Lioness headlines hip-hop ‘According to Jazz’ event

'According to Jazz', an established series of musical gatherings organised by Ama Owusu-Agyemang, has successfully hosted four editions to date, with a fifth edition taking place on Sunday starting at 15:00.

In an exclusive interview, tjil caught up with her to delve deeper into the details of the upcoming fifth series, scheduled for Sunday, 27 August, to be hosted at Berrylicious. This is what she shared.

tjil (t): Firstly, congratulations on this series of events. For those not in the know, how did "According to Jazz" events come about, and how many editions have you had so far?

Ama Owusu-Agyemang (AO): Thank you very much. The demand has been a pleasant surprise. We started out on a whim, really. What would have probably been an annual show has now morphed into a monthly experience, and this Sunday will be our fifth one. We've had 'Africa, According to Jazz'; 'Gospel, According to Jazz', 'R&B, According to Jazz', and this weekend we will have 'Hip-Hop, According to Jazz'.

t: Can you share with us the inspiration behind the unique fusion of hip-hop and jazz in the upcoming event? What led to the decision to bring these two diverse genres together on one stage?

AO: When we started the 'According to Jazz' series, we set out to unpack the dynamic nature of jazz as a camouflage genre that morphs into form, matter, and sound across eras, cultures, and expectations. During the experience, we do jazz renditions of hits across various genres. This week is hip-hop.

t: Do you have a selection process or criterion? How can artists who would like to perform on this platform get on board?

AO: This edition is the first to have a headlining act – the formidable Lioness. We usually identify performers in the crowd and call them onstage for a cameo. It works out well as it is unexpected for the audience and very interactive.

t: Ticket sales exclusively through phone booking is an interesting choice. What was the reasoning behind opting for this approach, and how has the response been so far? Are there any plans to incorporate online ticket sales in the future?

AO: The experience is an intimately curated one, and we enjoy the personal interaction with our guests. The response to that has been great, as we know everyone by name. We attracted an audience of various demographics, and there is a growing community of aficionados devoting their Sunday evenings to the experience. With time, we may expand to an online platform for sales.

t: The event seems to be a celebration of musical diversity. Could you shed light on any special arrangements or surprises attendees can anticipate beyond the stellar performance? How do you envision the fusion of hip-hop and jazz resonating with the audience on the day of the event?

AO: I always consider our in-house band a special part of the experience because we have been blessed to work with some of Africa's best instrumentalists, including Fernando Piu, Wayne M, Imms Nicolau and Raymond Mupfumira. So, there's the band, and of course, Lioness.

This year is the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, so the experience will be an ode to the genre and its culture. We have an incredible set lined up, and I am very excited to share it with everyone.