And the most anticipated event of the year Safaricom Jazz 2017 went down last weekend at Kasarani stadium much to the excitement of Kenyans.
They showed up in droves ready to party and have a good time! And a good time they definitely had because to start with the music was great! And so was the ambience and crowd too.
David Sanborn didn’t disappoint and so did Taxi Wars (their song fever is still playing in my head) and basically every artist who graced the occasion.
Kenyans also took this opportunity to flaunt their impeccable fashion sense and opulence which took centre stage in the much attended event.
Bob Collymore, CEO Safaricom led from the front on this alongside his partner in crime and wife Wambui Kamiru.
The year was 2016 and all roads led to Mombasa for yet another edition of Gospel according to Jazz. The people came in droves and among them was none other Bob Collymore, the CEO of Safaricom and up until recently we didn’t know would have made a very good conductor.
He was in the company of longtime friend Juliani and some others and together they were ready to be overwhelmed by the likes of magnificent Kirk Whalum, the brilliant Gerald Albright, the splendid Norman Albright and the bamazing Shelea Frazier.
And meeeen did they kill that show that for a second Bob Collymore forgot he was actually a whole CEO with impressions to maintain and he just grabbed a camera and started taking photos of everything and everyone-that’s how the music had moved him.
These are some of the memorable moments of that night:
Bob Collymore shows off his camera skills
2017 is upon us and with it the 4th edition of the Safaricom International Jazz. It’s bound to go down on Sunday, 26th February 2017 at the Kasarani Stadium and as usual comes a multitude of talented artists from across the globe who are guaranteed to delight all jazz lovers.
David Sanborn, world renowned saxophonist from the USA will be the headlining performer at the festival this year and he will be accompanied by a star studded line up who will be performing with him during the show.
They include:
The Hazelnuts, a unique musical phenomenon from Israel, TaxiWars from Belgium and British-Asian clarinetist, composer and music educator Arun Gosh are also slated to dazzle us with their unique sounds.
The Bokani Dyer Trio, who performed at the annual Jazz ahead showcase in Bremen, Germany in April 2016, and Ray Lema from the Democratic Republic of Congo are the African acts also scheduled to perform at the festival.
Local artists lined up for the festival include home grown Nairobi Horns Project, Shamsi Music and the amazing Mwai and The Truth Band.
Music lovers can expect to enjoy a selection of pure jazz as well as a mix of jazz fusions with influences from around the world.
All proceeds from the event will go towards supporting the ghetto classics, a non-profit programme that teaches music skills to the youth from underprivileged backgrounds. To date we have successfully raised over 19million towards this programme to uplift the lives of many youth by way of providing musical instruments, classes, and much more.
Event Details:
Date: Sunday 26th February 2017.
Venue: Kasarani Training Grounds
Entry Charges: Ksh. 2000 for adults and Ksh. 500 for students (proof of ID must be provided)
Tickets: Available at select Safaricom shops, Michael Joseph Centre and via m-Ticketing by dialing 1511.
Gates open at 10 AM show starts at 12 PM.
My list would not be complete without Sauti Sol. These young men make me so proud. They take their craft seriously and they are making waves globally. I’d just be happier if they would buy new clothes that don’t have holes in them, and not so tight,” That’s what Bob Collymore said in a recent interview that sent shock waves all across social media.
He was talking matters Kenyan music and which of the latter he listens to. And Sauti Sol he does enjoy because as we have established courtesy of Sauti Sol’s publicist Anyiko Awoko, he even invites them to his house and they sing along to some melodies while sipping some single malt Whiskey.
He also supports them a lot having offered to market their music for free when they recently dropped their Live and Die Africa album so it must have been really awkward for them when he made the statement.
Sauti Sol pose for a photo with their publicist Anyiko Awoko.
Being Ghafla, I posed the question to them and they did have an answer. According to Anyiko, he doesn’t have to like their outfits as its human nature to want and be attracted to different things. So it’s cool, no news there. And when I asked her whether they would be toning down after the Bob’s opinion; she was categorical that that was never going to happen.
Actually they are meeting a group of designers as we speak and they are looking into advancing their wardrobe. To make it more crazy or modest, I don’t know….All I know is that they are going ham in terms of their fashion sense this year.
It’s not the first time Kenya’s most successful music group has come under attack for their choice of dressing; only this time round it’s Safaricom CEO taking a dig at them.
Sometimes in December 2015, Sauti Sol was labeled the new brand ambassadors for ‘Kick Malaria Out Of Africa’ campaign after they rocked mosquito net-like outfit at a concert at the Coast.
Sauti Sol’s mosquito-like costumes that saw them get criticized severely in December 2015
One year down the line, the singing quartet has once again been criticized for their choice of dressing. This time round it’s Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore who gave them a piece of his mind.
While responding to a question on the kind of music he listens to, Collymore revealed Sauti Sol’s music had a place in his heart but went to say that he had major issue with the group’s style of dressing.
“My list would not be complete without Sauti Sol. These young men make me so proud. They take their craft seriously and they are making waves globally. I’d just be happier if they would buy new clothes that don’t have holes in them, and not so tight,” Bob Collymore said.
