Unique Afro rhythms as jazz festival comes to city

Cool Waters Jazz and Roots, Nairobi’s boutique music festival, is back with the second edition of an event that is billed as catering to fans looking to discover unique sounds from around the world, performed by seasoned artists.

A glance at the line up for the festival this weekend reflects the diversity of talent from around Africa. A renowned Nigerian funk rocker, a jazz-fusion performer from Botswana, and an Afro-electric music pioneer from Cameroon who are all performing alongside some of Kenya’s most established artists.

Last year, the festival featured appearances by Kareyce Fatso from Cameroon, Malian kora player Aly Keita and Kenyan nyatiti legend Ayub Ogada who performed with guitarist Isaac Gem. While last year’s event took place at one venue, this time the events are spread over three nights, in different locations across Nairobi.

The opening night of the festival was headlined by Kabo Leburu and his band Ethnojazz from Botswana last night. Mr Leburu, a mechanical engineer by training, is a self-taught guitarist and harmonica player with the unique ability to multi-task on both his instruments while also singing. His style is a fusion of indigenous rhythms like the mbira with a touch of soul and jazz and cites his influences as Zimbabwean Louis Mhlanga, Vusi Mahlasela of South Africa, Lokua Kanza from the DRC and the US soul legend Stevie Wonder.

His first visit to Kenya was last year when he attended a concert in Nairobi and jammed with a band on stage.
“It was an impromptu jam, but the audience showed me lots of love and I have been looking forward to reciprocating that gesture with my show,” he says.

Recording career

The invitation to perform at the Cool Waters Jazz and Roots Festival has fulfilled his dream of officially performing in Kenya and he has also established connections with musicians like Eric Wainaina and James Gogo to explore the possibility of collaboration in future.

Nigerian Keziah Jones will be on the same stage with Kenyan singer Maia von Lekow at the Tree House Museum Hill for the second concert of the festival tonight, September 23.

Mr Jones is a highly admired singer-songwriter who established a style of blues and funk combined with Yoruba rhythms called Bluefunk over two decades ago.

He draws inspiration from the funk/rock of George Clinton and Jim Hendrix and the Afrobeat of Fela Kuti.
Mr Jones attended boarding school in the UK from the age of eight and started playing guitar in the London Underground stations as a teenager.

After playing at several venues in the city, he was signed to his first recording deal and released his first album “Blufunk is a fact” in 1992. Since then he has enjoyed a prolific recording career with critically acclaimed albums like “African Space Craft,” “Liquid Sunshine,” “Black Orpheus” and “Captain Rugged” the latter is the name of his superhero alter ego .

Mr Jones often sings about the African superheroes who in this case are the continent’s refugees, immigrants, but also the young urban Africans who are driving the continent’s contemporary culture especially thorough art.

It is these issues that Keziah’s musical hero Fela Kuti had in mind when he advised him to make music that relates directly to the situations facing Africans.

Animation techniques

The Kenyan singer songwriter and guitarist Maia von Lekow is thrilled to be performing alongside Keziah Jones, who she describes as having been “my hero for a long time.” The jazz/funk/blues/folk singer is coming off the back of the release of her new single “Lola” from her upcoming album “Maia and the Big Sky.”

The song has attracted a lot of interest thanks to its video that features innovative animation techniques and a cameo by renowned actress Mumbi Kaigwa.

The highlight of the Cool Waters Jazz festival takes place this Saturday in a concert featuring Franck Biyong of Cameroon, along with top Kenyan performers, Eddie Grey, Achieng’ Abura and Tetu Tutuma.

This will be an outdoor concert at the Elephant in Lavington.

Nine albums

A pioneer of the so-called Aftrolectric music, with the electric guitar at the heart of the sound, Biyong is a towering Cameroonian composer, arranger, guitarist singer and producer.

He grew up in Gabon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast before settling in the UK at age of 14, was music director on Coke Studio Africa TV show Season 1 and 2 and during that time he worked with musicians like Salif Keita, King Sunny Ade and Seun Kuti. His most successful song to date “Liyomba Church” is written in Swahili and has released nine albums along with his band Afrolectric Orkestra.

The concert begins at 3 pm tomorrow, September 24 at the Elephant on James Gichuru Road, Lavington.