MyAfricaInfos 
Elikplim Awewode Kofi
There are a thousand and one ways of impacting lives, including offering the less privileged in society, skills they might not be able to afford. Musician and businessman Elikplim Awewode Kofi, wants to change the world through music. He devotes a chunk of his time in moving from one rural area to the other to teach the youth how to make great sounds with the trombone. For the sake of the love for what he does, he never gets tired of playing the trombone. We spoke to him for more insights.
How did you become a musician?
E.A: I became a musician just by food stories told by my cousin who also plays the trombone. He will be telling stories about what they eat and so on and then I’ve decided to join the school band.
Tell us a little about your artistic carrier
E.A: I joined the Keta Roman Catholic Brass Band in 1992. l started by playing the euphonium and later moved to play the trombone. My first teacher was Mr George Gbovi. l later moved to secondary school where l joined the Abor Brass band. After school l went to the city to join the Army band which later my Aunty told me not to join. l then moved to Ho to stay with my aunty Pat Amewode to study. Because of the passion l have, l then decided to join another brass band called Starlet band and later went to play with the army dance band for some years in Ho. l moved back to Accra where l joined an Afro group called Dzidudu. ln the city again l joined Amakye Dede and the Super High Kings. l later joined a very huge band called Unconstitutional Love where l met EboTellor, Ray Allen, Osei Tutu and the Son of ET Mensah who also plays the trumpet. Still working on my dream. l later met a jazz musician from Lomé who plays the piano and there my real music life began.
I began studying music now from fafa and then won a scholarship to study at Berklee College of music in the U.S. l later work out whatever l could, but l couldn’t make it. My friend Drew Alt tried everything for me to be admitted but we couldn’t get a little push from my government.
I decided to continue to push myself. Later, I joined Ebo Taylor’s band where we went to Europe tour. l also played with the Sound Fact Tree band and played with Richard Bona any time he is Ghana.
I did a few gigs with Adjoa Sika and Elom 20ce both from Togo.
Most people will simply stay in those countries abroad for a “better life”. Why did you choose to come back to your country?
E.A: A lot of people want to stay abroad and make it there but I have a task and it is to let people know the trombone and to make people learn how to play it so that we create that huge impact to train more people in my country so that a lot of people can be comfortable playing the trombone. So I have decided that I will be here and do whatever it takes to build the system here and so that’s why I am not trying to go and stay in Europe. I traveled with Ebo Taylor and a couple of people but I have decided to come back and make a family here. Home is home, Ghana is my home.
What has marked you the most in the positive sense since you started?
E.A: My stagecraft is what marked me the most positive among all musicians. Again, if you love what you do you will never get tired of doing it.
Is playing trombone hard?
E.A: The trombone for me is really difficult. I have been playing trombone for quite a long time now. Just recently I got an information that is making me to build new ideas and to do more than before. I would say it’s difficult but it takes determination and hard work to practice to get to the top and to play like the masters and that is what I am doing and I am enjoying it
Have you ever collaborated with other artists from Ghana and elsewhere besides Elom 20ce and Adjoa Sika?
E.A: I have collaborated with Manu Fala on my album. Manu is a composer and an arranger from Benin.
During your career, some people surely marked you positively. Can you talk a little about them?
E.A: During my journey as a trombone player I met Fafa he took me from scratch, Charles Duour. He made me understand music, gave a lot of lessons, and really impacted me. I met ray Allem he gave me a tough time to practice and he used to play in Ghana, I used to play at the Jazz club, so I met him and he gave me everything that I need to know about the trombone even though he is a piano player and I met Victor Dey who has given me a huge training. He is been doing it every now and then. He took me as a brother thought me secrets that I need to be a good improviser.
You have a project called “Trombone Summit”. What is it about?
E.A: It is an idea that I’ve gotten through doing business with a company and I want to develop it. It is all about going to villages to teach and we are doing it without NGOs or any support from anybody. I think it is just something that I have and to train people in the villages to give knowledge and to give back to the society everything I know about the trombone and to do it freely and it’s a friend in the USA, he has been a pillar behind everything that I am doing, I cannot write my success story without mentioning his name. The family has been very supportive, they are behind me. We want to make sure that we help the people that played the horn before us in the villages by supplying with needs.
The summit is to grow horn players in the country, and I will not do it in the city I am seeing it growing and I know one day it will grow and we will turn it into a big school.
Your future projects?
E.A: Currently i am planning to do my second album, for which I will be raising money soon.
Elikpilm’s trombone summit promises to be a for to be reckoned with in the future and he is positive about that.
