Michael Kitanda’s Say No More is a Jazz-Samba gem

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Say No More is the latest single from Michael Kitanda, a saxophone player who really should be recording more material (and yes, I say this knowing going to the studio is not the simplest of things).

He is also arguably the top saxophone player in this dusty town. I say arguably because we have a freakishly huge pool of talent in this town, people like Mark Langa and Brian Mugenyi. It is ruthlessly competitive at the top.

Where Kitanda stands out for me is his tone; it is absurdly smooth.

And on Say No More, he takes full advantage of this. The arrangement of this track is unusual, and I don’t say this as a criticism. I think it is Nessim Productions behind this, but the arrangement is rather interesting, with the saxophone ad libbing and harmonizing through the track. Nessim is not typically a jazz producer; he is more the sort of guy you will find on the boards for a pop track.

On Say No More, he brings some of that pop drive over onto a track that is built around a samba groove. Alongside the brass soloing and the accompaniment, he is able to achieve what Kitanda was going for: a jazz track with a samba nuance, a bit like something Carlos Santana might go for; a jazz fusion of sorts.



I don’t think we have had something like this in our cheerful little dusty town ever. If standing out was what he was going for, well, hats off, he got there. The brass chorus and harmonies are my favourite, but the percussion section is otherworldly. If I didn’t know better, I would think there was a mariachi band in the studio. On this alone, I feel like Nessim Productions outdid themselves.

Give Say No More a listen, folks. The jazz scene in Uganda is doing jus’ fine.