Annual Nile Gold Jazz & Soul Safari concert is back with a lot of changes this time. The event that is highly marked on Uganda’s social calendar is scheduled to take place on 8th October 2016 which will be on the Independence Day eve. Organizers of the concert have today announced what will make this year’s concert way different from the eight editions they had previously organized.
For starters, instead of taking place at Kampala Serena Hotel, the event will this year be held at Lugogo Cricket Oval on Jinja Road. Ticket prices were also significantly sliced from 200,000/- to 130,000/- for Gold and VIP tables reduced from 3,150,000/- to 2,500,000/-
Along with other surprises in store are Internationally recognized Reggae Icon Maxi Priest, Saxophonist Jackiem Joyner a.k.a Lil man Soul who is an established contemporary jazz artist. Trumpeter Lin Rountree a.k.a The Soul-Trumpeter will also grace the event with his instrumental soul-jazz.
Local talent will this time around be given a chance to showcase their talent and share the stage with internationally recognized starts. Critics have shown mixed reactions on social media over these changes especially the change of venue, saying that it’s a move in the wrong direction since the event is considered to be attended by only the high social class.
According to Tshaka “Roots” Mayanja, founder and CEO of Jazz Safari, this year’s edition will be all about Jazz-Funk and Lovers Rock, “Each year, our priority is to create artistic experiences that are representative of the diverse nature of the genre, creating new layers of the jazz landscape,” he said, adding that domes are to be erected on the turf to replicate the indoor feel of Serena “to maintain our usual class and hospitality for all the fans”.