London-based Sierra Leonean guitarist/producer combines the best of electronic music with classic music and a tasteful guitar style. Beautiful female voices, delightful lyrics, gentle guitar lines, exciting rock solos over Rock, Pop, Jazz, World grooves.

15 MP3 Songs in this album (55:13) !
Related styles: Pop: Pop/Rock, World: African, Mood: Fun

People who are interested in Reggae Bass Lines Rock Guitars Sweet Jazz should consider this download.


Details:
I have always had a passion for making music. Music helps me to project the kind of world I see in my mind. A happy place! I always dream of a world where people would live together as one.

The guitar is obviously my favourite instrument. I taught myself the basics by reading and writing music as I knew it was going to be a life long passion. I've also had private lessons from the great Welsh Jazz guitarist Esmond Selwyn. My rock guitar playing comes from living in England and getting that Brit grit. Seeing the all Black rock band Living Colour in concert in Birmingham, Joe Satriani at the Fairfields Hall in Croydon and George Benson at the Wembley Arena were great inspirational moments for me.

Playing and jamming with the likes of The Dream Academy (pop), the late Bheki Mseleku (Jazz), Section 10 (Afro Rock), Mervyn Africa (jazz) Jungle Mission (Cho Tucker and the late Bryan Sama), Eric Mahan (American Soul) and Mamadi Kamara (world class percussionist and Super Combo) have all in different ways shaped my approach to musical composition and my appreciation for different styles of music.

My first musical instrument looked something like this: a piece of flat wood with four nails attached on both ends with nylon 'strings' connecting the two sets of four nails. Cool eh :-) With "my guitar" I would jam along with the famous Sierra Leonean band Afro National as I used to live next door to them.

Learning to play the clarinet at age 13 gave me the ability to read and write music. I played clarinet in the Bo School marching band in Sierra Leone; the bandmaster was a guy from Canada by the name of Bill Cernota. God bless him! He taught me that to play cleaner and faster you have to be closer to the notes!

The truth is I only started to play the guitar after I left university in Freetown. I couldn't get a job back then so the guitar became a solace for my thoughts and feelings. I felt I could bring about change through the power of music as opposed to politics.

Growing up in Sierra Leone in the 70s meant I was exposed to all kinds of music. On the radio, local DJs played traditional African music, popular African music alongside top 40 international hits. Reggae, Funk, Soul, Soca, Disco, Afro Beat, Pop, Country and Western, Gumbe and Milo Jazz graced the airwaves. My musical influences and style emanate from that rich cultural environment. Local bands like Super Combo, Afro National, Superb 7, Dr Dynamite and Orchestre Muyeii amazed fans with their repertoire of local and international hits. It was not unusual for those bands to be playing Bob Marley, Carlos Santana, Miriam Makeba or Fela at their gigs.

My coming to England in the late 80s coincided with the rise and rise of digital technology and it was something I didn't have a clue about. However, where there is a will, there is always a wayâ¦. I'm still learning but things make sense to me now. Amongst other techie stuff, I've incorporated the iPad into my palette for sounds as is evidenced on some of the songs on this album.

The World As One.............

I have been working on a number of great song ideas and I am now ready to share them with music fans. Why? Artistic freedom. The freedom to do what I want. I felt it was more important that I played what I felt in my heart and what came naturally but that takes time. Music is a language and if you can speak it then there's no reason for not trying out new ideas. That is my philosophy. So for good measure you will find me juxtaposing musical ideas into new palettes and grooves I hope.

I love the sensual dynamism women bring to music and so this album features the voices of a variety of female singers. Thanks to Kate Lesing and the guys at Zero G for their amazing collection of acapellas for producers like myself.

This album has essentially been a one-man band affair! (recording, arranging, mixing and mastering, website, album artwork, content for videos, write ups, finance and admin stuff). Not the way I planned it but thatâs the way itâs turned out to be. In the studio, I've played rhythm and lead guitars, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, keyboards, piano, live and programmed drums. What fun!! Something I must say is that as I struggled to find my musical style, the waiting for drummers, bassists, pianists who never showed up for rehearsals meant that I started mimicking what they would do during studio sessions. This is how Iâve ended up playing most of the instrument parts.

What's The Feeling? Reach Up!
A funky infectious song with warm and inspiring vocals. The funky horns drives the chorus onto another level. The middle section is full of magic, beauty and suspense. Melodic guitar solos make this a very memorable and catchy song.

Right Track
The opening licks are played on the OMG iPad synth and has echoes of the great Super Combo band. This African influenced track is a favourite of mine as it has all the hallmarks of my guitar style â Africaine dance groove meets rock guitars meets bouncing African guitars meets silky vocals.

Shelter
The opening guitar strum sets the stage for this pop rock song with a very cool arrangement. The vocals are pure bliss and very radio friendly. The solo guitars are reminiscent of the great Carlos Santana - sweet, sexy and fiery. Rock and soul combine to make this an enigmatic and enjoyable song.

Stay
The funky African rhythm guitar is like what the 70's funksters used to play but I'm playing it over a new kind of world dance groove. The lovely percussion bits like the triangles and tambourines give this song my original signature sound. Ostinato top guitar riff pervades. I love the harmonious sequence of cool chords in the bridge section and the vocal melody perfectly complements.

The Cotton Tree Song
The Freetown Cotton Tree is arguably Sierra Leone's best iconic symbol. It has been standing for over 500 years! Blessings. On this track, you will hear Frankie play in a relaxed style full of George Benson-like octave jazzy phrases matched by hot ensemble lines, funky horn section and with some vocals by the man himself. This is one of my most favourite compositions, straight from the heart, a gift.

Calm Under Pressure
This is for all you reggae lovers. A serene landscape where cool sounds collide to create a chill out vibe. You can hear my minimalist jazz inspired melody played on my Variax guitar. Exciting drum fills and a synth solo played on the excellent ThumbJam iPad app. Airy pad sound whisperings from the Sunrizer iPad synth and the Korg iKaossilator in action against a Family Man style bass :-)

Imagination
Carnival night time music in Freetown is the inspiration for this relentless African beat which grooves and rocks out with triangles, timbales and other percussion bits. The intro features some more cool iPad synth sounds with the haunting female vocals ensuring the groove captured is exotic and mesmerising. Kate Lesing's voice are a perfect complement to the uptempo feel and magic. This is "watch net" music if you know what I mean.

Gonna Love You More
Frankie goes to the movies. I've always felt that this track would be perfect for a movie with its searing synth lines and vintage atmosphere. I do some double timing piano parts to suggest movement over a static jazzy progression. What makes this song come alive is the African chantings! Orchestrating this song was just a joy. Check out that deep bass!

Night Time
Magic. Gorgeous sexy vocals highlight this song so turn down the lights low and enjoy. Cascading rippling pianos in a call and response style over a hip hop beat punctuated by a cool bass groove. Listen for that harp sound. The anticipatory funky rock guitars and solo here are just fun to play but the vocals just shine throughout. The ensemble lines would be manna for samplists!!

Lion Mountains Jazz
Sierra Leone is a beautiful country and this song is dedicated to all the peoples and friends of Sierra Leone. I especially love the piano lines I play here. You can hear phrases from the Sierra Leone national anthem and popular local melodies fused into this Afro jazzy track. King Jimmy is a well-known historical area and Doh Ree Oh Doh Ree is a song everyone from Sierra Leone can sing. I hope you enjoy what I've done here for unity, freedom and justice :-)

Freedom
I've used the backdrop of a popular Sierra Leonean beat and Trance synth sounds, double-stop R'n'B guitar fills and a Soukous style guitar vibe to make this inspirational song unique. For the bass line to this song, I am paying homage to Eddie Isaacs of Sabanoh 75 fame. The lyrics inspire!!

Tanpura
The drone of the tanpura is amazingly seductive. On this track where I make use of the Persian scale, I do my rock guitar style! Here's another ostinato featured instrumental track - the bass is played over screaming blues rock guitars, droned out tanpuras, clavinet, percussion magic. Love it!

Exotic Dancer
Urban dance music featuring the voice of Kate Lesing. "I can bring the light" is a powerful message. We all in our different lives need inspiration and I get inspired by this message. The African ambience created by funky horn stabs and electronic sounds is deliberate and mixed with a happening African bass groove makes you want to get up and do your dance.

Freetown
This song is a special dedication to the great city of Freetown, Sierra Leone. The opening arpeggios blend with an African percussive figure bubbling over a wall of transparent sounds. The percussive lead guitar lines remind me of how I thought the guitar played like a "kongoma" would sound within a slowed down Milo jazz setting. The contrasting chorus section features applause for Freetown :-) with yours truly calling out the name of the great city, can you hear me? The variation explodes into a high octane section full of bright colours, full techno goodness and some lovely strings reminiscent of Brass Construction.

Just Start Again
Who's that rocking out :-) Classic rock guitar licks played over a hip hop beat with a melodic bass line at the breaks. I love the total feel of this song as I get to play in a funk rock style which I adore - rhythm and solo guitars in the same breath. The violin parts were inspired by a violin quartet I heard in Convent Garden, London.

I am not very good at talking about myself but I hope the 15 songs showcased here bring you as much joy as Iâve had with making them. What a ride! If you are still reading this and are not afraid of reaching out to this dude or geezer from Freetown, Reach Out, we could probably make some cool music together and make the world twitter about us As One :-)

Bless.

Frankie Jahloh

uFJ Productions@2011
Unity Freedom and Justice Productions