BWB Bring Down the House at the 5th Safaricom International Jazz Festival

“To jazz or not to jazz, there is no question!” Louis Armstrong.

Every time I think of jazz and why I love it so much, I remember the above quote by one of the best who ever did it. Jazz is music, and yet it is more than music. My dad introduced me to jazz and I immediately loved it. It felt like freedom in but in musical form, and it’s been impossible to come out from under its spell. That being said, the launch of the Safaricom International Jazz Festival was a godsend as it made jazz more accessible to fans like myself and introduced it to those who weren’t aware of its magic.

It’s been 5 years of Safaricom Jazz and I cannot believe that I’ve had the pleasure to see some of the best jazz musicians in the world on stage including the late Hugh Masekela, Richard Bona, Jonathan Butler, Branford Marsalis, Jimmy Dludlu, Kunle Ayo, Roberto Fonseca, Fatoumata Diawara, Salif Keita and many others. I have also been reacquainted with Kenyan Jazz artistes such as Eddie Grey, Chris Bittok, Kavutha Mwanzia-Asiyo and been introduced to new ones such as Edward Parseen & the Different Faces Band, Shamsi Music, Nairobi Horns Project, Afrosync Band, The Limericks and Mambo Tribe.

To celebrate 5 years of Safaricom International Jazz Festival, was a line-up that included Kenyan favourites Mambo Tribe and The Limericks, as well as The Betty Bears (Israel), Lean (Belgium), Joja Wendt (Germany) and Gloria Bosman (South Africa) with the highly acclaimed American jazz trio BWB, which is composed of guitarist Norman Brown, saxophonist Kirk Whalum and trumpeter Rick Braun as headliner. I had the pleasure of attending some of the country themed jazz nights as well as the presser and chatted with the artistes as well as gotten a sneak preview of what to expect at the festival and so knew that it was going to be quite the party!

Safaricom had free shuttles going from KICC to the venue at Kasarani Training Grounds as well as shuttles from the parking to the entrance once you arrived. The security as always was fantastic and the event very organized – no long lines getting in or hold-ups. The set-up was beautiful and I walked around to check out some of the tents and I loved the Songa and Safaricom Platinum tents that had a lot of freebies including drinks and airtime as well as an opportunity to get your caricature drawn by Katoony. There were plenty of affordable food and drinks vendors, as well as the option to pack your own picnic which is what I went with.

The music kicked off with the talented kids from Ghetto Classics (the beneficiaries of the festival) performed a surprising but great ‘old school’ hiphop set conducted by Radzimir Debski, popularly known as Jimek, a young Polish composer, conductor and producer, who gained international attention in 2012 when he won a remix contest for Beyonce’s track “End of Time” earning him a spot on her album “4:The Remix”. It was a wonderful opportunity to see the progress the kids have made and to appreciate why Safaricom Jazz is important.

The next act on stage was The Betty Bears from Israel of 8 musicians who aim to bring back the old swinging music from the 1920’s and 30’s with the help of new and refreshing arrangements. They gave an energetic performance with their New Orleans\Dixieland\Swing sound and were a hit with the audience. The lead singer, Betty Ella Daniel, has a raspy soulful voice perfect for the 1920’s era and the fashion style to boot.

Leán from Belgium got on next and they are a trio formed by Silke Clarysse, Otto Kint and Gielis Cautaers. Their sound is a beautiful combination of guitar compositions from African, Latin-American and Mediterranean origin with a jazzy double bass and hand percussion which translated into a laid-back, dreamy performance.

The Limericks got on next and they are a band made up of African musicians from Kenya, Uganda and Madagascar, earning them the nickname ‘The United Nations of Jazz Bands’. Their performance was electrifying and it was a shame their set was so short! Their music could be described as Afro-Soul with clear influences from Blues, Jazz and African traditional music and melodies. I could not keep my eyes off of Fafa from Madagascar – she has a commanding beautiful voice and stage presence. I really enjoyed their performance and from all the cheering, so did everyone else.

Femme Fusion is a collaborative performance between Holly Madge, Gloria Achillah, Kasiva Mutua and Emma Jean Thackray, put together by the East Africa Arts programme by the British Council bringing together musicians from Kenya, Uganda and the UK. The ladies had only a week to put together their stunning performance and if you couldn’t tell they were not an established band. Their set was an exciting combination of Kenyan folk songs, jazz classics and jazz renditions of pop songs including ‘New Rules’ by Dua Lipa and ‘Who Run The World’ by Beyoncé. They had everyone on their feet and this is a group I’m sad isn’t a real band because I would love to see them again!

Mambo Tribe from Kenya came after and were such a joy. Their sound is reminiscent of the 50s/60s Benga which was a treat especially for younger audiences. They invited some older gentlemen from Malindi who added a chakacha vibrancy to the rest of the set, complete with a whole lot of enthusiastic dancing that got everyone on their feet.

Image from Nairobi Now https://twitter.com/nairobinow/status/968042982355161088

Gloria Bosman from South Africa took the stage next and I couldn’t breathe! I am a huge fan and I could not believe I got to see her live. Her voice is what I imagine ocean waves as an instrument would sound like – powerful and calming all at the same time. Her performance was everything I imagined it would be and a highlight of the festival.

Joja Wendt was up next and he changed the pace of the festival. He’s a skilled pianist with a flair for performance who put on a great show. It’s difficult to get people in a party mood as a classical jazz pianist but he pulled it off. He got a well-deserved encore and finished his set with an impressive jazz rendition of ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’.

Finally, the gentlemen we’d been waiting on took the stage, and were worth the wait! What a performance from the incredibly talented trio of BWB! They performed most of the music from their popular, ‘Human Nature’ album as well as their own catalogues and transfromed the festival into a full-on party. Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum and Rick Braun are masters of their craft and it was such a gift and privilege to watch them own the stage! They put on an almost 2 hour performance and the night ended with a fireworks display.

Safaricom International Jazz Festival continues to impress from the great musicians who get up on the stage to the flawless execution. Even more noteworthy, is that all the proceeds go to the Ghetto Classics, whose work in giving music education to underprivileged kids is a worthy cause. Here’s to many more years of Safaricom Jazz, and I can’t wait to see which jazz legend they bring next!