It had been a while since watching a real band played music with commitment and professional delivery.
It took Mombasa Roots, up in Nairobi for a one-off gig and also to offer personal condolences to Them Mushrooms Band who were laying to rest their guitarist George Zirro Harrison at the Langata Cemetery, to remind me how good and professional a band can be.
The gig was at Club 1824 on Langata Road. Only one face was familiar to me in the Roots. Bass player and leader Ebrahim Juma. The last time I watched him play with the band his brother Ahmed Emil Juma played guitar alongside keyboardist and other brother Suleiman Juma.
Sitting on the skins those days was Tamrat Kebede. Since that time, Emil has passed on, Tamrat left for Los Angeles to play drums for Ethiopian legend the late Tilahun Gessesse. Tamrat also passed on later. Ebrahim’s brother Suleiman is on his way back after spending 10 years in Canada. How time moves. The touching story with the Roots is that Tamrat’s son, Kidu Thomas now sits on the drum stool in place of his dad. On guitar these days is Gabriel Kazungu, Brian Odongo tickles the ivories.
The surprise package is someone I can only equate to a pocket atom bomb –Esther Itotia. She has an amazing pair of lungs and handles an Ovation semi-accoustic guitar with dexterity. Ebrahim runs a tight ship. The delivery is crisp and powerful, channelled through a 24- channel on stage mixer which makes every instrument distinctly clear and recognisable.
Roots repertoire at Club 1824 ran from Marvin Gaye’s Let’s get it On to the Eagles 1976 Grammy award winning Hotel California and the raunchy 1975 Patti Labelle classic Lady Marmalade (Voulez vous Coucher Avec Moi (Ce Soir) through its 2001 Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink reincarnation. There was some funk too and Ebrahim reminded those of a certain age just what a force of nature James Brown had been. The audience was transfixed. Now that was one heck of a show.
Just goes to show why reputation is such an important thing to safeguard in this business. There was a time nobody gave two bob about who you are and what you’re about. Well, those days are gone now. Roots are in a world where they realised a long time ago what they say and how they say it, what they do and how they do it is everyone’s business. Not just their business. It invariably has determined their livelihood despite the myriad bands that have come after them.
The music industry is about image and perception; and reputation is key. Have we not seen artistes rise because of what people think about them and then fall flat because they go ahead and and ruin that image about themselves? The Kenyan music industry is a close-knitted community. Case in point, it was easy to spot guys in the game or who once were at the Roots show. It was great to see George Monte, a drummer of incredible skill in his heyday. Jay Sax of the Weavers Band and his lady, Kelly Chome who is cutting an album at Ketebul Music and a good many more. Reputation does take one a long way.
It is also about honouring agreements. Some bands get paid to do a gig but never show up or do so not on time to do the job they’ve been paid to do. Who likes an artiste with a diva attitude? Some even get drunk and pass out in their hotel room before the show.
When this business is approached with a professional attitude it will be evident in the results one gets.