The jazz appreciation month that was

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WHAT’S UP!

Every year, the month of April is commemorated as Jazz Appreciation Month, where all things jazz are celebrated. From concerts and performances to jam sessions, talks and masterclasses – it is supposed to be a big jazz party. And it culminates with the International Jazz Day on April 30.

For some strange reason, there has always been a problem with jazz in Uganda. Not a problem in that it has been reviled and ostracised, but somehow it has failed to catch any kind of sustainable public attention. It is not for lack of trying.

I have written ad nauseum about the many times and efforts to start some jazz action going in Uganda over the decades, and I don’t intend to go over it again.

So, is there a big hex on jazz in Uganda (which is different from Ugandan jazz)? First, there seems to be an impression in Uganda that jazz music is for the ‘elite’, which is ironical because jazz begun as an underground movement in the smoky basements of New Orleans in the USA.

Ok, the smoky basements and ‘underground movement’ came later, but it did begin in New Orleans. And its real origins consist of rhythms by enslaved Africans, mixed with European brass instruments. Beats me how ‘slave music’ can be classified as ‘elite’. Have Uganda’s jazz aficionados also bought into that thinking, however reluctantly and unconsciously? I know the musicians would be happy to play anywhere, that ‘elite’ tag doesn’t pay many bills.

Tshaka Mayanja is passionate about jazz and has brought more international jazz artistes to the country than anyone else. But, in an effort for it to be affordable, did the Jazz Safari inadvertently reinforce the ‘elite’ status? The first one was held in the Ange Noir parking lot, but subsequent ones found their way to Serena, where Kampala’s elite showed up dressed up to the nines.

Unfortunately, there was no way, even with corporate sponsorship, that Jonathan Butler, Gerald Albright, Kirk Whalum and other international jazz musicians could have performed to crowds paying sh30,000. So, high-end it had to be.

Polycarp Kyagulanyi, his Kampala Jazz Orchestra and the House of Jazz largely went the same way, complete with black ties. The only regular jazz gig happening in Uganda, as far as I can tell, is at Onomo Hotel, the Kampala Jazz & Soul Club. No bodabodas go there, and it is a long way from any taxi stage. So, maybe you can’t blame Ugandans for looking at jazz as being for ‘elites’.

But it is very unfortunate, because the essence of jazz is freedom. There is some very complex jazz, of course, every genre has them. But the very essence of jazz is the freedom to express yourself in whatever way you feel, right from those enslaved Africans yearning for freedom.

But, enough of the moping. The month is to celebrate jazz, not moan about it. Although I still haven’t heard of any big plans to mark International Jazz Day, I got fond memories of jazz performances. Here are some of them.

The Sabrina Tusker jazz night, mid 2000s

There have been several jazz-themed nights in Kampala over the past few decades, but I think this one lasted longest. Hosted by Harry Lwanga, it was really a jam session where everyone could take part. When the beers hit right, I would also join in with vocals, although that meant I mostly forgot the lyrics. But we all had great fun.

The jazz collective, 2012/13

This one lasted just over a year and would happen every first Friday of the month at the Grand Imperial Hotel’s Copper Bar. Started by Robert Kabushenga and a few others, including yours truly, it got so popular that Ugandan jazz lovers in the diaspora would time their holidays to make sure they didn’t miss out. I can say that almost all Ugandan jazz lovers passed through there one time or another. But, inexplicably, Kabushenga lost interest, and it died out. Robert, you owe us.

The first jazz safari, 2008

Maybe it was because I wasn’t working. I had to leave a friend’s wedding reception and dash to catch the concert at the Ange Noir, and had the time of my life. And I must have been the only one in a suit, too (smiling emoji). I was working for the rest of them, unfortunately, so had to put enjoyment aside to give a credible piece of work. But I’ll always remember that first one.

Somi’s Kampala Performance, 2010

Long before she became the mega international star she is now, Somi performed in Kampala. It wasn’t a grandiose concert, just a small hall in the Serena, a benefit for Amama Mbabazi’s autistic child. The sound was not the best, but the voice that would soon conquer world stages filled that hall like thunder. Sadly, we have not heard that voice here again, and although her mum is from Hoima and met her Rwandan father in Mityana, the closest Somi has been to Uganda since is Kigali.

The Cape Town International Jazz Festival, 2015

This has always been on my bucket list, and in 2015, my stars aligned, and was in Cape Town for it. Three days, several stages, and dozens of jazz musicians from all over the world. And it turned out that my accreditation had somehow been messed up, so wasn’t allowed to take photos at the stage.

So, I just let my hair down and had a blast. But that was 10 years ago, and I need another major jazz festival fix.

Belated Happy International Jazz Day folks.

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