Jembaa Groove

Want to experience a fusion of highlife from 70s Ghana, vintage musical expressions from 60s and 70s jazz and soul with contemporary neo-soul and hip-hop trends from Berlin? Then you have to experience the music collective Jembaa Groove!

Jembaa means "life", - and the band radiates lightness and warmth, with its groovy bass lines and rhythmic drive that bypasses genre-specific music.

“Truly a global phenomenon. An original and gifted fusion" - SONGLINES

The band is led by vocalist and percussionist Eric Owusu and bassist and producer Yannick Nolting. The musicians in the band are former band members of Tony Allen, Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas and Orlando Julius.

The debut album Susuma was released in 2022 and their second studio album came in the spring of 2024; the title reads "Ye Ankasa/We ourselves". The band has already announced their next album: "Ancestral expansion – Berlin jazz via Accra & London".

"Fantastic! A great mix of jazz and highlife!” - BBC Radio 2

"Jembaa Grooves' second album sounds like an invitation to daydream and let go" - Le Monde

For over two years, Jembaa Groove has toured internationally on some of the grandest stages around the world. Both the audience at the London Jazz Cafe and New Morning Paris have appreciated the band's authentic sound image created by the intercultural music group.

Some of their sources of inspiration are the highlife pioneer Ebo Taylor and Dr. K. Gyasi and the American soul musicians Charles Bradley and Lee Fields.

Seven musicians give us a warm groove with hits from highlife, fused with soul and jazz from the seventies! The soundscape merges with different languages, cultural expressions and cosmopolitan love for music!

Line up:

Eric Owusu – vocals and percussion
Yannick Nolting – bass
Babatunde Agonglo – guitar
Goncalo Mortagua – saxophone
Nir Sabag – drums
Doron Segal - keys