Finally, a jazz club for Kampala

Finally, a Jazz club for Kampala

By Kalungi Kabuye

For the longest of time Kampala was one of a very few cities without a bona fide Jazz club. But gladly that changed on Friday as the Jazz Ville club opened its doors in Bugolobi, to great hopes and dreams that people who love jazz in this city will finally have a home.

The brain child of Chris Ireland, Jazz Ville evokes memories of other great jazz clubs like the Bass Line in Johannesburg and the Green Dolphin in Cape Town. On opening night guests were all agog at the brilliant décor and the very cosy ambiance of the place, situated along Bandali Rise road.

Just like a jazz club should be, it was muted lights and candles on the wooden tables, with jazz music coming out of the speakers. Pictures of jazz greats adorn the walls, and a picture of the late Dede Majoro, one of the greatest guitarists Uganda has ever produced, is placed in a place of honour. And it was all informal and extremely comfortable.

There is a stage, and Ireland announced that there will be a live act every day of the week, from Monday to Sunday. Is that sustainable? We shall have to wait and find out.

But on Friday, it was Mr West and his group that took to the stage first, and they broke the ice with some very fine singing. A quartet of silky-voiced guys calling themselves Sauti ya Africa then wowed the crowd with some very good singing. Where have they been?

Former hip hop artist-turned-serious-singer Tshilla, who one admirer called ‘Tracy Chapman with  curves’ also did her thing, along with a few other acts, including several from churches around town. The good thing about jazz is it is very easy to jam, so any musician can just get up on stage and do their thing. We hope will see a lot more of that.

But the night belonged to Chris Ireland and his Code 9 band. They had built up a faithful following while at Boda Boda and before that at Cayenne in Bukoto, and they followed the band to Jazz Ville too.

At the end of the day it was a great evening and many were the guests who did not to leave, but had to, including this writer.

On opening night snacks were served to the guests, so we didn’t get a chance to see what will be on the menu, but we were assured that four of Kampala’s best chefs will be on hand from Saturday. We hope it works out because Jazz Ville looks like an excellent place to have a nice cosy dinner.

Hosting a regular jazz gig has always been a problem in Kampala, and many are the ones that started and closed soon afterwards. Will Jazz Ville be the one that breaks the vicious cycle?

Are there enough jazz lovers in Kampala to make it last? Will Ireland be able to make money out of all this? Many are the questions that went through our minds on Friday night, but the one thought that was in every guests mind was – let’s hope it all works out. Best  of luck Jazz Ville.