That old magic at Legends Night

Those times were back again for a few hours last Thursday, as some of the greatest musicians Uganda has ever produced took to the stage at Guvnor, and gave us that old magic one more time.

 

This was the second time the Legends Night, held once every four months, was taking place, and it was obvious the word had gone around that something special was going to happen.

 

And the old musicians, with some help from a few young ones, did not disappoint. First up was Cliff Keyes Mutebi, son of the legendary 70s singer Peterson Mutebi, who did versions of his father’s songs, including Solome and Nyongera ku Love.

 

Eddie Ganja, another legendary musician, did songs he had written as far back as 1969, including Anifa.

 

He also gave an exciting rendition of Franco’s Très Impoli. The evergreen Moses Matovu took us back with the Nairobi Twist, and one of Afrigo band’s most haunting love songs, Lwaki Onumya, released in 1991.

 

He also did what turned out to be a Fred Masagazi mix, with songs like Kaawa Takyadda and Sanyu (often mistakenly called ‘Mbeera Kololo’).

 

Tony Ssenkebejje, who played with Moses in the Cranes Band of the sixties and early seventies, and whom apparently taught Ganja how to play guitar, was again at his best, singing Eyali Akwagala and turning it into a George Benson-line jazz piece at the end.

 

By the time Frank Mbalire did his Sirukusula (joined by Hope Mukasa on stage), Obulamu bwa kiseera and Bamulete, everybody’s cup was over flowing.

 

It was a Thursday, so many had planned to leave at midnight, but when the band stopped playing a few minutes after 2:00am, almost everybody was very much still in the house.

 

Till the next quarter then, when that old magic will live again.