About
This film presents an African talking drums version of Georg Friedrich Händel's Hallelujah chorus, as staged and performed by legendary drummer Ghanaba together with the Winneba Youth Choir. Ghanaba's unique approach to Händel mixes elements of African, Christian, and Islamic ritual with formal European concert performance, Ghanaian ceremony, and improvisation. The performance is followed by a conversation with Ghanaba about jazz, European, and “world” music.
This film is part of Steve Feld's Jazz Cosmopolitanism in Accra series. Alone or joined by the companion book and CD series of the same title, the films convey a sense of diasporic intimacy and musical cosmopolitanism in Ghana.
The series includes the following titles:
Hallelujah! (60 min, 2009)
Accra Trane Station: The Music and Art of Nii Noi Nortey (60 min, 2009)
Includes the short film From Accra to Santa Fe (18 min, 2009)
A Por Por Funeral for Ashirifie (60 min, 2009)
The Story of Por-Por (60 min, 2013)
Includes the short film M.V. Labadi (20 min, 2013)
J.C. Abbey, Ghana's Puppeteer (55 min, 2016)