In Conversation with Nairobi Horns Project on Their Music and Safaricom International Jazz Festival

Nairobi Horns Project (NHP) brings together musicians bonded by the love for new music and committed to building a sound around horns in African and contemporary music. Our sound is influenced by our love for Jazz, African rhythms, Contemporary, Hip Hop and Electronic music

1. Who is Nairobi Horns Project?

NHP features the horns section: Mackinlay Mutsembi (trumpet), Rabai Mokua (Saxophone) and Victor Kinama (trombone). As the horns, we are backed up by incredible instrumentalists, Amani Baya (drums), George Nyoro (keys), Jack Muguna (guitar), Moise Basinza (bass) and Kasiva Mutua, the world-renowned percussionist.

2. How did you get together to form a band and what is the inspiration for the name ‘’Nairobi Horns Project”? Why did you go down the jazz route?

Initially, our plan was to come into the music scene and provide a hired horn-section to render horn parts and add that extra kick and swagg to live and studio projects.

As a Nairobi Ensemble we all loved music, Jazz being the main genre that drove us together. Jazz has some alluring power recognizable coherency; flowy melody, its mesmerizing grooves and the bassline, this was something that caught our attention and we could feel and express the complexity through it.

3. What is your creative process as a band like? You perform quite a lot at jazz nights and other events, how do you keep your creative juices flowing?

The music sphere is slowly opening up to appreciate live music and jazz is definitely getting more love now. As NHP, we are try our level best to find a way to present to people who might not associate with jazz as a delightful genre of music love and appreciate.

It is always a daunting task to keep anyone’s creative juices flowing, However, one thing that keeps our musical minds on rotation is to remember not to forget that our main job is to pick the foundational elements of music and present it within a context that a listener will learn and appreciate.

4. 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?

We are slowly opening up to appreciate this genre of music. Nonetheless, we appreciate the efforts Safaricom has put in place to ensure more people come to love and appreciate the music.

Challenges we face as a band is the traffic jam, just kidding!

It has been an obstacle to play beyond the confines of the 254 boundaries. You have to get the funding to do a concert, also getting the visa and travel costs which can cost more that the performance fee. We feel if people learned to truly appreciate artist by supporting them; buy their music, buy their merchandise then it will all make it easier to present our music to other audiences

5. What work/project are you most proud of?

We learn and appreciate each and every project and all it goes in cycles of influence. In musical project we delve into is not always about relying on our keyboardist to give that hypnotic melody or the drummer to give that rhythmical kick. Our proud moments in all our projects are about propelling the music into a forward momentum and being able to tap into that.

6. What does it take to be a band taking part in the Safaricom Jazz Festival? What goes into rehearsal?

Practice, play, jam with others, learn from others then do more practice. There has never been a shortcut.

7. What advice would you give Kenyan jazz bands that haven’t been on the Safaricom Jazz stage to ace the auditioning process?

When it comes to writing music for a big stage; compose the music and try to find ways to express your ideas. You have to let go and see what happens if you take a small musical detour. Learn to experiment with different styles and new ways of composing. There are loads of ways you can easily convey your ideas outside the set rules of music. Go ham! Jazz is all about freedom of musical expression.

8. Who are your favourite jazz musicians and why?

We are group of musicians and trying to pin down just one musician whom we love will make this interview longer than we anticipated. One thing is for sure we love our African greats. The late Hugh Masekela, whom we recorded a track titled Masekela from our EP, Kipepeo is one artist we love and appreciate. In 2016, we were blessed to perform on the same stage as him at Safaricom Jazz; it was amazing to see his intensity and his live performance and how he engages with the crowd. It was truly unforgettable.

9. Tell us more about your debut album – Black in Gold. Where can consumers buy it from? Where do we find your performance schedule?

#BlackInGold is a celebration of African Privilege: the privilege of growing up, living with and interact with the rich heritage of sounds, rhythms and culture. #BlackInGold celebrates musical streets we stroll on; streets paved by African greats who have gone before us. And to ears that opened and received our sound.