Combining the ethnic music traditions of the Kenyan coast with new trends and a touch of unusual refinement? Performing on stage with real winds and instruments, ignoring the prevailing logic of the recorded bases and music composed with a single computer?
The bet of Katoi Wa Tabaka, a young artist and cultural promoter from Malindi who founded the Mijikenda Jazz Band, is now a reality.
Katoi and his musicians perform every week between Malindi and Kilifi, have been among the line-up groups of the most important local festivals and their songs begin to be hummed by everyone despite they are not rap or electronic.
In addition, the lyrics of the songs, which alternate the dialect rhyme to the Swahili language, dig deep into the stories of the ethnic coast (Mijikenda precisely, from which the band takes its name) but also speak of current issues, from the loss of identity of a people to daily stories.
Behind the Mijikenda Jazz Band there is also a beautiful story with unfortunately bitter implications: last year, for the first edition of the Malindi Music Festival organized by us of malindikenya.net with the pool of entrepreneurs Maxlife, thanks to one of the many insights of the great Mario "Max" Aquilino, the musical-cultural ensemble of Katoi was awarded the prize as the best musical initiative with a didactic background of Malindi and Maxlife gave them a cash prize, 100,000 shillings, to buy instruments and improve their rehearsal room. If the band now has its own identity and musical quality, it also owes it to this initiative. Unfortunately Max, as many readers of malindikenya.net will have read, has not been with us for a few days. We hope that other friends, his and ours, drawing on his example, can go on with us to do something to bring out talents and ensure a future for those who deserve it.
The Mijikenda Jazz Band is performing tonight at Tamu Beach Resort (Ex Stephanie Sea House) as part of an evening buffet dinner at KES. 1200 (excluding drinks) including show. An opportunity not only to discover an interesting local proposal, but also a place renovated in the name of meltin' pot and meeting.
For information and reservations: Tel. 0768870158