The Jazz Evening with Johnnie Walker returned for its second last edition of the year at the swanky Guvnor Night Club in Kampala on Thursday.
The jazz genre has amassed an enthusiastic following and it is not very difficult to point out the reasons. For starters, the smooth, laid back nature of jazz music is one that attracts people with an impeccable, sophisticated musical palate. Secondly, the jazz melodies invoke sweet memories and this is a crowd puller.
The November edition of the Jazz Evening featured guitar maestro Charmant Mushaga. That in itself was enough to convince jazz lovers to throng the venue. Charmant had prior to the event only made cameo appearances during concerts but had never really had the chance to showcase his talent as a main act. This was indeed his moment to shine.
Despite the late afternoon downpour, the Guvnor entrance was beaming with a lot of activity as patrons made their way to the main sitting area as early as 7pm. A few Johnnie Walker cocktails followed shortly before Charmant stepped onto the brilliantly lit stage at 8pm.
It was a non-stop musical explosion thereafter. As expected, Charmant ensured that most of the crowd was on its feet, wiggling away. In a nutshell, Jazz was given a new dimension by Charmant. He was charming the audience with his tunes, occasionally stopping to interact with them.
The jazz genre seems to have been demystified. It appears one simply has to find their style and roll with it. Spice it in their own way and boom, the jazz lovers will appreciate.
Prior to the event, Lois Aber, the Johnnie Walker Brand Manager said that the Jazz Evening is an opportunity to showcase the talent of local jazz artistes.
“Jazz is a growing genre in Uganda. However, a number of people believe that it is a genre that should only be performed by international acts if it is to be enjoyed. As Johnnie Walker, we are looking at appreciating and promoting our local jazz genre,” she explained.
The Jazz Evening gave Charmant the opportunity to showcase his diversity. He was flawless throughout the evening, blending seamlessly into high tempo lingala tunes as well as the sensual, smooth ones.
The highlight of his performance came when he teamed up with Myko Ouma, one of the finest guitarists around. The duet; Dream Again got everyone on their feet. It was a blend of the most soothing guitar plucks! They then performed a rendition of the famous Wanchekecha tune of Saida Kaloli.
Songs like Mutoto lala, Afro-report, When I’m with you, Bado Bado and Eddy Kenzo’s Mbilo Mbilo were enough to confirm Charmant’s talent.
By the time his performance concluded at 11pm, musical satisfaction was etched on virtually everyone’s face.
The next Jazz Evening with Johnnie Walker is slated for December 1, 2016 and will be headlined by yet another talented guitarist, Myko Ouma.