Different crowd, same sweet jazz

Jul 09, 2013

If the trend continues, Kampala might finally find itself with a permanent jazz bar, judging by what happened last Friday at the third Jazz Collective.

By Kalungi Kabuye

If the trend continues, Kampala might finally find itself with a permanent jazz bar, judging by what happened last Friday at the third Jazz Collective.

The Jazz Collective happens every first Friday of the month, and it is a time when jazz lovers get together to serenade their passion. Some get to play their favourite jazz songs, while some get perform.

But what stood out last Friday was that there were very many new faces that packed the relatively small Copper Bar. Some had bumped into the jazz last month, and had come back for another experience.

Others had heard about it from friends, and had come to see for themselves.

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Amaru perfroming at the Jazz Collective #3 at Copper Bar. PHOTO/Kalungi Kabuye

What at first confused the organisers was that these new faces came, saw, had a blast, and then left relatively early. But others kept on coming in.

By the time it all came to an end well past midnight, only the man behind the wheels, Ron ‘Jazzopedia’ Mugisha, was left of the guys who were there early. But that was well and good, as the gospel of the ‘jazz temple’ seems to spreading.

There is really nothing like live jazz, and we saw some new acts as well. Because The Unpredictables had to play somewhere else that night, they offered to play one song at 8pm. But, predictably, that one song turned into four.

None of us had heard of a singer named Amaru, but she made sure by the time she was through with her stint, we would all remember her voice. She also pays the guitar.

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The Unpredictables perfroming at the Jazz Collective #3 at Copper Bar. PHOTO/Kalungi Kabuye

Another new act was Herbert on saxophone, and he gave a resounding rendition of Take Five. Raymond Byabazaire surprised all that didn’t know him what a great singer he was, and he had Dennis Asiimwe accompanying him on piano.

What jazz night is complete without a jam session? Joe ‘Qwela’ Kahirimbanyi took the guitar, Ricco was on congas, and Susanne Anique did the vocals, and together they literally brought the house down.

With all those live acts there was not much for playlists, but Rosario Achola and Jeremy Liebowitz got to play theirs. And Robert Kabushenga quizzed the crowd on what late Nigerian musician Fela Kuti’s original name was. Someone finally got it – Anikulapo.

So, what are the chances of the Copper Bar becoming Kampala’s first ‘jazz bar’? The Jazz Collective now takes place only every first Friday of the month, with more pressure from jazz lovers that can very easily turned into a weekly thing. And with management turning the décor into a permanent jazz environment, hey presto, there we’ll have it.

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