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For second time in a row the Safaricom International Jazz Festival will be featuring a guest jazz artist who is a guitarist. The celebrated jazz maestro Jimmy DluDlu from South Africa will grace the December fete here in Nairobi.
At the last Safaricom jazz festival fans were treated to colourful renditions by jazz guitarist, Nigerian-born Kunle Ayo at the Carnivore grounds.
Known for his subtle but reflective music, Dludlu is famous for numbers such as Winds of Change, Walk of Life, Motherland, Point View and Hoy About the Ones in Village.
At the tender age of 13, Dludlu picked up a cousin's homemade guitar and started teaching himself by imitating the jazz and African music he heard on the radio – the only available medium at the time.
As he tried his hand at the acoustic guitar, he slowly but steadily won attention especially when he played at township weddings as well curtain-raised for his cousin, who played at real gigs.
But his breakthrough came in the early 1980s when he joined and worked with various southern African bands including Impandze from Swaziland, featuring Jamaican singer Trevor Hall, Kalahari and Satari from Botswana.
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The budding musician then joined Anansi, featuring the Ghanaian saxophonist George Lee. When he performed with this group at the Botswana Independence anniversary celebrations in 1986, alongside a range of African stars including Thomas Mapfumo, his mark was made.
Eclectic style
Jimmy Dludlu's style is eclectic and has a wide range of influences, combining both modern and traditional elements of jazz drawn from among others Wes Montgomery, George Benson and Pat Metheny, to South African legends Miriam Makeba, Letta Mbulu, Hugh Masekela, Themba Mokwena, and Allen Kwela.
His audience in Nairobi will relish his particular drawing to the sounds of West and Central Africa, as well as Latin America, although he says jazz remains his first love.
His numerous original compositions fall within the tradition of what has been termed Afro-Jazz.
Jimmy has produced six albums with his last one being Sound and Vision released in 2008. Others are Portraits (2008), Corners of My Soul (2005), Afrocentric (2002), Essence of Rhythm (1999), and Echoes from the Past (1997).
Award winning
His debut album, Echoes from the Past, which was released in September 1997 won two Sama (South African Music Awards) gongs - Best Newcomer and Best Contemporary Jazz Album.
He became a constant presence at the Samas, with several awards and numerous nominations under his belt. Essence of Rhythm won him Best Male Artist and Best Contemporary Jazz Album, Afrocentric won him Best Male Artist, Best Album and Best Producer, bringing to the fore his skills as a music producer; Corners of My Soul won him Best Male Artist and Best Jazz Album.
Universal's Verve label snapped up the album for release in nine overseas markets, including the United States, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and Hungary.
DluDlu's first album was a beautiful social evaluation of what many take for granted but affects our lives every day. The same can be said about Motherland as well as Corners of My Soul.
Winds of Change is warm and happy and is great music to elevate one's spirit after a busy day and its beats are reminiscent of some of Western Kenya folk tunes.
