Danquah, George – “Hot and Jumpy” – [Secret Stash]

ArtCrimes   1/24/2012   12-inch, International

More reissued vinyl of music from Ghana, this one a grab bag of different styles with featured guitarist George Danquah getting “hot and jumpy,” as they say. ??Side One features all instrumentals in a variety of styles: low-octane reggae, wah-wah infused highlife, and the mysterious “African Hustle” which dates this to about 1976-1977. Danquah reminds me of the sweet and sour guitar work of reggae session cat Ernest Ranglin, who is tasteful as can be, in the pocket and all that, but he rarely breaks a sweat (the more frenetic wah-wah work here is credited to Jeff Medina). Side Two features four vocal tracks in upbeat highlife tempos, one of which is a variant of a Side One track. (crimes )