Last weekend, thousands of jazz enthusiasts flocked Kasarani stadium for an afternoon of #SafaricomJazzAt5 that would be best described as an exceptionally riveting experience!
But what struck me with the #SafaricomJazzAt5 5th year anniversary was the week that was filled with bewitching jazz nights from Tuesday to Friday at the Intercontinental Hotel, the fun-filled kids show on Saturday which all culminated on a 9 hour show on Sunday.
Here are my highlights:
1. Country nights
The country nights were basically jam sessions from the respective countries of the #SafaricomJazzAt5 artists. We had Israeli night with the Betty Bears on Tuesday, Belgian night with Lean on Wednesday and German night with Joja Wendt on Thursday.
These performances gave people not only the chance to personally interact with the artists’music but also blend in with their cultures; including their food and drink. My personal favourite was the wine from Baraka Israel 😊
2. The Jam Session At The Intercontinental on Friday – A night of Jazz with BWB
This had a more eclectic vibe to it. Artists would jump on stage and the result was one heck of a jazz party!
We had the Limericks and Betty Bears playing and at some point we had Jacob Asiyo on the keys and Mac Mutsembi from Nairobi Horns on the sax and my did they make some great music!
The night was crowned when BWB got up on stage and this is where I discovered that Rick Braun is a BEAST on the Trumpet!
3. The kids concert with Jimek, Safaricom Youth Orchestra and Ghetto Classics
The kids concert that usually happens the day before the big show gives kids fron both primary and high school a chance to experience Safaricom Jazz.
Jimek and the Ghetto Classics played Jimek’s world famous Hip Hop Orchestra that got the kids super excited. It was an unexpected type of performance and listening to the children just goes to show how much talent our young children have but are derailed by lack of opportunities.
Jimek did a stellar job on the composition of the music, and the kids had so much fun listening to the orchestra playing especially when it got to the songs they loved!
The other artists (The Limericks, Betty Bears and Gloria Bosman) also performed for the kids and I must say I felt like a kid again! From the moment the artists got on stage, the kids were screaming their lungs off – which in turn gave the artists so much more energy on their performances!
4. Femme Fusion’s mind-blowing act!
Femme Fusion was this year’s surprise act. As a collaborative project put together by the British Council East African Arts programme, they brought together Kasiva Mutua from Kenya, Gloria Achilla from Uganda, Holly Madge and Emma-Jean Thackray from the UK.
The ensemble brought out a fierceness that can only be experienced when talented queens are brought together and their perfomances on Wednesday at the Alchemist and on the main stage on Sunday were exhilarating to say the least!
To add on to the fierceness of Femme Fusion was the radiance of Gloria Bosman whose rich voice, good vibes and amazing dance moves on stage (even with heels on) blew our minds away!
Recognize this song by Miriam Makeba? @GloriaBosman is serving so much soul this afternoon 💃 #SafaricomJazzAt5 #MusicThatMoves pic.twitter.com/sGW4fnErAE
— Kenyan Collective 🇰 (@KenCollective) February 24, 2018
Her ability to simultaneously hit both high and low notes and still bring out her sensational vibe through her music was one for the books!
5. DJ D-Lite
The music at Safaricom Jazz Festivals would not be complete without resident David Muriithi aka DJ D-Lite. He always knows know to read his crowd and serve them different types of Jazz music from different eras that know just how to bring the crowd alive.
The amazing DJ D-Lite @davidmuriithi is already on the decks serving beautiful African VIBES!! #SafaricomJazzAt5 #MusicThatMoves pic.twitter.com/4jul8RL8n2
— Kenyan Collective 🇰 (@KenCollective) February 25, 2018
My favorites from him this time were when he played the Jazz versions of ‘Despacito’ and ‘Havana’ for the kids on Sunday & ‘Na Wasee Tumetoka Githurai’ a Kenyan Classic by Mr Lenny, Mr Googz and Vinnie Banton
Have you ever heard of the Jazz version of Despacito? Well now you have 😍🔥🔥🔥 #SafaricomJazzAt5 #MusicThatMoves pic.twitter.com/lqs9vQyH8o
— Kenyan Collective 🇰 (@KenCollective) February 24, 2018
6. BWB!
After an incredible afternoon of perfomances – despite the scorching sun – headliners BWB got on stage at around 7 pm. Composed of Norman Brown, Kirk Whalum and Rick Braun, they serenaded us with some songs from their first album like “Ruby” and “Do You Feel Me” by Kirk Whalum.
They also did covers like “Just my Imagination” by The Temptations and “I’ll be There” which was originally recorded in 1970 but popularized by the Jackson 5. They capped it of by doing a memorable tribute to the late Hugh Masekela, bring a 2 hour performance to a sad close.
The night ended with a glorious fireworks display marking the official 5th anniversary of the Safaricom International Jazz Festival!
See you next time for more riveting and heart-grabbing moments at Safaricom Jazz! ❤
