By Raymond P. Diamond Photo| Mark Mattos
“We loved it. We had a fantastic time…I don’t know if the crowd here [in Portland] is always like that, but seeing so many people up close dancing, enjoying … that just gives us energy.”
Before Kotoko Brass, the joyful, Massachusetts-based, high-energy multinational band with members hailing from Antigua, Ghana, Japan, and the U.S., performed on the Western Prom in collaboration with SPACE Gallery on August 21, Ben Paulding, a drummer in the band, and one of its founders, said they hadn’t known quite what to expect from their first Portland gig.
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But he said they were pleasantly surprised with the turnout, and the energy of the crowd, as hundreds of enthusiastic concertgoers filled the open, grassy area of the Western Prom and dozens of audience members spent the concert dancing to the music.
“We loved it. We had a fantastic time…I don’t know if the crowd here [in Portland] is always like that, but seeing so many people up close dancing, enjoying … that just gives us energy,” Paulding said.
Kotoko Brass performs using an international mix of instruments, including the traditional Ghanaian gankogui and atsimevu drums; a trombone, a tenor saxophone, a guitar, and a keyboard. The instruments reflect the internationalism of the band, which features Andy Bergman, Attah Poku, Ben Paulding, Brian Paulding, Dillon Zahner, Kwame Ofori, M’Talewa Thomas, and Yusaku Yoshimura.
Intrigued by the multilingualism of Amjambo Africa, Paulding remarked on the parallel with Kotoko Brass, which he called a ‘multilingual band … which “[brings] everyone’s unique influence in.”
He noted that Kotoko Brass is inspired by music from Ghana, West Africa “ … and is about including diverse people, from diverse backgrounds, from different cultures.”
The concert was presented in collaboration with SPACE Gallery, which received support from the New England Foundation for the Arts, and marked SPACE’S third annual collaboration with the Western Prom Concert Series.
When a torrential downpour, complete with lightning, sent the audience scattering for cover and the band hurrying to protect their instruments and equipment during the final set of the evening, Peter McLaughlin, music programmer at SPACE, noted “It was such an amazing, memorable ending. It’s hard to be too sad about that. In some ways, it made it even more special!”
