KOBby

Prelude

Kobby is a jazz pianist, keyboardist, composer, song writer, arranger, record producer and sound engineer.

Kobby grew up in a musical family, and started playing the piano at an early age, studying classical piano and music for almost 10 years. In those formative years the artist knew what his talents and aspirations were although the path to achievement would take a lifetime of challenges to attain.

Sofia

One of the earliest career experiences was as a young composer and part of a cultural group, representative of his native Ghana at the World Conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1978 to commemorate the International Year of the child.

Recognition

Kobby was recognized at this event as a prodigious composer, performing some of his early compositions and stunning audiences by playing the Bulgarian national anthem by ear after hearing it played a few times. This opportunity in Sofia also presented the artist with a chance meeting with Bob Marley, an event that affected his musical perspective and destiny decisively.

Crisfield

After the encounter with the Bob Marley, Kobby became entrenched in reggae music for years and eventually forayed into other forms of popular music as most young musicians do. He played with Funk, Soul, R&B and Hip Hop bands and produced beats for clients through his college years. He also gained lots of experience and exposure to the gospel tradition as the church pianist and music director for the Enon Baptist Church in Crisfield, Maryland during his college years.

From Lake Forest to Berkeley

Kobby’s first real exposure to the jazz tradition occurred while studying with Dr. Borich of Lake Forest, Illinois in the mid eighties. This experience culminated in a realization that jazz would be the vehicle of choice for the highest path of expression and artistic interpretation for his music. But it wasn’t till years later, that this realization would take root. After being exposed to composers like Phillip Glass and Herbie Hancock through Dr. Borich’s influence, he recognized a need to return to a formal study of the theory of structural forms in composition as well as jazz theory, its improvisation technique and language.

It wasn’t until the late 1990’s when the artist moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where studies with Clark Suprynowicz of the Berkely Jazz Workshop, Mark Levine and stints with the Jazz program at San Jose State University, collectively reacquainted Kobby with the jazz tradition, tackling the bebop language, jazz theory, and aspects of composition. Most importantly, he immersed himself into the Bay Area’s Jazz Scene playing in several bands and gained rapid reputation as one of the bay areas best pianists.

Influence

Kobby is first and foremost an extremely expressive and spiritual improviser at heart. As an artist he is always seeking new ways of expression through the voice of the instrument and through the lyrical and technical facilities of his playing. From his ferocious power, speed and agility through his tasteful and story telling approach to the construction of lines and intricately interwoven tapestries of sonic textures; he has been compared to pianists such as McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea and Brad Mehldau.

Kobby’s statement and artistic legacy is a voice of the diaspora. As a pianist born in Africa, he carries elements of his native highlife as well as other African voicing and rhythmic techniques in combination with his love for Afro Cuban and Latin music. Add his keen facility for bebop to those two elements and you have a truly versatile, statement making pianist who has the ability to approach song through the space and time of all three traditions allowing the portrayal of powerful experiences in sound that stretch significant boundaries to touch and affect lives.

Kobby has worked with, performed and produced with various artists including Eddie Gale (Sun Ra, Miles), Mick Fleetwood, Donald “Duck” Bailey (Jimmie Smith), BET (Stevie Wonder), Kofi Wilmot and many more.