We lost Professor Alexander Mwa Odonga last week. Our friend and mentor, who taught us surgery at Makerere University Medical School, died at Mulago Hospital on Tuesday, August 24 after a very long and distinguished life of service to humanity. A Makerere graduate in the class of 1948, Mr. Odonga was the symbol of Ugandan […]
Thank you for the music Rudy Van Gelder (1924-2016)
If, like me, you consider the great Jazz recordings from the 1950s and 60s on Blue Note, Prestige and Impulse labels to be some of the greatest treasures in the creative arts, you should spare a moment and thank the recording engineer who made it possible for us to enjoy the exceptional music that the […]
Break the chains of dependency: Tusaba Gavumenti Tweyambe
Tusaba Gavumenti Etuyambe is a cynical take on the pervasive culture of dependency, entitlement and unlimited power of the state. It speaks of a symbiotic parasitic marriage between ruler and subject. The government is the giver of everything. The citizen is the passive beneficiary. The government belongs to a small group with weapons. The citizen […]
Beware of the dark world of the Internet
Social media like Facebook and WhatsApp are valuable tools for communication of positive and constructive information. However, they are also dangerous forums through which cowards and small-minded people merchandise lies that they would not dare state face-to-face. Once posted on the Internet, outright fabrications and myths become quotable sources for the gullible. Some […]
Lalo Symphonie Espagnole: timeless beauty of the violin
Composer: Edouard Lalo 1823-1892), Frenchman Music: Symphonie Espagnole in D Minor, Op. 21 This is a violin concerto, composed in 1874. A timeless, beautiful work, with a lot of Spanish sounds. Exquisitely sweet when played by the masters. I first heard this work in 1994, on a recording with Heryk Szering as the soloist. I […]
Sublime music of Charles-Camille Saint Saens guaranteed to please
I have spent the afternoon with Charles-Camille Saint Saens (9 October 9, 1835 – December 16, 1921), the French composer whose Romantic period piano music never fails to please. The Symphony No. 3 in C minor, op. 78 “Organ Symphony” is sweet and riveting, not only because of the great organ sound, but the sweet […]
Memories of England’s troublesome beauty
I write this aboard an Air Canada flight from London to Toronto, racing at 848 km per hour, 11 kilometers above sea level, with nothing particularly concentrating my mind. While I listen to Gabriela Montero’s gorgeous performance of Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18, I marvel at the genius of […]
