Salif Keita leaves fans yearning for more at Nairobi jazz festival

The iconic Malian star Salif Keita treated a packed house at the Bomas of Kenya last weekend to a high quality performance during the Safaricom International Jazz Lounge.

The sold out show opened with singer and keyboardist James Gogo and the Gogosimo Band playing an eclectic half hour set that ranged from jazz, salsa to rhythm and blues all flavoured with influences from the Kenyan Coast.

The band played a lively rendition of Music in Africa, the shoulder-shaking Kalamashaka containing an improvised Michael Jackson guitar riff and a funky smooth jazz number called "Pakuwa".

Background vocalist, Maggie lit up the crowd with her sensual dancing during the song Gogosimo before an encore performance of "Kibwewe".

The highlight of the show came just before 9.30pm when Sailf Keita walked on to stage accompanied by two female vocalists and his five-piece band complete with the kora (the West African harp), ngoni (traditional lute) along with keyboard and guitars. He shouted a greeting in French, “Ca va bien?” and responded to the uproarious reception with ‘Asante’.

He began with an acoustic set performed while seated and then the energy of the concert picked up with a combination of the ngoni and guitars before he got to the outstanding Yamore, the fourth song of the set. Originally done as a duet with the late Cape Verdean Cesaria Evora, it was delivered with the same intensity as the recorded version with a percussion-heavy improvisation.

By the time Keita got to "Tekere", he was on his feet and the packed auditorium was dancing to the screaming guitars, frenetic drumming, plucking of the kora, sweet harmonies and above all the soaring voice of Keita.

KICKS OFF HIS SHOES

The star of the night kicked off his shoes and was now barefoot leading the crowd in a chant to the rhythm of the music.

The obvious crowd favourite was Africa with a huge eruption greeting the distinctive opening notes of the song and a loud cheer on the mention of Nairobi in the lyrics.

Keita who wore a white robe imprinted with the map of Africa, responded to the energy by leaping up and down, a little unusual for a performer who is usually happy just to let his voice do the singing.

Throughout the show he was a lot more expressive than he’s been known to be in the past and was clearly feeding off the energy from the fans dancing just beneath the stage and around the auditorium.

There were a few shortcomings during the hour and a half performance, notably the poor sound quality, and it was evident that Keita could not hide his irritation after the opening song. Long time fans of his music would also have been disappointed that the repertoire did not include favourites like "Mandjou" and "Nou pas bouger".

Speaking after the show, the singer offered his reflections: “I believe even though Kenyans didn’t understand what I was saying, they had tears in their eyes, they were sensitive and danced and when you dance then you forget your problems.”

After landing in Nairobi early last week, Keita travelled to Zanzibar for the Jahari Festival on Friday night before returning to Nairobi on Saturday.

“Look at the crowd this evening! I perform in the US, around Europe and as far as Japan and it is always great. I can’t say that one place is better than the rest.

All over the world, people are good and I must always know how to communicate with everyone.”

Salif Keita’s voice always carries a show but his band was brilliant too, often responding to his prompting to treat the crowd to improvised interludes of the kora, guitar or drums.

“I understand what it takes for a musician to play in my group. It is a question of sensitivity, the choice is not very easy because I must take people who are a reflection of myself and those who can interpret the music that I want.”

After achieving so much success in his career what ambitions does he still aim for? “Musicians should always get together and get involved. You may get the impression that you have done a lot but in reality it is insignificant. So you must keep striving to improve and be the best you can be.”

He offers this lesson to young musicians in Kenya and Africa generally: “You should love music, even if you encounter problems at the beginning. When you love music then the opportunities will appear.”