Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo to headline Kampala concert
Friday April 26 2019
Angelique Kidjo recieves the award for the Best World Music Album sing on stage during the 58th Annual Grammy music Awards in Los Angeles February 15, 2016. PHOTO | ROBYN BECK | AFP
Three time Grammy Award winner and singer, songwriter and social ctivist Angélique Kidjo will headline the Isaiah Katumwa Concert on April 30 at the Kampala Serena Hotel. She will be accompanied by Canadian saxophonist Darren Rahn.
The concert, an annual celebration of internationally acclaimed African jazz artistes, coincides with the International World Jazz Day marked on April 30 in nearly 200 countries around the world.
The concert is sponsored by Uganda Breweries Ltd under its Johnnie Walker brand.
In Kenya, the celebrations will be held in Nairobi at the Carnivore grounds and sponsored by Safaricom.
In a media briefing, Katumwa said he was excited by the line-up of the guest artistes.
“This year we bring you two international acts with great influence in both jazz and African music culture. We are looking forward to an evening that will be defined by the rich and eclectic sounds of two of the most outstanding jazz icons of our times.”
A creative force with 13 albums to her name, Kidjo is best known for hit singles Agolo, Wombo Lombo and a rendition of Malaika, one of Kenya's famous golden oldies by Fadhili Willams.
As a performer, her powerful vocals, stage presence and fluency in multiple languages have won respect from her peers and expanded her following around the world.
Kidjo fuses West African music traditions from Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and jazz, as well as influences from Europe and Latin America.
The contemporary jazzman Rahn boasts of over 25 number one radio singles and multiple Grammy nominations over the past 11 years as an artiste, producer and mixing engineer.
He has scored several hit songs with his best-known works being Talk of the Town and What Cha Gonna Do for Me.
“Kidjo and Rahn are phenomenal jazz artistes of great talent. Kidjo was named one of Africa’s most iconic figures by BBC and that alone qualifies her as the perfect headliner for us at this concert, because Johnnie Walker is an icon progress,” said Annette Nakiyaga, the head of luxury portfolio at UBL.
Tickets are going for Ush200,000 ($53) and a table of 10 is Ush4 million ($1,064).