Jazz Opinions

Written by Joy Ruguru Unlike the owner of this blog, I’m not an ardent fan of jazz. Maybe as background music when I’m eating or reading. I blame it on…

Juma Tutu prepares for his inaugural for his set at the local bar; Dagoz, a handful of people come in from their smoking breaks outside, take a pause from their…

Interesting jazz artists in Kenya who have stretched and personalized modern jazz conventions, dictating new terms without discarding the old.

I had the distinct honor of chatting with one of my close friends, Chepkemboi Mang’ira, popularly known as Miss Vavavum. She is the founder of Own Your Culture Africa; an…

Safaricom Jazz at 5 – A Motley of Baby Steps. Mackinlay Mutsembi – Nairobi Horns Project When the first edition of SIJF I was not residing in Nairobi yet; I…

If you know me personally, then you know that I absolutely love jazz. I am just from the 19th Cape Town Jazz Festival, and my whole inner being is still…

Let’s support our Kenyan Music scene Music is a powerful medium. It’s one of the few things in Kenya that everyone enjoys without reservation. As a music blogger, I listen…

April is jazz appreciation month, and April 30th is International Jazz Day. In the early 1940s, a small group of musicians would meet in two small clubs late at night…

I am writing this article with an assumption of basic music knowledge. Polyrhythms are often misunderstood. This is an attempt to clarify what polyrhythms are and how they have influenced African…

Bassist Ricky Nanjero, and his band work to create music that sound different from traditional jazz. So Simple, Ricky na Marafiki’s second album is far from typical jazz with its afro-jazz feel. So…