I did not see anyone walking naked in Nairobi- American songwriter Kirk Whalum

I came to Nairobi for the first time this month. I never really got to see much, but the few hours I went out were quite memorable. I expected to see what we’ve been exposed to by the media, but Nairobi is way ahead.

There is no war or hungry, malnourished kids outside the airport begging with bowls. I also did not see anyone walking naked. As a matter of fact, everyone seems to be at par with the rest of the world fashion-wise.

Nairobi is on the same level with London as far as traffic goes. It took us two hours from JKIA to the hotel we were booked in.

I wasn’t really sure that people would recognise my music here since I assumed that most had moved on to new school R&B. But shockingly, they were very familiar with the beats. I think jazz is infectious.

Kirk Whalum is an American jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured with Whitney Houston for more than seven years and soloed in her single, I Will Always Love You, the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. He was recently in Nairobi for Safaricom’s The Gospel According to Jazz concert.

He spoke to Cate Mukei