Getting lost in the sweet rhythm

It is 7pm and the mood at the National Theatre is dreary. The sun has shied from the skies and some chill is catching on, so the natural option for me was to go get a hot cup of coffee while waiting for Percussion Discussion Africa (PDA) to set up ahead of their weekly offering at the theatre.

Minutes to 8pm, Herman Ssewanyana, PDA’s groupleader, passes his iPod to the technician and it is a great dose of western African sounds, certainly a rich inspiration for PDA, Uganda’s well-kept percussion secret.

Meanwhile revellers, largely foreigners, begin taking their seats and humming to the sounds comes naturally, as they whet their appetites for the evening’s main menu. It is not long before the singers take their position at an improvised stage.

One member catches my eye, a young boy doing the shakers. He is Ssewanyana’s grandchild and as the performances grip the crowd, he makes good of his height and age to announce that he can do more than shakers. He is a good dancer too.

And so is old-timer Said Kasule, the towering saxophonist, who puts up a heedful demeanor but has everything to show for an excited soul when music takes over.

Omwana w’ensenene (child of the Nsenene clan) like Ssewanyana is known since that Afrigo 1993 song, is loving every moment of his time on the drums.

Drums send his heart home and their thudding sound sends the revellers to their feet. His sweaty face tells more, with a smile and willingness to enliven the child in him with frolics of playing the drum using his elbows. He then supports it using his teeth and rhythmically beats it on and on.

Mike Musoke is lead vocalist and he gets lost in the music in his own way. He sometimes sends the effect into the crowd as he soulfully bellows out fine tunes that have made PDA a popular gem. Songs like Nakawunde which featured in the Last King of Scotland, Mulamu, among other tracks. The African belles come on stage to complete the African dance and also engage the audience into the cross-ethnic dances and songs.

This is what you will enjoy at the special night where it is all about African flavour. It is served on stage by an outfit that has done this for almost 15 years; a mastery marriage of African instruments and western instruments.

This richness has taken PDA places and in this case, places mean great worldwide festivals and concerts at which they have been invited to perform and share Uganda’s musical fertility.

At the climax of the gig, you will not be left seated. The tempo is high and you will naturally join in on the excitement on the dance floor as the sweaty band members let you taste African music up-close.

You will not feel guilty for throwing your modest side to the winds and get into the flow. This is what happens when percussion is on the agenda of discussion in a musical manner.

rbatte@ug.nationmedia.com