What makes a perfect musical night? It’s not just the sound it’s the feeling. The goosebumps. The nostalgia. The kind of rhythm that grips your heart and doesn’t let go. That’s exactly what happened at the inaugural dfcu Jazz In The Pearl show on Saturday night at the Kampala Serena Hotel.
Let’s get one thing out of the way if you came for vibes, you probably left floating. If you came just to be seen, well… you may have left wondering why everyone else was so enchanted.
The evening opened on a high with the BlackRoots Academy of Soul, and boy, do they know how to bring the heat. Their renditions of soul-RnB classics were nothing short of sublime. From New Edition’s Can You Stand The Rain to Ginuwine’s In Those Jeans, MJ’s Human Nature, and Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody, it was an hour of pure magic. Vocalists Tonya Michelle Ahenda and Lisa Sonia were vocal fire, while Tshaka’s basslines and Paul Ntege’s guitar riffs made it feel like we were all inside a slow-burning groove.
Then came Uganda’s very own Isaiah Katumwa, armed with his trusty soprano sax. Yes, there was an awkward sound delay before he could dive in but once he did, he was pure soul. Guitar wizard Charmant Mushaga turned up with his signature flair (yes, he played the guitar with his teeth again), while Racheal Namubiru lit up the stage with her golden pipes. Add Robert Kibalama on percussion and Kevin Isaac on bass, and the band had the audience swaying, head-nodding, and dancing by the time Katumwa performed his beloved crowd-pleaser, My Joy.
And then came the moment everyone was waiting for Kirk Whalum.
Clad in a yellow jacket, red pants, and black vest a nod to the Ugandan flag Whalum stepped on stage like the jazz royalty he is. And just like that, the night shifted into another gear. The Grammy-winning saxophonist wove through memories and melodies with pieces like I Will Always Love You, Ascension, and Grover Washington Jr.’s Mister Magic. It was smooth, elegant, and soul-deep.
This marked Whalum’s third performance in Uganda and according to organizers, dfcu Jazz In The Pearl is now set to become an annual tradition.
