A performance that surprised the entire audience at the International Jazz Day organized by Afrolect in Nairobi, and particularly the Kenyans, who were literally mesmerized.
Italian harpist Kety Fusco, who has made Ticino her home, enchanted the audience with a solo performance, playing her instrument in a creative and professional manner, dancing and manipulating keys, volumes, and rhythms on an electronic pad.
The set by the fascinating musician from Pisa was cleverly sandwiched between the concert by Kenyan music legend Mzee Ngala and the jam session by the 'host', trumpeter and organiser Mackinlay Mutsembi.
Kety launched Mass House, the venue inside the Nairobi racecourse, in a space-time dimension unprecedented in Kenya, where ambient sounds mixed with modern programming and sounds, all sublimated by the harpist's physicality and emotional transport. “I don't know if any of you have ever seen this instrument in action, live,” Mackinlay asked the audience. It was certainly the best possible “baptism” for dozens of Kenyans, as well as a wonderful discovery for the many foreigners of various nationalities attending the festival. For those in Nairobi, Kety will be performing again tonight at the Geco Café in Lavington, where she will be taking part in a jam session with Mackinlay and his musicians.
Below is our interview with Kety Fusco at the International Jazz Day in Nairobi.