By Joseph Batte
OSCAR Kihika is an A-list lawyer in Uganda. But in the evening, he rolls up his sleeves and transforms into a musician; a very good one at that.
He is a multi-instrumentalist. If he is not plucking a bass guitar, he will be hitting out intricate tattoos on a trap drum set. If not, his fingers will be flying over the keys of a piano.
But this should not be a surprise. Kihika studied music. He was part of the Mixed Talents band that toured Scandinavia in the late 80s and was buddies with late Philly Lutaaya.
Although his law practice conflicts with his music, he has stayed true to his creative principles. He refuses to be another talent lost to the offices.
Not only does he play music, he contributes on the History of Music, a show on Vision Voice FM every Saturday from 11:00pm to 1:00 pm.
Recently, with the help of producer Robert Segawa, he recorded Introspections, the first instrumental album of its kind in Uganda.
It is a meaty CD featuring tracks like Higher Emotions, Bright Morning, Times Gone, Party Shuffle, Afro Jive, New Day, Tribulations, Spirits, Nsasira (featuring his cousin Desire Luzinda) and Syncopation.
This is not music for mediocres accustomed to kidandali Afro pop. It is music without words, but with the ability to speak and stir your soul.
Throughout, Oscar showcases his good compositional skills, integrating stylistic elements such as 20th Century tonality, harmonisation, meters and rhythms from different genres of music like Mbaqanga grooves jazz, contemporary pop music.
His good keyboard-playing gracefully fuses lexicons from all these styles of music into his own unique lyrical signature sound.
The only drawback is lack of more vivid, dramatic impressionism, which could have been achieved with better live instrumentation and mixing. That is why I am looking forward to his upcoming concert which will have live instruments.
That said, if you yearn to have a broader musical experience; are not content to be confined to a single genre, style, or period of music, buy this CD. More please, Oscar.