Celebrated Alto-Saxophonist and six-time Grammy Award winner David Sanborn headlined Safaricom Jazz 2017 that went down last at Kasarani stadium last weekend.
Other acts included The Hazelnuts from Israel, South Africa’s Bokani Dyer, French based DRC’s Jazz Maestro Ray Lema quintet, Taxi Wars jazz band among others.
Safaricom CEO and Founder of Safaricom Jazz, Bob Collymore with his wife Wambui Kamiru were among the revelers that thronged Safaricom stadium last weekend.
Below are photos of Safaricom Jazz 2017:
The performers
American alto saxophonist David Sanborn performs at the 2017 Safaricom International Jazz Festival
Bokani Dyer performs alongside Saxophonist, Laka Nyaga of Shamsi Music.
French based, DRC’s Jazz Maestro, Ray Lema quintet.Mckinley Musembi of the Nairobi Horns Project.
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.
It’s that time of the year where the Jazz battalion makes its way to Kenya for yet another edition of the Safaricom Jazz Festival which is bound to go down this coming Sunday, 26th February.
Prior to that event however, Safaricom always hosts themed mini events just to gear you up for the main act and give you a glimpse of what you should be expecting. I managed to attend one last Thursday, the Belgian night and it was mind blowing.
Taxi wars were the main act and they drove the audience into frenzy. Being the first time to attend a Jazz event, it was really rejuvenating though it could have been the Jameson pulling a first one me; expect it to be plenty whenever Safaricom is involved.
Since I was also alone, I took time peruse the crowd and here are some of the characters I could pick out:
Mr. I need to find my wife-“Hey have you seen my wife?” That’s the question this Caucasian 50 year old asked me when Taxi Wars stopped performing. And I was like, huh? And the guy held his eye actually expecting me to answer. “And I was like, definitely not in my whiskey”…And that’s when he laughed and laughed and I had no choice but to laugh as well. And when he was done, he told me he was joking and have you seen my wife vibe always works for him as a conversation starter. Then we started talking about the show, TaxiWar’s incredible performance and just how Jazz has revolutionized over they years. In the process though he had to cut me short as he had to actually find the wife, for real this time; apparently she had the car keys and she has a tendency of always taking a hike when liquer is involved… “I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to seduce Taxi Wars lead singer” he whispered before making a run for the door.
Bob Colymore, Juliani and friend at a past jazz event
Also expect to find the Jazz lover. This is the guy who attends the event just for the Jazz and nothing else. He doesn’t even sit for a single second throughout the performance and practically sings along to every song. He also tends to shout a lot and cause quite the fuss when the band eventually has to leave the stage.
Also expect to find the Networker in a Jazz event. The guy who comes through to meet and network because well, all the well off people can be found in Jazz events. So he sees you walking you in slippers and he stops you asking if you are a venture capitalist (all venture capitalists dress some typa way) looking for the next big thing to place your money on. Before you could even answer, he chucks out his phone and starts showing his latest app which he assures will blow the masses away. The only thing you need to do is invest 3 million with a 25% shareholding and you’re good to go. If only he knew you are just blogger earning a meager 3K every month.
Mr. I need to take you home with me always makes it to Jazz events because why? There’s lot of booze, class and opulence which is perfect remedy to impress his next lay. He’s probably a guy in accounting who is cousins with the PR person for the event. So he secures himself the tickets and tags along his date that he’s looking to take home. After dancing along to some tunes, probably rehearsed, he makes the first step of assuring the lass that he’s indeed leaving it before going on a chemical warfare spree…and most of the time he always scores because there are no losers in Jazz.
Also expect to find Miss all my friends need to recognize who comes through to the event just for the gram…she’s infatuated with snap chat and a Jazz event provides just the right opportunity to harness that. I mean the décor, the people, the music and the opulence clearly define what bad and boujee is all about.
And if you don’t believe me, make your way down to Kasarani Stadium this coming Sunday and see for yourself. In the process also get to sample some great music from the likes of David Sanborn; world renowned saxophonist from the USA will be the headlining performer alongside other great acts.
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.
