In Conversation with Limericks on their Journey and the Safaricom International Jazz Festival

The 5th Safaricom International Jazz Festival will be going down at the Kasarani Training Grounds on Sunday February 25th. Tickets are going for Ksh 2,000 and Ksh 500 for students with children under 12 getting in free and can be bought through M-Ticketing by dialling 1511. There will also be a VIP show on Friday 23rd February with tickets going for Ksh 10,000.

Headlining Safaricom Jazz on Sunday 25th February at the Kasarani Training Grounds will be the highly acclaimed American jazz trio BWB, which is comprised of guitarist Norman Brown, saxophonist Kirk Whalum and trumpeter Rick Braun.

This year Safaricom Jazz hopes to raise a further KES 20 million for Ghetto Classics who will be performing alongside Jimek, a Polish composer and music producer known for his wildly popular History of Hip Hop composition. Fans can also expect electric performances from Kenyan favourites Mambo Tribe and Limericks, as well as The Betty Bears (Israel), Lean (Belgium), Joya Wendt (Germany) and Gloria Bosman (South Africa).

I sat down with the members of Limericks (Ken Mwara – Pianist and Music Director, Rabodonavalona Lalanirina better known as Fafa – Lead Vocalist, Radanz “Danz” Nirina – Bass Player, Brian “Buula” Mugenyi – Saxophone and Vocals, Richie Rich – Drums and Percussion) to find out more about their journey in music and their Safaricom Jazz experience.

Who are the Limericks? What is the inspiration for the name?

We are a band that’s been in existent for 10 years and we have members from different African countrries. We actually started by playing at the Hotel Intercontinental and played at Sarova Stanley as well as Capital Jazz Club. We would say we are a corporate jazz band because we perform at a lot of corporate events.

We got the name from a friend of ours. A Limerick is a fun little poem and it fit our personality as a band so we went with it.

How would you describe the Limericks’ music? What has been the reception to your music?

It is Afro Jazz but really inspired by so many different elements including soul and African traditional music from the different cultures represented in the band. The reception has been great. We have supportive fans and it can only get better.

What is your creative process like?

There isn’t really a set way we create. We meet up at rehearsals and just play and then after listening to it, we work on improving what we already have. The members being from different countries and cultures is an advantage because we are able to create unique sounds by fusing what we have.

 What are your thoughts on jazz in Kenya, what challenges have you faced as a jazz band and how do you think we can improve on the craft?

The jazz scene has grown here. There is a lot of jazz love currently and we have quite a few fans. Safaricom Jazz has definitely helped grow the local jazz scene. Yes, it could be better in terms of the opportunities available, but we are focusing on creating music and recording as well.

What work/project are you most proud of?

Our perfomance at the last Safaricom Jazz Lounge with Alune Wade. We put our all into that performance and it was surreal when Alune Wade had us back on stage to jam with him.

We are also currently working on our first album as a band but we already have individual albums. Radanz has released two solo albums “Afro-Gasy” in 2015 and his latest “A Point of View” both containing a fusion of jazz and traditional Malagasy rhythms. Fafa’s debut album came out in 2010 and “Take Time” by Mugenyi was released in 2013.

How did you get involved with Safaricom Jazz and what can we expect from you at Safaricom Jazz?

We auditioned and we got picked on the first try. We are incredibly excited to perform again at the festival and we promise to deliver a great show.