Saxophonists Michael Kitanda, Happy Kyazze and Jose Sax at a show organised by Fezah.
April 30, the last day of last month, was the annual International Jazz Music Day. If you did not know, now you know. Uganda has such a long history with jazz; it is so hard to know if this industry has actually produced mainstream jazz artistes before Isaiah Katumwa. But if there is one thing that many people can agree on, it is a fact that jazz music has been taking steps to penetrate mainstream audience for years. One name that cannot be underestimated on this journey is Allan Mugisha, alias Allan the Cantankerous, a radio legend. During his days on Sanyu FM, he would play this music at almost the cost of his own job. “Sanyu FM studios used to be at the owners home. Allan would play this music on Thursday and one time the station owner walked down to the studios to ask why they were not playing actual music with lyrics and vocals,” says Moses Serugo, an arts enthusiast.
Allan the Cantankerous at the time would call himself Mr Jazz, playing the music with a mix of his humour, which hooked the audience. But jazz music started getting a face a few decades ago, thanks to people such as Tshaka Mayanja, Elijah Kitaka, and Isaiah Katumwa, among others, who over the years through festivals, shows on media and music composition gave the genre a face, home and a new life of sorts. On April 30, a simple celebration was hosted at Club Guvnor and with the help from Tshaka Mayanja, Happy Kyazze, Harry Lwanga, and Moses Matovu among others. Guests were treated to an authentic jazz celebration with a touch of Ugandanness. Of course, this is a lead up to the Dfcu Jazz Festival that will be taking place today at the Kampala Serena’s Victoria Auditorium, but also a chance for different people to appreciate a music most of them have misunderstand. For a genre that people believe is meant for the rich or affluent, Wednesday night was an opportunity for those invited to debunk the belief, it attracted players from all walks of life.
From Moses Matovu, a maestro whose historic contribution to the music industry makes him one of the most recognisable figures on Uganda’s music scene. But he is not known for jazz, in fact, most people know Matovu for being the frontman of Afrigo, whose sound speaks to ordinary Ugandans. His saxophone, however, has a blend of African and rhumba flavours, which he carries to both his Afrigo Band and jazz music. It is almost a fusion giving a listener the best of both worlds. Matovu playing songs such as Nabulagala with the rest of the guys, was one thing most of those in Guvnor did not know they needed. Isaiah Katumwa, who will be co-headlining the show tonight with Kirk Whalum made remarks, where he thanked those present for keeping the candle and the lights on for a genre that most find sophisticated. “Jazz music needs to be protected, sadly when I travelled here, I forgot to carry my sax on me,” he said.
Today, Kirk Whalum will join Isaiah Katumwa to perform during the Dfcu Jazz Festival at the Kampala Serena Hotel, an event highly billed as the return of premium music to Uganda’s stages. Over the years, companies had decided to switch priorities when it comes to music events they deal with. Since music genres such as electronic music and amapiano have been trending, most companies had opted to champion such shows. During the launch, Tshaka Mayanja observed that live music can not be replaced even when other styles trend and seem affordable to curate.
