BY BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI
MUSIC lovers were taken on a trip down memory
lane with pleasant old material by two American greats - the Jazz legend Kirk Whalum and the
R&B and soul diva Karyn White at the 8th annual Nile Gold Jazz Safari that
was held at the Kampala Serena Hotel on October 2, 2015.
Whalum hit the stage at 8:35pm with Luther
Vandross’s 1988 hit Any Love. With
his saxo-jazz-funk style he followed
it up with Boyz II Men’s I’ll Make Love
To You, Steve Wonder’s All I Do, Toni
Braxton’s Breathe Again, Ascension, Underpaid, Grover Worked and Falling in Love with Jesus, among others.
Whalum joined the US-based Ugandan guitarist Mpambara
on his song Onowuliranga.
Whalum exhibited his mastery of the tenor sax
while he played I’ll Always Love You –
a hit he originally did with Whitney Houston in 2000. He received a
standing ovation after he blew the sax with passion and skill much to the
satisfaction of the audience who had parted with Ushs200, 000 ($53.8) for a
ticket. He had earlier on mesmerized his fans when he played the sax while
lying down on his back.
White came on stage at 10:18pm with her hit The Way I Feel About You. With her energetic
dance moves and distinctive sultry
soul voice she followed it up with Secret
Rendezvous, James Brown’s funk song
Sex Machine, Romantic, Love Saw It,
Tears of Joy with Whalum blowing the
sax, Hungah, The Way You Love Me, Can I Stay With You and I'd Rather Be Alone, among others.
White received the loudest applause when she
played the women’s anthem Superwoman –
after which she left the stage at 11:23pm but the crowd cried out to her and
returned and bowed out after performing Everything
Is Gonna Be Alright.
Among the House Band members that backed the
two jazz and soul headliners were: Karl Vanden Bossche on percussions; Mark
Walker on the keys; and the sweet harmonies were sung by Vula Malinga and
Vanessa Haynes (the Lead Singer in Incognito). The illustrious Mo Pleasure was
the music director.
The Ugandan pianist, singer-songwriter
Stephen Kigozi was the curtain raiser at 8:07pm with a couple of cover songs
and his own Don’t Try to Change Me,
among others.
“This is my first time on the soil of Africa.
It feels amazing and spiritual as well as celebratory,” White said.
On his part Whalum has performed in South
Africa, Ghana and will play in Nigeria this October.
Music lovers today prefer to download music
from the Internet and sometimes do not pay for it; a trend which Whalum says
has a huge impact on the musicians’ royalties. “Until we are able to negotiate
fair streaming royalties we are basically giving away our art for free. People
don’t value the things they get for free. Music streaming can only be fair if
we can be well compensated.”
As a result of low album sales most musicians
around the world have resorted to constant live performances and festivals - a
trend that is impacting on their creativity in the long run. “It is a good
thing to be in good contact with your audiences but you may not be able to
allocate adequate time for developing, writing, recording and work shopping
(testing different sounds) if you are on stage all the time. Our source of
income should be from royalties. We should stay at home and earn from our music
and be creative,” Whalum told this blog.
“We are depending on live performances
because people no longer buy our records. I am promoting my brand of music
through live concerts and on my own label Karyn White Enterprises. When I am
performing live I want my fans to feel my new music and experience. I am glad
that I can still perform,” White said.
Born on July 11, 1958, Whalum is a smooth jazz
saxophonist and songwriter. His music has been described as soulful, passionate
and stirring - ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz
to gospel with emphasis on melody.
“My music is made up of soul, gospel and
jazz. I don’t combine these genres. This is where I come from. It is like
describing the aspects of the work of a sculptor where you have to look at through
different angles. So these are the aspects of what I do,” Whalum said.
He toured with Whitney Houston for
more than seven years and soloed in her mega-hit single I Will Always Love You, the best-selling single by a
female artist in music history.
In a career spanning three decades, Whalum has recorded film soundtracks and 25 solo albums including Cache, his first number 1 album, For You and his eclectic Gospel
According to Jazz series, (Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4). Chapter 4 musically
explores the convergence of jazz and gospel infused with rhythm and blues with
musical messages of tribute, tragedy and triumph — musically illustrating God’s
radical hospitality.
Whalum has received numerous awards and
acknowledgements for his musical accomplishments. A twelve time Grammy nominee,
he won his first Grammy award for Best Gospel Song (“It’s What I Do” -
featuring Lalah Hathaway).
Although Whalum plays the tenor, alto and soprano
saxophones, and flute he says the tenor is his best. And he is clearly
identified by his rich tenor sound that leaves an indelible imprint on the
listener. “Although I play the soprano as well the tenor sax is my favourite
because it’s my voice.”
White was born on October 14, 1965, in Los
Angeles. She is a singer-songwriter, who was popular during the late 1980s
and early 1990s. She is best known for her R&B singles: The Way You Love Me (1988), Secret Rendezvous (1989),
the Billboard Hot 100 number one single Romantic (1991), Can I Stay
With You (1995) and I'd Rather Be Alone (1995).
The accomplished musician entered the music
history books with her smash hit song, the female anthem, Superwoman. The song sold over a million units, being certified
Gold and named the Billboard R&B Song of the Year in 1989. She received a
Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (Superwoman) in 1990. “This is a timeless
anthem for women. It’s about loving and appreciating someone,” she says.
White, who plays R&B, soul and new
jack swing released her self-titled debut album Karyn White in 1988. Her follow-up albums were Ritual of Love in 1991, Make Him Do Right in 1994.
“I would say that I play R&B, funk, soul
and rock. I have two sides: the dance side and romantic side that I fuse
together. I love Prince, Tina Turner and James Brown so I bring the energy of
all these three,” White said.
White temporarily left the music scene in
1999 to start a family and bring up her daughter and only child Ashley – which
the nomadic lifestyle of a professional musician could not afford. She returned
with her album Sista Sista in 2006
and later Carpe Diem in 2012.
White’s considerable talents have extended
well beyond music. She resides in Rocklin, California, where she runs a
successful interior design and real estate business.
Ends.
