Myko Ouma, Uganda’s very own internationally acclaimed guitar maestro is having a concert this Friday 13th at the Kampala Serena Hotel. The concert, aptly titled Myko Ouma: Season one, will be the artist’s first solo concert. After the release of his self titled album, Ouma embarked on a Europe tour, taking his unique playing style on the road. He has garnered a diverse following for his music and has fans all over the world. Now, he is bringing some of that rare talent back home with the concert of a lifetime.
Like most musicians of great renown, Ouma started his craft in church. His love affair with music and his guitar continued through school where he studied western music. Not content with limiting himself to generic genres of music, he began to experiment with traditional Ugandan instrumentation. His proficiency with traditional instruments and unique handle on Ugandan folk music as well as his foundation in more contemporary western styles is the inspiration for his personal technique.
Myko Ouma has often been referred to as a world fusion musician. However, he does not classify his musical style under any strict genre labels.
“A lot of the time”, he says, “Just because you are an instrumentalist, people tend to refer to you as a jazz musician, regardless of the sub genre you might play. I play instrumentally led music which is not necessarily traditional jazz. I like to incorporate different influences in my performances.”
With great acclaim and an avid fan base, one might wonder why he is only just having his first solo concert. In answer to this Ouma says;
“Now is the right time. Before my craft was still simmering and all you were getting was the aroma; a whiff of what was to come. Myko Ouma: Season one is the food, well cooked and ready to be served.”
A man obviously acquainted with breaking the norm, he has set his sights on attracting a very assorted audience to his concert. He says,
“I expect anyone who enjoys music, from ages zero to infinity, to be there. My fans should expect a feel-good concert, one where they will be edified.”
Ouma stresses that in as much as it may be his concert; there is so much incredible talent that is going to be on display. He looks at this concert as an opportunity to showcase the great musicians that Uganda has to offer. Fans can look forward to some already established names in the industry like Maurice Kirya, Tamba and Susan Kerunen as well as some other up and coming musicians.
When asked what he wanted fans to take away from this concert, Ouma said,
“I don’t want to give anything away. Come watch the concert and be blown away by what we have in store.” He added, “I want each person to leave with their own highlight. For someone to be able to say ‘That saxophonist I’d never heard before was truly amazing’ or that there was a great collection of talent there.”
I’ve heard Myko play a few times and on each occasion he channels greatness as no one I’ve seen before. His effortless mastery of his instrument and beautiful delivery makes it impossible to dispute that he was born to do this. Myko Ouma: Season one offers Uganda unmatched talent, wonderful personalities and breathtaking music: what’s not to love? Myko Ouma has promised a great show and I’m definitely going to go and find out if he is a man of his word. I hope to see you there!
