Event Review-Acoustic Worship 5

Footnotes: I did this review 3 months ago and it wasn't published so I figured, it does nothing better on my desktop. ION, join us for the fourth Twendelele this Saturday, titled An African Christmas.

  After practice, we all confirmed if we had our tickets on us as we hurried along Kenyatta Avenue towards the Alliance Francaise. It was the 4^th of September and the 5^th edition of Acoustic Worship was about to start. I took a detour and by the time I got to the Alliance reception area, the place was packed. As I craned my neck trying to figure out where my comrades were standing while we awaited for the opening of the Wangari Maathai Auditorium, I realised I was surrounded by notables.

  Since we had to wait, I decided to schedule an interview with Jaya, a lovely songstress. Meanwhile all around I could see people I am supposed to know and I didn't  Think of musicians in the live music gospel industry, the young ones, they were all (or most of them were) here.

  Once the two heavy doors to the auditorium swung wide, we all ‘lined’ up true Kenyan style, tickets in hand. Inside was the expected haggling for strategically placed seats, but nothing ugly. I have seen worse.

Ten minutes later, everything quieted down and the applause began as Kato Change and Noel Nderitu entered the stage.

Kato Change, Noel Nderitu, David Gitoho (background-Mathewmatix on drums).KweliMedia

With no official ‘MC’ in the mix, the focus was on the music. First off was a piece done by these two then the rest of the band joined them on stage all silently, almost solemnly, with no acknowledgement of our presence as the audience. It was a performance. A friend would later tell me, ‘it was like they came for a jamming session.’

  Noel Nderitu definitely impressed with his two songs and the back-up vocals later on in Karimi’s I belong to you. He sang in a clear and crisp tone, no unnecessary embellishments all over the place. The parts he adlibbed he did well, with well-placed runs that left the audience hanging on to every note.

His interaction was the closest we got to an MC and he did a fantastic job with his casual laid-back approach. He made fun of the pianist, George Nyoro and even himself, leaving chuckles that punctuated the entire event. I loved the reggae crowd-part for his song, Go.

  Kato Change as always, utilized his spotlight, amazing everyone and even more, the guitarists in the audience. His improvs are to die for. For a versatile jazz and blues-loving guitarist, one wonders what to highlight when Kato plays. This night he added some African two-chorded riff that left the audience humming to themselves. He also wrote a Luo song he couldn’t sing, as per his own admission.

The song, called Aparo was vocalized by Lisa who mesmerizes more and more. For those complex jazzy runs adlibs a la Ella Fitzgerald or Jill Scott, Lisa is the one to go to. She wowed everyone with her vocal technique as well as feel.

  Karimi was also in the performers list. She told of how she dreamt of singing at the Acoustic Worship since the first one. Her dream had come true and she did leave a mark. Everyone remembers the powerful-voiced belter at the concert. The blend of her song,I belong to you with Isaac Houghton’s I know who I am was my favorite.

Karimi the belter. Source: KweliMedia.Copyright Mwangi Kirubi.

  You rarely get to hear (I have never) the bass guitar sound like an acoustic classical one. David Gitoho, from the UK as Kato informed us turned that instrument into something else. His bass guitar solo was worth writing home and pinning somewhere. He added the licks you would hear in a kawaida acoustic guitar with some breathtaking improvs that left even the non-musical members of the audience shaking their heads in wonder.

  Words fail to describe when you need them to. He even did a rendition of Lord I lift your name on high, the popular and classic Pentecostal song.    His looping enabled him to do much more. He admitted to having had ‘goofs’of which I am sure very few, probably only 2, people noticed.

  It is not that there were no songs done with the band as a whole, but the set up was such that the strength of every performer was highlighted.

  The percussions, played by Mobutu Sese and the drums by Mathewmatix Rabala also had their moment to be heard. Using mime-like movements, these two left the audience in bouts of laughter with their simple dramatic performance. This of course did not overshadow their performance as they exchanged instruments, each one trying to outdo the other. Mobutu Sese was all-out playing the full percussion set that had a djembe, congas and dununs not counting the shakers and sticks with a lot of energy and vigor. I did not know Mathewmatix could play percussions that well as well.

Mobutu Sese.KweliMedia

   However, it was their versatility that caught the ear of the audience as they moved through different styles from salsa to isukuti then back to ragga then hip-hop followed by chakacha then bossa nova. To make it better, they increased the tempo to a mind-blowing climax that earned them a standing ovation.

The man who stole most people’s hearts though was George Nyoro, the pianist. His arrangement of gospel hymns such as As the deer panteth and Baba Hakuna was remarkable. His playing is not just technically impressive but also very expressive. His arrangements too were mindboggling. The fact that he is a jazz pianist gives a clue. His way of playing around with modulations and tempo-change, not mentioning his speed places him among the most promising pianists Kenya is yet to see.

Words do not fully describe the precision and clarity of the pieces presented that evening. The audience sat down for about ten minutes after the last piece, not believing that it had actually ended. I believe good musicianship is all about growth which comes from learning. If the standards being set by these young musicians are anything to go by, then the industry is on the right path.