After some break, Safaricom Jazz is back! At the Safaricom Jazz Lounge this time round we’ll be entertained by Senegalese Alune Wade. The concert will be held at Uhuru Gardens on Saturday 4th November.
Alune Wade is a talented vocalist and bassist with a career spanning over three decades. He has partnered with other renowned artistes like fellow Senegalese Ishmael Lo and Cuban pianist Harold Lopez – Nussa.
Wade was born in Dakar in 1978 and grew up in a musical family. His father was the lead of a symphonic orchestra and he started playing when he was as young as 6 years old.
He settled on the bass as his instrument of choice when he was 13 and he joined the orchestra with the encouragement of his father. He started touring the globe at a young age with Ishmael Lo’s band and in 2006, he released his debut solo album ‘Mbolo’. He released his second album titled ‘Ayo Nene’ in 2010.
“We are honored to be hosting yet another influential African Jazz musician who has not only played a role in exposing African music to the world but who also is a master at cross-cultural collaboration,” said Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom.
Also the Safaricom Jazz Lounge line up will be Kavita Shah, a Jazz singer and composer who is based in New-York. In line with promoting local talent and showcasing growth, Safaricom Jazz Lounge will also feature 2 Kenyan bands, Mambo Trive and the Limericks.
“The main objective of Safaricom Jazz is to enable Kenyan artistes to interact and collaborate with their international counterparts. So far we have had Edward Parseen and the Different Faces Band, Swahili Jazz Band, Shamsi Music and the Nairobi Horns Project share the stage with some of the world’s top jazz performers,” said Mr. Collymore.
As has been the case since 2014, proceeds from all ticket sales will be donated to the Ghetto Classics Music program based in Korogocho. The program has so far benefited from over Ksh. 37 Million and these funds go towards purchasing musical instruments for the 650 children who are beneficiaries of the community program. Ghetto Classica has also started making inroads into Mombasa.
The first Safaricom International Festival event was held in February 2014 and was headlined by New-York based Cameroonian artist Richard Bona.