A multicultural band fronted by a female bassist, a renowned singer and percussionist and a DJ who combines electronic dance music with traditional rhythms, make for an exciting mix of sounds to celebrate this year’s World Music Day in Kenya.
Every June 21, the event also known by its French name, Fête de la Musique, brings together artistes and their fans in a showcase of the power of music.
The annual event first marked in 1982 in Paris, France, is a celebration of the diversity of rhythms with performances in public spaces and parks. It is now a global event taking place in more than 120 countries and over 1,000 cities, around the world.
Here in Nairobi, the performance by three artistes of diverse styles and cultural backgrounds; percussionist Kasiva Mutua, Sundanese bass guitarist Islam Elbeiti and electronic music DJ/producer Suraj, resonates with the objective of World Music Day in making all genres of music accessible to the public.
Elbeiti will kick off the concert with her fusion of jazzy rhythms and traditional music from her native Sudan and neighbouring Ethiopia. The bassist will be accompanied by her friend, Sudanese singer-songwriter, and composer Mohammed Adam, also known as Wd Abbo.
Sudanese bass guitarist Islam Elbeiti during a performance to raise awareness about the effects of the war in Khartoum.
Photo credit: Pool
Elbeiti’s style is primarily Ethio-Jazz, the fusion of traditional Ethiopian music with Western jazz that has been globally acknowledged thanks to a revival of songs recorded in the 1960s and 70s.
“We the Sudanese always fuse our music with Ethiopian music and vice versa,” she explains about the connection between the two cultures. “I also tap into Sudanese wedding music. I am so happy that I can give people in Nairobi a different flavour of music which is quite distinct from mainstream jazz.”
She expresses her pride in the group of musicians that she will be playing with during the concert because they have been performing as a unit since November 2024. “I am an instrumentalist so the bass is my voice, while Mohammed is a vocalist,” says Elbeiti.
“It is important as a woman that my first option is not to sing at all, as many would expect, but to play an instrument.”
Her band consists of guitarist Max Walter, whom she first met in the DRC in 2016 and is also associated with the group Ngoma Task Force, Amani Baya on drums, and guitarist Jack Muguna.
“I have the hottest horn section in Nairobi, in fact, one of the hottest horn sections in Africa,” she says with cheeky laughter. “And that is not just to be arrogant, but we must aim for the highest musical standards.”
The horn section comprises trombonist Jason Rae, a classically trained musician who plays with the Nairobi Orchestra and has performed with top contemporary acts like Blinky Bill, Maia von Lekow and Kidum; saxophonist Laka Waithaka, who is also a member of the jazz ensemble Shamsi Music, and trumpeter Benji Khaleel who is originally from the US but is now based in Kenya. Khaleel, who is also of the Nairobi-based group The Jazzified, is an internationally experienced musician who performs with both classical ensembles and contemporary music acts.
“We are a tight band but every performance is a different show, so we have been devoting time to intense rehearsals,” notes Elbeiti.
Percussionist and Singer Kasiva Mutua.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Singer-songwriter, guitarist and drummer, Kasiva Mutua who is in the middle of a world tour promoting her debut album Desturi, released to much acclaim this February, will be performing songs from that album and her 2022 EP Ngewa.
The renowned percussionist will showcase her unique fusion of rhythms, from coastal beats like chakacha to the throbbing isikuti of Western Kenya to a raft of global influences that she has picked up in the course of tours and collaborations, like the Western African djembe drums and the tropical sounds of the Indian Ocean islands.
“We will light up the stage with jazz, percussions and electrifying beats,” says Kasiva who performed at the Sakifo Music Festival in the Reunion Island earlier this month. “It will be groovy, rhythmic and non-stop energy.”
It will also create momentum as she gears up for a whirlwind European tour with concert dates over the next few weeks in Italy, Serbia, Belgium, Spain and Poland.
DJ Suraj on the decks during the Fête de la Musique (World Music Day) concert at the Alliance Française Gardens in Nairobi on June 21, 2021.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Producer, sound engineer and DJ, Suraj, has enriched his electronic dance music with traditional music elements from different regions of the country and he has plenty of exciting sounds to select for his set list, including his 2025 single Songa Songa and an upcoming song Mamaye that he has been playing at recent shows.
Saturday night’s Fête de la Musique concert at the Alliance Francaise, Nairobi, starting 7pm, is an opportunity to experience a rich variety of music played by artistes whose career paths may be different but who hold dear the belief in the power of the rhythms that they bring to this important occasion.
