Safaricom Jazz, the show that has brought us some of the biggest names in Jazz to the country and unearthed some seriously good local artists is now celebrating its 5th year. To mark and celebrate the 5th anniversary of Safaricom Jazz will be the highly acclaimed American jazz trio BWB, whose members are Kirk Whalum, Norman Brown and Rick Braun.
Saxophonist Kirk Whalum and guitarist Norman brown have been here before, having brought us the mellow concert ‘A gospel according to Jazz’ still under Safaricom Jazz in December 2016. That time they performed together with the lovely Sheléa Frazier in both Nairobi and Mombasa. Trumpeter Rick Raum will be coming to the country for the first time.
Among other performances, BWB trio is expected to pretty much bring Michael Jackson to life with their massively popular Human Nature album which they released in 2013. In this album, there are great adaptations of the legend’s great hits like Man in the Mirror, The Way You Make Me Feel, and Billie Jean among others.
Other than being thoroughly entertaining to jazz fans at a very fair price and exposing Kenyan jazz artists to a whole new spectrum of fans both local and international, Safaricom Jazz has a huge social impact. Most notable of this is Ghetto Classics, where all proceeds of Safaricom Jazz concerts go. Ghetto Classics is a Korogocho based community program that nurtures kids in the harsh environment through music.
So far, Safaricom has donated money to the tune of Kshs.37 Million to Ghetto Classics, money that is used to purchase instruments and in some cases cater for education and shelter of disadvantaged kids in the slums. Most of all, it gives them a powerful semblance of family, and a positive outlook on life. For kids growing up amid the vagaries of slum life, this is priceless. The program which has so far impacted over 1400 kids has since expanded to Mombasa, and has plans to branch out to Kisumu in the next year.
Of course the kids of Ghetto Classics also get to play great music and as we await BWB on Sunday 25th in Kasarani, we are also awaiting their collaboration with Polish composer and producer Jimek, who is known for his wildly popular hip hop compositions. We’re also looking for forward to performances by The Betty Bears from Israel, Lean from Belgium, Joya Wendt from Germany, Gloria Bosman from South Africa and our very own Mambo Tribe and Limericks.
Tickets for the Safaricom Jazz concert are already on sale as follows:
- Main show on 25th February – Ksh2,000/- for regular tickets and Ksh500/- for students who must show their student IDs.
- Corporate tables for VIP show on 23rd February – Ksh150,000 per table or Ksh10,000/- per person.
Dial 1511 to buy tickets via M-Ticketing.