Kenyan Chronicles: Medium-Sized Fish in Small Bowl!

There’s no doubt about it – Nairobi is a small bowl musically speaking. Opportunities come up here that never would for an amateur musician (a.k.a small / medium-sized fish!) like myself in the UK. Four years ago, I, and other members of Nairobi Orchestra, got to play with Cape Town Opera when they put on a condensed version of Porgy and Bess in Kenya. And that same year, I played a flute concerto – something I’d never dreamt of doing! In April, I was asked by a couple of professional musicians from Austin, Texas, who are working at Makumira University in Arusha, Tanzania for a year, to join them and 2 other professionals from the U.S. in some wind quintet concerts. Their usual flautist had been unable to join them – and there I was, just 6 hours up the road in Nairobi! A terrific opportunity, yet decidedly daunting at the same time! Even more so when I started to receive the music, which comprised predominantly of East African compositions containing a number of fairly complex rhythms taking me somewhat out of my comfort zone!

Mt Meru from the university campus

It was my first time in Tanzania. It was interesting to see the similarities and contrasts to Kenya. Or maybe I’m really just comparing it with Nairobi. On the Makumira University campus, it’s beautifully green, pollution-free, and away from the hustle and bustle of traffic and hordes of people that we know in Nairobi. Monkeys leap fearlessly from tree to tree, and casqued hornbills roost in the treetops. Dominating the background (when it’s clear) is Mt Meru – and from the 4th floor of the music building, you can see Mt Kilimanjaro. There’s not nearly so much available here as there is in Nairobi, and power cuts were certainly pretty frequent over the week. Tanzanians, at least those I met, are very friendly, and reminded me of Ugandans (or up-country Kenyans) in that respect. Very courteous, and speak ‘safi’ (literally clean) Swahili, rather than the ‘less correct’ Swahili spoken in Kenya. (They say that Swahili was born in Tanzania, got sick in Kenya, died in Uganda, and was buried in Congo!!) Around the campus are the sounds of music of various forms – both Western and African. The music programme there seems excellent, and the teaching staff very supportive of the students, having evidently invested significantly and personally into the programme and the students themselves.

Tree-lined path at Makumira University campus

The music that we were playing in the 2 main concerts was the culmination of a project that Daris has been doing over the last year, encouraging the writing of music in an East African style for Western instruments, so that they could be introduced in a Western context. Some of our pieces were written by students here, whilst others were from students from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Interspersed were a couple of more traditional wind quintet pieces – partly reward to the listeners’ ears, and partly as a bit of respite for our brains!!

Wild Basin Winds and Friends

The Medium-Sized Fish!

Wild Basin Winds and Friends consisted of myself on flute, Liz on oboe, Gary on clarinet, Daris on bassoon, and Tom on French horn. For quite a number of pieces, we were joined by Randy on piano, plus various djembe players. We also had a small choir (and a cowbell!) on one particular piece telling of a man of respect coming to talk to a group of young people about life.

We had rehearsals together each evening, and it was fun! It was such a privilege to play with such talented musicians, and be a part of this beautiful sound that each instrument was contributing to. For the people of Arusha, it was a rare opportunity to go to a concert performed by professionals. And for this amateur, the whole experience was just a real treat.

Musicians and one of the composers, Kaghondi

As well as the main concerts, we presented a slightly different programme in 2 schools, including brief introductions to the various instruments. Both were received very well by the children, the first being the most notable in that the children there had probably never seen these instruments before.

With the singers and Dr. Tamusuza from Makerere University, Kampala

I’m not sure that I’ll ever get an opportunity to play with a group of this calibre again, but living in a small bowl like Nairobi, you just never know!