By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

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Uganda's club, Jazzville, and its resident jazz band Code 9 celebrated a decade of live music with a rebranding and relaunch party recently, cementing their place as the capital of everything jazz in the region.

Jazzville, which also serves as a restaurant and bar, is located on Bandali Rise, in Bugolobi, a bustling upscale suburb of Kampala. The new look now features a soft and warm coloured décor and soundproofing for better acoustics.

The soundproofing was a major decision as Jazzville was among the night clubs and bars that were shut down in 2015 by the Kampala Capital City Authority for noise pollution.

The main club building is now an extensive thatched-roof canopy covering the main bar and performance stage with a capacity to host 300 people.

The redesign also added a VIP section aptly dubbed Legends Corner and a spacious dining area overlooking the live entertainment stage. The outdoor faux beach bar has also been renovated.

The new interior now has neon lights that bounce off the walls adorned with musical instruments and paintings and pictures of famous local and international music stars, such as Philly Lutaaya. The sunken gypsum ceiling has a guitar crafted in the middle.

To complete the makeover, the new menu now offers mainly continental food served with a variety of local and international beverages.

To keep patrons entertained and attract new ones, Jazzville has a new entertainment schedule running from 4pm to midnight from Wednesday to Sunday, hosting musicians, comedians, poets and other performing creatives.

Wednesday is comedy night with Pablo; Thursday Tune features new, up-and-coming artists; Friday is a live performance by the resident band, Code 9, in action; Saturdays is DJ night and Rhythm Sundays offers salsa dancing. Entry Ush20,000 ($5.3) every day.

Having been in existence for a decade, Jazzville has hosted international music stars such as Namibian award winning folk songwriter/singer and guitarist, G.R. Mosimane, East Africa's Kaz Kasozi, Suzan Kerunen, Tshilla and Sauti Ya Afrika.

Code 9, besides being the resident band, also plays at corporate functions and weddings with its wide repertoire of jazz, rock, blues and rumba cover songs.

The founder of Jazzville, who is also the band leader of Code 9, Christopher Ireland, believes that Jazzville has survived a decade because it has became an important space on the entertainment scene.

“Its a space for promoting the creative arts and we have mentored, trained and developed the careers of many singers and instrumentalists in the country.”

Although Code 9 has been around for a decade, it only has only produced one song, the 2015 single One More Time, but there are plans to do more in the near future.

So how did the band survive a decade of doing cover music? Ireland says, “Entertainment is always changing, with new trends, styles, and venues giving competition every day. But if you concentrate on your passion and the people you are serving, you will have a long-lasting business.”

Kampala and the region for that matter is wired to the DJ culture and live music is reserved for special functions, but Jazzville has survived by working with clients' music taste and demands.

''People still want live music. We have performed at many corporate events and weddings, and there is a real desire by audiences to connect with artists today,” Ireland observes, and adds, ''Our tagline says it all, ‘The home of live entertainment.’”