The sound of independence

I equate African highlife music with the ska of Jamaica. Both seem rippling with the excitement, possibilities and the unbridled joy of independence.
I was hacking away at the slush/ice coating the sidewalk in front of our house.
As I sloshed through the messy aftermath of yet another winter storm, I listened to "GHANA HIGH-LIFE AND OTHER POPULAR MUSIC" by SAKA ACQUAYE AND HIS AFRICAN ENSEMBLE.
Of the 11 or so musicians playing on this 1969 album, a story I read suggests at least five were drummers.
You can certainly tell.
This music is propulsive, blending elements of big-band jazz and Latin soul with African folk songs to produce tunes fit to fill the dance floor.
Ghana achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1957 -- only a dozen years before the release of this album. The cover shows a vehicle with "It's Great to be Young" printed on the back, and Ghana was still a young nation in 1969.
Ghanaian dance bands led by musicians such as E. T. Mensah concocted the highlife sound by tossing the elements they liked from the Caribbean, America and other regions into the bubbling sonic stew.
Eventually, Western pop -- including hip hop -- infiltrated the West African musical scene, and songs began to focus on corruption and other problems, instead of simply having a good time -- much as Jamaican reggae turned toward politics during the roots era.
For a sparkling, brief time, however, there was nothing quite so enjoyable as African highlife -- even when you're breaking your back chipping away at the ice outside your door.