Squidco: Kosi: I Know Who I Am

I Know Who I Am

NY jazz vocalist Kosi (Akosua Gyebi) in her 4th solo album which she describes as a "concept album telling the story of guilt, absolution, love and self-actualization through original jazz and negro spirituals." through original songs and covers including Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah".

Price: $9.95

In Stock
Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 5.00 units

Sample The Album:

Product Information:

Personnel:

Kosi-vocals, acoustic guitar

Vincent Parker-vocals

Brendon Biagi-tenor saxophone

Satish Robertson-flugelhorn, trumpet

Aron Marchak-electric guitar

John Lander-piano

Christopher Hall-bass

Isaiah Pierce-drums

Ian Koranek-recitations

Abdallah Oubaki-recitations

Daniel Leeds-recitations

Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.

UPC: 88507626848

Label: Self Released
Catalog ID: none
Squidco Product Code: 23336

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2016
Country: USA
Packaging: Jewel Case
Recorded in Long Island City, New York and Williamsburg, New York, by Joe Davi.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Akosua Gyebi goes by many names: she acts as the lead singer of the New York City jazz group Sweet Blue Fire, member of indie rock group The Goddess Lakshmi, and she just released her fourth full length solo album under the name Kosi. On her website, she calls her latest project, I Know Who I Am, a "concept album telling the story of guilt, absolution, love and self-actualization through original jazz and negro spirituals."

The opening track starts with a 50-second snippet of "Hallelujah," which she later sings in full. It is raw and especially emotional in light of Leonard Cohen's recent passing. The album includes traditional spirituals such as "Servant's Prayer" and "Walk With Me," as well as many originals such as the dark, twisting jazz song "Guilty." In the final track, "Morning After Blues," Kosi's goal of self-actualization is fulfilled, as she sings about accepting her body, her talents, and where she is in life. [...]"-Anna Polovick, Black Grooves

Artist Biographies

• Show Bio for Kosi

"Kosi (née Akosua Gyebi) is a New York City based singer/songwriter with nappy hair and jazz roots. Although she always brings just a little drama to her compositions and interpretations, she's more than just a drama queen. She's got piercing eyes and a voice that's larger than her body. But, small as she is, she won't fit in a box. She switches styles more quickly than you can follow, from jazz, to rock, then folk, but never more than a few steps away from the blues.

She cites Abbey Lincoln and Nina Simone as her main influences, and has been compared to Tracy Chapman, India Arie, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith. However, despite her comparisons and influences, everything about Kosi, from her nappy hair to her sometimes bare feet, from her occasionally jarring lyrics to her now-she's-sweet-now-she's-screaming dramatic interpretations, radiates authenticity. "I am not creating anything," she says, "nor am I deconstructing anything. I am neither an iconoclast nor a follower. I am simply myself, and that is enough." She's more than enough. You definitely want to hear this girl sing... if you can handle it.

Kosi is currently the lead vocalist of straight-ahead jazz group Sweet Blue Fire and indie rock group The Goddess Lakshmi."

-Kosi Website (http://kosi-sings.com/bio.php)
12/9/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

^ Hide Bio for Kosi

Track Listing:

1. Intro (Hallelujah) 0:50

2. Elder Washington 2:56

3. Guilty 5:08

4. Servant's Prayer 2:11

5. Lament in A minor 4:42

6. Your Angel 5:46

7. Walk With me 2:58

8. Father So Wise (Elder Washington) 5:32

9. Hallelujah 4:20

10. Since I Laid My Burden Down 3:55

11. Morning After Blues 6:27

12. Untitled 7:03

Recommended & Related Releases:

Racing Pisshorses, The
It Only Takes One To Stop An Ice Cream Truck [7'' VINYL w/ DOWNLOAD]
(self)

An archival punk document from JJ Gregg-better known now for his adventurous sitar work-this 1995 Seattle-area session with drummer Ryan Toliver captures the youthful energy of their Illinois-formed duo The Racing Pisshorses, recorded live to tape in under three hours and released here for the first time on 7" vinyl with download, a raw and spirited reminder of Gregg's formative years in DIY music.

Sun Ra Arkestra
Swirling
(STRUT / Artyard)

The first new Sun Ra Arkestra album in twenty years, recorded in Philadelphia under the direction of saxophonist Marshall Allan, with long-standing Arkestra members including Danny Ray Thompson, Michael Ray, Vincent Chancey, Knoel Scott, Cecil Brooks, Atakatune, Elson Nascimento and Tyler Mitchel, with new material and new renderings of classic Ra compositions.

Kosi
Stranger In Every Town
(self-released)

NY/East Coast Jazz vocalist Kosi presents her 5th album, a rewarding album of original songs that depict her experiences touring as an independent singer-songwriter through jazz idioms influenced by blues and rock forms, her strong voice emotional and expressive while supported by a core sextet of New York musicians; lyrical, solid, passionate.

Kosi
Ghosts Appearing through the Sound: an Abbey Lincoln tribute
(Self Released)

NY vocalist Kosi (Akosua Gyebi) recorded this album to accompany a theater production called Ghosts Appearing through the Sound: a tribute to Abbey Lincoln, paying homage to the great vocalist with a 4-piece band performing works by Lincoln, Coltrane, Monk, &c.

Machinefabriek (w/ Anne Bakker / Edita Karkoschka)
Crumble
(Self Released)

A beautifully dramatic album from the trio of electronic artist Rutger Zydervelt (Machinefabriek), violinist Anne Bakker, and vocalist Edita Karkoschka, a sculpted work full of dramatic turns, immersive drones, glitchy electronics and intimate gestures.

Machinefabriek
Loos
(self-released)

A live performance at Ephemere, Studio Loos in The Netherlands from Rutger Zuydervelt, AKA Machinefabriek, in a set that mixes his sources with recordings from the room, creating a dynamic and vibrant recording that ranges from subtle near-silence to thick electronic excitement.

Sands, The
Beast To Bone
(Self Released)

Singer/songwriter Julie McGeer leads a band of some of Western Canada's foremost players from the jazz and indie scene including Peggy Lee, JP Carter, Paul Rigby, Cole Schmidt, Darren Parris & Barry Mirochnik in an embraceable album combining jazz, indie pop and folk roots.

Celer & Machinefabriek
Numa / Penarie [VINYL 7-inch]
(Self Released)

The collaboration between Machinefabriek (Rutger Zuydervelt and Celer) continues with their 2nd 7" of textured electronic collage and sound, packaged with a postcard, a download code, and two download videos.

Kosi
Pictures Of Us
(Kosi)

New York jazz vocalist Kosi in an album extending her duo format to a larger ensemble using lyrical jazz forms to create an intimate and emotional album of original and traditional songs.

Kosi
One More Cup of Coffee
(Kosi)

Kosi is Akosua Gyebi Sorensen, a New York vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, here presenting a mix of standards and original compositions performed with guitarist Aron Marchak.

Simonis, Lukas
Stots
(self-released)

Danziger, Raquy
Dust
(Raquy Music)

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:

Brousseloux, Augustin / Jean-Marc Foussat / Quentin Rollet
Qui A Vu Ce Mystere...
(Improvising Beings)

Two large works of improvisation using electric guitar, synth and alto saxophone from the trio of Augustin Brousseloux, Jean-Marc Foussat, and Quentin Rollet, complex and evolving works with a psychedelic edge, blending experimental, rock and jazz into something truly unique.

Nuova Camerata
Chant
(Improvising Beings)

Lisbon's Nuova Camerata brings together a mix of improvisers and contemporary classical players--Carlos Zingaro, Joao Camoes, Ulrich Mitzlaff, Miguel Leiria on string with Pedro Carneiro on marimba--for a set of improvisations bridging both disciplines in passionate and unexpected ways.

Gama, Joana / Luis Fernandes / Ricardo Jacinto
Harmonies
(Shhpuma)

The duo of Joana Gama on piano and Luis Fernandes on electronics is expanded with Ricardo Jacinto on cello to create rich, mysterious works inspired by Erik Satie's score for the ballet "Relache", graced with the image of the double cross he used when he founded his 1-member church in 1892.