Articles by Philip Songa

Tshaka Mayanja: Chasing His Jazz Dream

by Philip Songa
October 29, 2008

'Jazz' and 'Uganda' are rarely used in the same sentence. This little country in East Africa does not have much of a jazz tradition to speak of, let alone write about. Aside from international artists, the likes of Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, as well as specially arranged cultural exchanges by the American, German and Dutch embassies, there has been, until recently, little to speak of locally.

All that is starting to change, for a variety of reasons. ...

Lura at Fiddler's Club in Bristol

by Philip Songa
June 5, 2007

Lura Fiddler's ClubBristol, UKMay 19, 2007

It was while trawling through the music store HMV that I chanced upon the latest offering from a versatile Cape Verdean-by-way of Portugal vocalist. I had not heard of Lura prior to that. When I checked out her music online, I instantly loved what I was hearing and proceeded to purchase her latest album M'Bem Di Fora (I've Come From Far Away).

So when I discovered Lura was performing in the ...

10th Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Cheltenham, England

by Philip Songa
May 11, 2005

The Cheltenham Jazz Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Running from April 27th to May 2nd in sunny Cheltenham in the south-west of England, the festival marked its first decade in some style. It scored two large coups in bringing Ornette Coleman, who celebrated his 75th birthday this year, and Herbie Hancock, each of whom performed a single bill at the Cheltenham Town Hall. The festival also featured the likes of Mina Agossi, Enrico Rava, Joshua Redman, English lasses ...

Cyro Baptista & Beat The Donkey at The Wardrobe, Leeds, UK

by Philip Songa
March 2, 2005

In Cyro Baptista's new “home country" of New Jersey, people like to renovate their homes - for fun. Baptista prefers to take his apart and create odd-looking musical instruments out of them, like the PVC-pipe contraption (played with sandals) that inspired the home renovation joke. He appeared with these and more together with his 7-person Beat The Donkey ensemble at The Wardrobe, the premier venue for Leeds Jazz, on the 21st of February 2005.

Playing a mix of percussion instruments ...

The Aaron Thurston Trio Set Kampala on Fire

by Philip Songa
March 13, 2004

The Aaron Thurston Trio was in Uganda on 14 and 15 September, performing in Mbale and at the National Theatre in Kampala and, boy, did they set the theatre on fire! Back in July someone mentioned to me that there is nothing like the live jazz experience – and he was absolutely right. The three lads Aaron Thurston, Adam Scone and Kevin Louis certainly are born to perform and they thrive on it.Together with Herman Ssewanyana’s Percussion Discussion Africa ...

Either /Orchestra at the National Theatre in Kampala

by Philip Songa
January 21, 2004

If ever there was any doubt that music is a universal language then the combination of eight Americans, one Dominican Republican, one guy from Surinam and one Ugandan playing music from Ethiopia in Uganda in moving style ought to remove the last vestiges of such doubt. That is exactly the kind of reassurance that was given at the National Theatre on the night of Monday 19 January 2004.

The 10-man Either/Orchestra led by the inimitable Russ Gershon (reminds one of ...

Marc Antoine: Cruisin'

by Philip Songa
December 1, 2001

Consider his name and you'll most likely guess that he is French. Listen to his music and you'd be forgiven for mistaking him to be Latin American. This mystery man is French jazz guitar man Marc Antoine (not to be confused with Puerto Rican crooner Marc Anthony). I was introduced to the sound of Marc Antoine via his collaboration with Dave Koz on the song “You Are Me, I Am You" from Koz's album The Dance (1999).

A year later ...