There is nothing sweeter for me than to sit down with my book on Sunday evenings and put on Capital Jazz. (Capital FM 98.4)
The music is so smooth and soothing I always feel like am floating in some other world.

So the other day when I was listening to jazz and absorbing the words, I got to thinking. Why is it that such a beautiful form of music is appreciated by so few? And even fewer in Africa?
As an African, there are some things that make feel African. Deep music with sound messaging is one of them.
Music that is soulful and totally gets you to relate.

I then went digging into the origin of Jazz to try and figure out why it is some people and not others that love jazz.
Turns out jazz is deeply of African origin.

I got this excerpt from wikipedia:

' By 1808 the Atlantic slave trade had brought almost half a million Africans to the United States. The slaves largely came from West Africa and brought strong tribal musical traditions with them.[9] Lavish festivals featuring African dances to drums were organized on Sundays at Place Congo, or Congo Square, in New Orleans until 1843, as were similar gatherings in New England and New York. African music was largely functional, for work or ritual, and included work songs and field hollers. The African tradition made use of a single-line melody and call-and-response pattern, but without the European concept of harmony. Rhythms reflected African speech patterns, and the African use of pentatonic scales led to blue notes in blues and jazz.

In the early 19th century an increasing number of black musicians learned to play European instruments, particularly the violin, which they used to parody European dance music in their own cakewalk dances. In turn, European-American minstrel show performers in blackface popularized such music internationally, combining syncopation with European harmonic accompaniment. Louis Moreau Gottschalk adapted African-American cakewalk music, South American, Caribbean and other slave melodies as piano salon music. Another influence came from black slaves who had learned the harmonic style of hymns and incorporated it into their own music as spirituals.The origins of the blues are undocumented, though they can be seen as the secular counterpart of the spirituals. Paul Oliver has drawn attention to similarities in instruments, music and social function to the griots of the West African savannah.'

The excerpt continues to explain how there are so many kinds of Jazz as it was adapted in different slave areas and finally in North America and Europe.

As I continued to read, I wondered, did jazz then get stuck in America and Europe. Did it have a very hard time finding its way back home? In Africa? For Africans to appreciate what a little turning and twisting of the African drum beat could transform to?

For the past few years, the references I have heard on Jazz in Africa have been in South Africa. So intouch are they with this music, they even have an annual jazz festival. Very jazzemancipated I think. I remember listening to Jack of the Capital Jazz club interviewing musicians live from the festival and all I could think to myself was that...'I must attend this festival next year'. I must.

I remember also listening on radio about the world creole music festival. Creole was a slave language spoken mostly by South americans. In abid not to forget those hard slaveship days, they keep up festivals that will keep the culture and language alive.

Did you know that after slavery, a lot of the slaves did not want to speak the creole language? It was considered a lowly language to speak. The 'enlightened' free people tried as hard as possible to keep from speaking this language. What a shame! Music carries with it history and history is the tale of the people. The thread of information that allows us to know who we are and where we are from.

If this is so, what then is the case of Jazz in Kenya?I decided to be adventurous and google 'jazz in Kenya'.

Interesting results I found. For example this site that promised to hook you up with Jazz clubs around the world.

From the information they have on Jazz spots in Kenya, I dont think its a very recent site. But you check it out; http://www.jazz-clubs-worldwide.com/docs/kenya.htm

I also found however, information about recent jazz happenings for example the South african sponsored Jazz concert with a Key S.A musician Lira and Kenyan Valerie Kimani and Eric Kimani.
As it seems, the art and culture in the Kenyan people is awakening.
There are more concerts to do with soul music like the ever so beautiful events called Blankets and wine.
There are also some jazz nights that happen at the Sierra Lounge on Mombasa road as I hear.
I also have seen so many ads for the Jazz a cup event that happens at Junction each month, while claiming to be a moderate jazz lover, I have never been to this event. I will make a point to go this month.

I came across the Capital Jazz club group on facebook. Actually, I looked for it.
On it, some guys toying with the idea of a jazz festival in Kenya. From the responses, some strongly believed it could happen, some didnt.
I dont know where I stand as I really have to research more on how rooted jazz has become in Kenya. I also have to find out, who in Kenya, listens to Jazz.

What troubles me is the few numbers that seem to appreciate it or shoild I say the many numbers that are turned away because of some of the costs at these concerts.
Whilst we must agree that it is not cheap to put together some of these concerts, we must also agree that for a culture to grow, it needs to be inclusive of many.

As I wait for the change to happen, I shall continue to seep from whatever jazz cup comes my way and more importantly, a cup that I can afford. Have a jazzy one!