This week we feature Kenya’s finest Jazz guitarist Eddie Grey.
As an artist, Eddie Grey has been considered a fore runner in the entertainment circles and specifically for his contribution to jazz in East Africa. Coming from a musical family, he spent most of his childhood enjoying the influences of jazz, soul and pop artists at the time. The rest he defines as a gradual relationship with guitar driven music with stand out influences such as Ali Farka Toure, Tabu Ley, Django, Wes Montgomery, Joe pass, George Benson, Jonathan Butler, Bebo Norman, Earl Klugh, Tommy Emmanuel, Lionel Loueke and many others.
In a bid to find his own voice in an already saturated industry, he leaned more towards harmonically rich arrangements laid under folk melodies from the different cultures in Kenya. He went on to perform in many of the revered jazz spots in Nairobi and around East Africa. As it were, his sound was quickly identified and he further performed in various jazz festivals alongside other great acts. In January 2009 Eddie Grey released his debut album entitled NO TRAINS TO KIBERA. The album has since sold out twice and has made appearances on regional TV and on Africas popular talk shows featured on M-net.
Since 2010 Eddie Grey assembled a host of musicians through his musical expeditions round East Africa. The sounds picked across different regions influenced greatly the sound of his next album Stories by the Lake released in 2010. In this album he features Regional Artists such as Mulatu Astatke (Ethiopia)Solange (Democratic Republic of Congo)Nali Rabeson (Madagascar)Winyo (Kenya)June Gachui (Kenya)Olith Ratego (Kenya)Kate Bingley (London).
Eddie Grey has since embraced cultural music with the modern sound of hip hop and electronic music having performed with EDM greats like the legendary Afro Soul Dj Bodhi Satva, Dj Cortega and most recently Dj Somi of the Electric Djs.
In 2017, Eddie took his experimentation with electronic music a step further when he put together the Maad Orchestra – a collective of classical musicians, producers and arrangers whose music is fused with electronic elements. He followed this with the release of an EP titled Afromatic under his electronic music persona Maad Jikoni.
In 2018 after a 6 year recording process, Eddie Grey will release his 3rd Album, World to Come, a Psychedelic mix of Jazz, afro beat, rnb, hip hop and electronica that passes on strong messages on Tolerance, future of the environment, politics, love and self worth.
His new album is inspired by the revolutionary works of Miles Davis and the emergence of the Compton hip hop superstar Kendrick Lamar. It features major collaborations with U.K Grime artist NoLay as well as Jazz Pianist Aaron Rimbui and Jacob Asiyo. Other featured acts include The Batwa from Rwanda, Ugandan Saxophonist Brian Mugenyi, June Gachui and Angie Gachui, Indian Flute player Kirit Pattni, Scott the Violinist and other special acts.
Catch a listen to Eddie Grey at the following links
PLEASE NOTE
- J’s Fresh Kitchen accepts reservations so please make a reservation for a table should you know you will be coming for dinner.
- The number for reservations is 0707612585.
- J’s Westlands is a 23 years and older venue.
- The show starts promptly at 8pm so tables are held till 8pm after which they are opened to other customers.
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We want to welcome Heinenken as a partner for Thursday Nite Live at Js. Make sure to sample their Draft Heineken a tasty brew indeed.