I am now into jazz â€" Tshaka Mayanja

Oct 07, 2009

Musicians who have celebrated ages in music have always had one trend. They have played their music as “oldies” and many keep to one genre. It is not the same case for Tshaka Mayanja who celebrated 20 years of music on Thursday at Serena Conference Ha

By Emmanuel Ssejjengo

Musicians who have celebrated ages in music have always had one trend. They have played their music as “oldies” and many keep to one genre. It is not the same case for Tshaka Mayanja who celebrated 20 years of music on Thursday at Serena Conference Hall. The show to mark his longevity is titled MTN Jazz Safari 2009.

He has been an Afropop and reggae musician, but for this concert marking his 20 years, he is coming to music fans as a jazz artist under his BlackRoots UNLIMITED impression.

Although he is relatively new on the local jazz scene, Mayanja is out to make an impression on what promises to be the biggest jazz show in Ugandan history.

A number of jazz artists of renowned have also been lined up for the do. Eric Marienthal, from the USA, is a gem in smooth jazz. He has performed in several countries with about a dozen solo albums to his name. Two of the six CDs he recorded with The Chicks became Grammy Award winners.

His Oasis album hit the top five on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart. Marienthal has performed with big names like Elton John, Barbara Streisand, Stevie Wonder, Aaron Neville and Patti Labelle. He is coming along with Chuck Loeb the guitarist, whose forte is contemporary and smooth jazz.

Loeb has played jazz since he was 11. On the concert, his jazz rendition of Boys II Men’s Water Runs Dry will ring a bell in many ears.

The pianist Matt Cooper, bronze medalist in the Great American Jazz Competition (1987) has also been lined up to perform. He is also a classical pianist.

Ugandan Pragmo will also feature on the show. “I am now into jazz music because it is the epitome of all music,” says Mayanja. “If you can conquer jazz with your instrument all the other genres become easy.”

Show goers will get a free a copy of the MTN Jazz Safari 2009 audio CD. It is a compilation by all the musicians who will perform on the show. Entrance is sh100, 000 (VIP tables) and sh50, 000 (silver seating).

The show is co-sponsored by Vision Group.

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