi Ozaa means ‘work and happiness’ in the Ghanaian tribal language and the band truly reflects that spirit.
Yaw Asumada is also a composer, African flautest, xylophone player and bass guitarist. The music has been described by Phil Jackson, BBC specialist music presenter as “a joyful and jaw-dropping fusion of Afro-grooves and jazz that hits you like a burst of sonic sunshine”.
Yaw Asumadu moved to NZ in 2018 and formed the band Ozi Ozaa, an 11-piece band packed full of funk and jazz with sweet highlife and traditional African rhythms with members who have previously played in Kiwi acts such as Batucada Sound Machine, Tahuna Breaks, The Scribes of Ra, and Ijebu Pleasure Club.
