Oliver Mtukudzi for this month’s Kigali Jazz Junction

This month, the Kigali Jazz Junction will take place on 26 October at the Kigali Serena Hotel. Zimbabwean singer Oliver Mtukudzi is set to lift local spirits as the headlining act.

The ‘Todii’ hit maker will be joined on stage by local artists Bruce Melodie and the Neptunez Band.

Music In Africa spoke to the Kigali Jazz Junction founder and curator Remmy Lubega about what to expect at this month's edition.

MUSIC IN AFRICA: What is the inspiration behind bringing Oliver Mtukudzi?

REMMY LUBEGA: Tuku is an icon of Afro-jazz if I may say, which makes it a dream come true for us to host him. He’s a symbol of African legends that have stuck to their authentic roots of music. What he calls Tuku music, you cannot find it with any other person. To us, he brings on stage and in Kigali, the experience of so many years on tour, recording and being an icon.

For those who have no clue of who Oliver Mtukudzi is, what would you tell them?

[Laughs] I doubt I am in the best position to describe Tuku and his music career.There are others who can paint a definite picture of how great an icon he is. But from where I stand, Tuku is an artist who is self-believing, who believes in pan-Africanism and a motivator who believes that for an artist to sing, there needs to a message to tell the people. So the public should come ready to listen to stories as he narrates each song before performing.

Moving forward, what impact do you think Mtukudzi’s performance will have on the event?

First of all, it gives us so much pride as organisers that we will be presenting him on stage. It’s a big milestone for us. From the level of excitement from our fans, the turnout will almost certainly be good because he has never been here before. It is our hope that his visit will also serve as inspiration to other African artists who were doubting whether Kigali Jazz Junction is a platform for them. So his performance will send a message out there: Kigali Jazz Junction is a diverse music platform.

What has been your highlight of the event this year?

That would have to be when we made it to three years in June. When we started this journey, it never occurred to us that we would achieve this much this soon. It’s a great satisfaction, having built this platform for the artists and the public. However, each show is special and brings special kinds of people.

How was last month’s event?

Last month the event was fairly good. We had diverse acts; a local folk music icon Jean Claude Muyango and Nigeria’s Waje. We could see a very rare audience that has never been to the event before. Most were enthusiasts of folk music. That event was sort of experimental to us. We were trying to see if we could attract people from diverse music backgrounds and that’s the ultimate vision of Kigali Jazz Junction; a place where other forms of music meet jazz. As for Waje, she put up a spirited performance and the Neptunez Band did a wonderful jazz session to end the day.

What changes do you think are in store for Kigali Jazz Junction going forward?

We plan to keep challenging ourselves. If you look at our stage productions from where we started to where we are, a lot has changed. We started with local and regional acts, today we are venturing into West and Southern Africa. We are currently looking at the US and we would like to do European acts in the near future. I am excited to announce that we have an Israeli act that will be coming in very soon. As from next year, we want to hold the biggest version of an international jazz festival, which will rub off from these monthly jazz events. So for the next International Jazz Day, we have artists from seven countries coming into celebrate the music. So that’s what we are working on, and it will give a twist to the whole event.

For more information about Kigali Jazz Junction, click here.