Remembering Paa Kow: Rhythm, Spirit, and the Language of Groove
By Eric Frank
December 28, 2025
The Passing of a Singular Musical Voice
The global music community has lost a remarkable musician with the passing of Ghanaian drummer, composer, and Afro-fusion bandleader Paa Kow Isaac Ninson, known to audiences around the world simply as Paa Kow.
According to statements released by his management and collaborators, Paa Kow passed away in Ghana on December 23, 2025. The cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
For many musicians and fans across Colorado and the greater live music community, the news came as a genuine shock.
I first had the pleasure of seeing and meeting Paa Kow years ago at Globe Hall in Denver, Colorado, where his infectious energy and uniquely expressive style immediately left a lasting impression. As a drummer myself, I was instantly captivated. In 2018, I had the privilege of booking Paa Kow’s trio at Mile High Spirits during my time as the venue’s Talent Buyer and Event Coordinator. Like so many others who crossed paths with him, I came away not only deeply impressed by his musicianship, but by the warmth, spirit, and genuine humanity he carried both on and off the stage.
Paa Kow wasn’t simply an incredible drummer — though he absolutely was that. He was one of those rare artists whose energy, spirit, and musical identity felt immediately recognizable the moment he sat behind a drum kit. And not just any drum kit…
Paa Kow became internationally known for performing on a custom-designed, hand-carved Ghanaian drum set inspired by traditional West African instruments — an instrument that became as visually distinctive and spiritually expressive as the music itself.
Hailed by some as “Ghana’s most artistic drummer,” Paa Kow built a sound that fused traditional Ghanaian rhythms with jazz, funk, Afro-pop, highlife, improvisation, and contemporary global music into something uniquely his own.
But beyond technical ability, what people seemed to remember most was his spirit.
From Enyan Denkyira to the World Stage
Born in the small village of Enyan Denkyira near Cape Coast, Ghana, Paa Kow’s musical journey began early. Raised in a musical family, he first joined his family’s concert band as a child playing cowbell before eventually moving to congas and drum set — sometimes literally standing to play because he was too small to reach the pedals. Music quickly became his life.
Stories from his upbringing feel almost mythological now: building makeshift drums from metal cans and fertilizer bags, hiding inside a bass drum to sneak onto tours as a child, and earning the nickname “Small-boy Drummer” as his talent spread throughout the region.
As he grew older, his playing eventually brought him to Accra, where he performed alongside major Ghanaian artists including Amakye Dede, Kojo Antwi, George Darko, and Nat Brew before touring internationally across Africa, Europe, and the United States.
In 2007, Paa Kow relocated to Colorado through a cultural exchange connected to the University of Colorado, where he served as both guest artist and teacher. From there, his Afro-Fusion Orchestra became a powerful presence throughout the Front Range music scene and beyond.
For those of us in Denver’s live music community during that era, Paa Kow’s name carried real weight.
His performances felt less like conventional concerts and more like communal rhythmic experiences — deeply musical, intensely physical, and spiritually connective all at once.
Rhythm as Cultural Exchange
Part of what made Paa Kow so compelling was that his music never felt confined by genre.
Jazz musicians respected him.
Jam bands respected him.
Funk musicians respected him.
World music communities respected him.
Traditional musicians respected him.
Because underneath everything was rhythm — not just technically, but culturally and emotionally.
Albums like Hand Go Hand Come (2012), Ask (2014), Cookpot (2017), and Nkwa Na Ehia (2021) showcased an artist deeply committed to blending tradition with innovation while introducing audiences around the world to the richness of Ghanaian musical heritage. And by all accounts, he carried that same generosity into his personal life as well.
Tributes poured in following news of his passing from collaborators, musicians, and friends around the globe. Longtime collaborator Brad Goode described him as a “master drummer, bandleader and spiritual force,” while others remembered his encouragement, humility, warmth, and unmistakable creative energy.
That word keeps appearing over and over again in conversations surrounding Paa Kow:
Spirit. Not ego or celebrity or industry hype… Spirit.
A Lasting Legacy
In many ways, Paa Kow represented exactly the kind of artist that grassroots music communities are built around.
An artist who could move effortlessly between cultures, who viewed rhythm as connection, and who made audiences feel something larger than themselves. And perhaps most importantly, an artist who never lost the humanity inside the music. That legacy continues through his recordings, collaborations, students, family, and the countless musicians and listeners he inspired throughout his life and career.
Some musicians leave behind songs. Others leave behind scenes, communities, and energy that continue echoing long after the performance ends. Paa Kow leaves behind all of it.
Rest in rhythm, brother.