The sax aces of Uganda

There was a time not very long ago, when most Ugandans associated jazz with the saxophone. If you were playing the saxophone, then you were playing jazz. Of course they have become much more sophisticated now, and are into all kinds of jazz. Some have become real aficionados; but Uganda’s love affair with the saxophone continues unabated. Some of the best saxophone players that Uganda presently has include the legendary and ever-green Moses Matovu, who has been playing the sax since before half of the Ugandan population was born. In fact, Matovu has been playing the sax longer than one of the aces featured, Maureen Rutabingwa, has been alive. Next up is Isaiah Katumwa, largely credited with the resurgence of interest in jazz among middle-class Ugandans. There also other young ones who have taken up the call.

Isaiah Katumwa

ISAIAH KATUMWA

To many Ugandans, Katumwa is a kind of a jazz messiah; he is the one that took it out of old people’s living rooms and brought it out to young people and the average Ugandan.

He was in the right place at the right time, when the Pentecostal wave was sweeping Ugandan youth to new places. Initially playing in church added to his appeal, and is probably the first to hold a jazz concert in Kampala in a very long time. This probably just about rubs some jazz purists the wrong way, but to many Ugandans, he is the face of jazz.

Moses Matovu

MOSES MATOVU

The new breed of jazz enthusiasts do not give Matovu enough credit as a jazz musician, but we bet he can take all the other saxophone players to school.

He has been playing the sax since he was a very young boy in the early sixties. He started his music career in 1967 as a vocalist with the Thunderbirds band, then joined the Uganda Police Band.

He then joined the Cranes Band in 1968 and stayed with them till they formed the Afrigo band in 1974. He has been its leader since then. Although he has rarely produced purely jazz records, he has been part of several jazz ensembles in Kampala; and traditionally the first hour or so of every Afrigo performance is dedicated to jazz.

Joseph ' Sax' Kizito

JOSEPH ‘SAX’ KIZITO

He started music as a toddler in kindergarten, becoming a choir leader. In primary school, he joined a brass band where he learnt how to read and write music. His first instruments were the drums, trumpet and the clarinet.

He later learnt how to play the saxophone in 2004 in secondary school. But he did not give it much attention till he had finished university, till he met James of the Janzi band.

He was to join the band and he is the saxophonist to date. He is also currently a saxophonist teacher and has featured on several albums by different musicians.

Maureen 'moroots' Rutabingwa

MAUREEN ‘MoRoots’ RUTABINGWA

She inevitably grabs attention every time she steps on stage; not many Ugandans have seen a woman play the saxophone. But she is much more than just an attention grabber.

The 24-year-old started playing the piano and recorder whilst singing when she was six years old. It was not until in her P.7 while in the music orchestra at her school in Nairobi that she started to play the saxophone. It made an easy transition from the recorder she was playing at that time.

She studied classical piano and took classical saxophone lessons for two years and vocal classes for a few months. She is a multi-talented instrumentalist singer-song writer, and is currently part of the Qwela band. While she plays music across all genres, she loves RnB and Neo Soul the most. She is currently working on a 12-track album which should be done by the end of this year.

Brian Mugenyi

BRIAN MUGENYI

A child prodigy, Brian played his first instrument (piano) at the age of eight. He then dedicated five years perfecting his talent in music studying at the Africa Institute of Music, majoring in classical piano and minoring in saxophone which he finalized with an exchange study program in Korea.

At his age, he has travelled far and wide and has worked and shared stages with numerous artistes and musicians across the region. He released his first album Take Time in 2013, and this year released his second, Dawn.

Happy K

HAPPY K

Born in a musical family, Happy Kyazze started receiving piano instruction at an early age of five. He and his sibling Michael Kitanda later joined a brass band where he learned to play trumpet and trombone.

Always striving to achieve beyond the ordinary, Happy joined Kampala Music School in 2007 where he enhanced his performance skills on the trumpet and trombone. He also attended the School of Performing Arts at Makerere University where he received further instruction in music theory, song writing among others.

A versatile instrumentalist, Happy is a self-taught saxophonist who has been strongly influenced by Johnny Hodges and Stan Getz. His unique mastery of rough and smooth timbres on the alto instrument and bluesy character of his solos, supported by his superb technique is airy and resonant.

He has played with some of the finest bands and artists in Uganda. He is currently working on his debut album Beautiful Feeling, which blends Ugandan folk, reggae and bluesy musical idioms.

Michael Kitanda

MICHAEL KITANDA

At 24 years old, Michael has worked with some of the best bands in Uganda, including Qwela band, Code 9, Baxmba waves and artistes like Isaiah Katumwa, Jose Chameleone, Maurice Kirya, Jamal Wasswa among others.

In 2014, he released his debut album Saxfaction which got a lot of attention on Ugandan airwaves. The album has 12 songs that include famous songs like Semusajja. He has also featured on concerts such as Jazz Safari, Blankets and Wines among others.

Inspired by his big brother, he learnt to play the piano at the tender age of five. He later joined a brass band where he took on trumpet as his major instrument. In 2009, he started taking saxophone lessons from Kampala Music School. He derives inspiration from saxophone greats like Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Kirk Whalum, among others.

Origin of the sax

We owe the saxophone to the Belgian music instrument maker Adolphe Sax, who patented the instrument in 1846. He intended it as a classical music instrument, to fill the gap between woodwinds and brass instruments. But it is when it was added to the trumpet-clarinet-trombone-bass-drums ensemble format of New Orleans jazz that we should really celebrate. It is used widely in all kinds of music, but it is in jazz, especially smooth jazz, that it is most appreciated.

Adolphe Sax

The most common played saxophones are the Soprano, Alto and Tenor. The soprano may either be curved or straight. The Alto Saxophone is medium sized and one of the most commonly played type of saxophone; while the Tenor Sax is larger than the alto and is generally the most used in jazz music.