It took jazz maestro Isaiah Katumwa about three hours to blow the roof off Serena Hotel’s Victoria Hall on July 20. I sat in the capacity-packed hall amongst ministers, top business people, men and women young and old, including uniform-clad teenagers from Nabisunsa Girls’ School, and found it hard to believe that one guy with a saxophone had the crowd so completely captivated.
The most excited ones were perhaps Information and National Guidance Minister Mary Karoro Okurut and Parliament’s Public Relations Manager Hellen Kaweesa, who danced and sang along non-stop through three hours of a performance that spanned through favourites old and new, including greats by Elly Wamala and Mariam Makeba.
But the house came down, when Katumwa was joined by Maurice Kirya and Myk Ouma, both on their guitars.
The house was full by 7.30pm, a surprise since the economic down-turn is said to have left most Ugandans broke and the Shs 100,000 entry fee is enough fuel for a week. But one reveler said she would have paid a million not to miss the night.
I never thought I could a concert – moreover a jazz concert – so much and I fully support Katumwa’s ongoing tour of schools to encourage teenagers to nurture their talents.
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