Jazz @ it's Best

Oh …It’s been a while and I’m sorry for starving you (my very loyal fan) of some juicy notes on Jazz Music. So to pick up from where we left I kick off with a review of MTN Jazz Safari 2009. I just finished watching the amazing MTN Jazz Safari of 2009 on DVD, thanks a million to TShaka Mayanja. This is certainly a great piece of work, professionally recorded despite all the inherent issues that accompany a live performance recording. The team behind it did a superb job in capturing the experience and energy of the whole concert in a recorded media- DVD Disc. All this took place, live, on the 8 th October 2009 at the Kampala Serena Hotel (Victoria Ballroom), Uganda. On Stage you had Chuck Loeb (Guitar), Eric Marienthal (Sax), Oscar Seaton (Drums), Matt Cooper (Piano), TShaka Mayanja (Bass Guitar), Pragmo (Keyboard/Synths), Wakake Otieno (Percussions) and Steve Oundo (Vocals) The DVD features original recordings by Eric Marienthal and Chuck Loeb. That apparently were the first they wer...

On the evening of the 17 th July 2010 I went down to the Goethe-Institut, in downtown Nairobi, for the highly publicized show titled Karibuni Windhund , featuring Windhund, an Austrian Band.   Windhund which features Otto Lechner playing the accordion, Melissa Coleman on the cello and Karl Ritter on the guitar and is greatly known for their improvised music which explores different culture and sound-worlds. Without much ado, after the pleasantries of welcoming everyone and brief bio on the group, the show kicked off with the Windhund Trio first, doing a composition and then thereafter treated us all to an hour or so of pure improvised music. To capture the scene for you in words: We witnessed and experienced instances where one (from the trio) would provide the lead and the others picking on it or backing him/her to produce amazing music. In another instance you had the artists going off on each other, trying to outdo the other; it was improvisation at its best. Also at dis...

I stumbled upon an article authored by one TShaka Mayanja (Bassist to the Band- BlackRoots Unlimited from Uganda) in the one of Uganda’s Dailies which in a sense validated some of the issues that I raised in a past blog. The article seeks to answer the following answers: Is Jazz music for the elite, “wannabe”, show-offs and the rich? What are the origins of the genre? What constitutes Jazz music? How is Jazz marketed in Uganda? TShaka (Pictured on the Left) kicks off by arguing that the high pricing of the various Jazz Concerts organized tend to attract only those that can afford (who are not necessarily Jazz fans) and there by marginalizing real Jazz fans that would love to attend but cannot afford. He then gives a short and enlightening history of Jazz. He defines the genre -Jazz music- or what constitutes Jazz music. He goes further and outlines the various sub-genres that are within the larger Jazz music. He also argues that a majority of the concerts or shows...

OTTO LECHNER & WINDHUND MUSIC Otto Lechner, a blind accordionist and member of the famous “Accordion Tribe”, an all star group of world-renowned accordionists who were brought together by American accordionist Guy Klucevsek. Karl Ritter, a true “Guitar King” and Melissa Coleman, Cello, complete the Trio Windhund Music representing different sound worlds, its members are well known for their musical globetrotting. They move around in many areas of music, never restricting themselves to any cliché. The combination of high professional standards of music making, artistic maturity and a common understanding of musical performance spark the creation of pieces which could not have been better written if they had been pre-composed. Venue : Goethe Institut, Monrovia Street- Downtown Nairobi When : Saturday 17 July, 6.00 PM Entry : Free

The Boisdale Jazz blog listed the following as the top 10 shining stars of 2001-2010 that you may find of interest. I must say some of them are completely new to me, anyway he’s the list: Michael Buble – Great voice, Jazz vocalist Christ Botti – Trumpet player Norah Jones – The multi-talent artist; vocalist, keyboardist and composer Melody Gardot – She also multi-talented. Vocalist, guitarist and pianist Jamie Cullum –  Pop and Jazz artist Portico Quarter – Four piece Jazz quarter Sade Adu – Songwriter and Jazz perfomer Spencer Day – Upcoming young Jazz artist Diana Krall – Great pianist and Jazz singer Harry Connick, Jr – Multi-talented artist; Jazz composer, singer and pianist For more on this: http://bit.ly/8Xps4X The few I can pick from the list that I know and love their music are make up My Picks , which are: Chris Botti Norah Jones Sade Adu Diana Krall Who are your favorite Jazz Musicians? Send them to me and we’ll publish them on this blog. mutua.andrew@...

There has been a lot of talk of why Kenya doesn’t attract top notch International Jazz Artists or even field a concert worth its name in terms of quality (staging, sponsorships) enough to entice fans and artists in their world tours. The same issue was also discussed recently in the weekly radio jazz show on Capital FM , Capital Jazz Club , by its presenter, Jack Ojiambo and a couple of other Jazz enthusiasts that were invited in the show. Is this a case of poor promotion, lack of local quorum i.e. a good number of Jazz fans ready to pay for such shows or put simply an issue of cost (to pay for the artists) or what really? And how come our neighbors, the Ugandans have been so successful in this? The fans, at least from the chatter that has been on going through a number of social networking sites, felt we have the capacity to host and field world class concerts worth rousing reviews. And I dare say not just for the promotion and appreciate of International artists but also the...

CD Review- Baisikeli Valerie Kimani, winner of Tusker Project Fame Reality Talent Show, secured a 3 year recording contract with Gallo Records,  and produced this stunning ablum Baisikeli. I can say for a fact this is a superb album no doubt about it. It is a mix of slow, mellow and a number of fast-paced tracks covering various sounds. Here, you’re definitely going to pick out unique nuances of South African and East Africa (Uganda and Kenyan) music intonations. The album features renditions of widely played and still fresh tunes like, “Fever” and “Besame Mucho”. And original, vernacular (Kikuyu) tracks like “Ngugi ii” and “Hoi and Hoi” are some of the highlights of this album. Here you can sense the great command of language (this being her native language- Kikuyu) as she belts outs these two incredible tunes to the listener’s appreciation. This affirms my strong believe in that, our greatest strength and potential to sell locally and internationally lies in us doing...