The Safaricom International Jazz Festival turns 5 this year and it’s been quite the ride. I’ve attended all of the main festival dates and lounges except for two and it’s been some of the best live music experiences I have had. As we count down to the show that is probably going to be the best with headliner BWB (comprised of guitarist Norman Brown, saxophonist Kirk Whalum and trumpeter Rick Braun) with opening acts from all around the world, here is a playlist of my favourite perfomances over the years as we celebrate Safaricom Jazz at 5.

Safaricom International Jazz Festival 23rd February 2014

Richard Bona

Richard Bona is a Grammy Award winning Jazz Bassist and Musician, dubbed “The African Sting.” He is originally from Cameroon and this is evident in his music that fuses sounds from various influences.

Eddie Grey

Eddie Grey is a Kenyan Jazz Guitarist, considered to be one of the pioneers of jazz performances in East Africa.

Safaricom Jazz Lounge 4th September 2014

Kunle Ayo

Kunle Ayo is a multi-award winning Nigerian-born Jazz guitarist based in South Africa and one of Africa’s most celebrated guitarists.

Kavutha Mwanzia-Asiyo

Kavutha Mwanzia-Asiyo is one of Kenya’s leading jazz vocalists has highly sought vocal coach and has been the being the vocal coach on East Africa’s most popular reality singing competition, Tusker Project Fame.

Safaricom Jazz Lounge 5th December 2014

Jimmy Dludlu

Jimmy Dludlu is an award winning Mozambican Afro Jazz Guitarist. With 12 albums under his belt, Dludlu’s sound is a mixture of the Portuguese influence from Angola, traditional South African rhythms and Mozambican Salsa.

Swahili Jazz Band

Swahili Jazz Band is a blend of Mijikenda beats with Asian, Western and Arabic influences. This type of music is enriched in Swahili culture that is linked to band leader Juma Tutu’s background and origin having been brought up in the coastal town of Mombasa.

Safaricom International Jazz Festival 22nd February 2015

Jonathan Butler

Jonathan Butler is a South African guitarist and singer known for his Gospel tinged smooth jazz. He made history by being the first black artist played on white South African radio while earning three gold records in 1975 as he became a teenager.

Isaiah Katumwa

Isaiah Katumwa is a self taught Ugandan saxophonist putting East  African Jazz on the world map with 10 albums under his belt.

Safaricom Jazz Lounge 29th August 2015

Salif Keita

Salif Keita is a legendary Afro Pop singer/songwriter from Mali and has been so dubbed ‘The Golden Voice of Africa’ with 40 years of makiing music under his belt.

Gogo Simo

Gogo Simo are a Kenyan Jazz band known for their high energy music which blends coastal music and western influences.

Safaricom International Jazz Festival 21st February 2016

Branford Marsalis

Branford Marsalis is a three time Grammy Award winning American saxophonist who has worked with a legion of giants including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins, and is considered one of the best instrumentalists of his time.

Edward Parseen & the Different Faces Band

Edward Parseen & the Different Faces Band is a pretty popular Kenyan Jazz band consisting of Edward Parseen on the Tenor Saxophone, trumpet and voals, Moses Njoroge, a classically trained pianist, producer and resident keyboardist for Coke Studio Africa. Isaac Kimetto on bass and Shabaan Musyoka on drums.

Safaricom Jazz Lounge 12th August 2016

Hugh Masekela

The late Hugh Masekela was a South African world-renowned flugelhornist, trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and singer. His solo career spanned 5 decades, during which time he has released over 40 albums and worked with artistes as Harry Belafonte, Dizzy Gillespie, The Byrds, Fela Kuti, Marvin Gaye, Herb Alpert, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder and the late Miriam Makeba.

Nairobi Horns Project

The Nairobi Horns Project (NHP) is a music collective that brings together musicians bonded by their love for new music and commitment to building a sound around horns in African and contemporary music. Led by The Horns – MacKinlay Mutsembi, Rabai Mokua and Victor Kanama – their sound is influenced by Jazz, African rhythms, Contemporary, Hip Hop and Electronic music.

Safaricom Jazz Lounge 5th November 2016

Roberto Fonseca with Fatoumata Diawara

Roberto Fonseca is an acclaimed Cuban Jazz Pianist while Fatoumata Diawara is a popular Malian singer. Their joint project is a beautiful collison of Afro and Cuban sounds.

Shamsi Music

A six-member recording and performing instrumental afro-jazz fusion band, Shamsi Music is a gifted Kenyan ensemble whose sound is a mix of jazz, afro-jazz, blues and classics with a dash of contemporary tunes.

Safaricom International Jazz Festival 26th February 2017

David Sanborn

David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist who has released 24 albums, won 6 Grammy Awards and had 8 Gold albums and 1 Platinum album in his career spanning three and a half decades. Dave has dabbled in different genres which typically blend instrumental pop, R&B and more traditional jazz.

Mwai & The Truth

Mwai & The Truth are a Kenyan Jazz Quartet led by Mwai on piano and Tuji on guitar, Caleb on bass and David on the drums.

Safaricom Jazz Kenyan All Stars Edition 30th April 2017

Chris Bittok

Chris Bittok is a Kenyan saxophonist, whose name has been synonyous with the fast-growing jazz and general live entertainment following in Kenya and is considered one of the pioneers of live jazz music in East Africa.

Afrosync Band

Afrosync Band is a Kenyan Afro Jazz band formed in 2014 and consists of Zach Amunga, Tim Riungu, George Mutinda, Victor Muli and Uledi Dzidze.

Safaricom Jazz Lounge 5th November 2016

Alune Wade

Alune Wade is a celebrated Senegalese bassist whose versatile and deep-rooted touch on bass is slowly establishing him as a key ingredient in bringing new vigor to the African jazz scene.

The Limericks Band

The Limericks has members from Kenya, Uganda and Madagascar and so has been nicknamed ‘The United Nations of Jazz Bands’. The Limericks combine Blues, Vintage-Soul, Gospel and Jazz with African rhythms and tonality to create innovative play and melodies that are thrillingly dense yet exceptionally fluid in their understanding of those genres to come up with their own form of Afro-Soul.

The 25th February 2018 show will showcase more jazz talent and I can’t wait to add more of their music to my playlist!

Tickets to Safaricom Jazz at 5 are on sale and can be purchased through M-Ticketing by dialling 1511.

  • Main show on 25th February  – Ksh2,000/- for regular tickets and Ksh500/- for students who must show their student IDs.
  • VIP show on 23rd February – Ksh150,000 per table or Ksh10,000/- per person.
mwendeEventsMusicBob Collymore,Fatoumata Diawara,Hugh Masekela,Kirk Whalum,Nairobi Horns Projct,Richard Bona,Safaricom International Jazz Festival,Safaricom Jazz,Shamsi Music,Swahili Jazz
The Safaricom International Jazz Festival turns 5 this year and it's been quite the ride. I've attended all of the main festival dates and lounges except for two and it's been some of the best live music experiences I have had. As we count down to the show that...