As I listened to Uncle Rex's richly textured jazz guitar sound at the gala closing dinner for The 3rd  IIPT African Conference on Peace Through Tourism in  Zambia, last February I was totally dazzled. Throughout the week I had been asking the people in the city of Lusaka, "Who's big in Zambian music?" and inevitably his name would come up. I was intrigued by the idea of "Uncle Rex," who was said to play "Zambian jazz," something I had never heard of. And I was thrilled when I heard he was the featured guest at the dinner.

That night Uncle Rex's smooth and sweet brand of jazz, with strong reverberations of its African origins, left me excited, feeling that I had stumbled on something truly unique. This was a sound that stretched the boundaries of American jazz, while still honoring its form.

I spoke to Rex briefly the next day in the lobby of my hotel as I got ready to leave for Livingstone, my next destination. A soft-spoken and elegant man, he graciously gave me a copy of his debut solo album "Fingerspeech," which was released in April, 2004, by the Zambian label Mondo Music, and it has rarely left my CD player since I got home.  "Fingerspeech" is a masterpiece of cool, inspired jazz. Produced collectively by Uncle Rex, Sebastian Mutale and Joe Chibangu, the album features Uncle Rex's original compositions and his take on traditional songs such as "Ubushimibe," "Tubalemye,"  "Akabwela," and the beautiful "Muchalo," which showcases the sensual saxophone of Hubert Odia. 

Opening with the Uncle Rex composition "Homeland," this CD draws you into the gentle but sometimes edgy sound of Uncle Rex's electric and acoustic guitars, as he sets up the groundwork for various guest singers and instrumentalists. Each track contains its own unique beauty. "Natotela" is a hypnotic synthesis of Zambian rhythms and American jazz featuring the vocals of Alica Chuma, while "Urban Chant," features guitar solos with a taste of Carlos Santana along the edges. On "Special Places" and "Mama Hey" (with vocals provided by Mondo Music recording artist JK) Uncle Rex proves he's as adept with an acoustic guitar as he is with an electric, reminiscent of some of the early acoustic guitar work of jazz legend Joe Pass or Earl Klugh.

Rex "Uncle Rex" Mukubonda was born in Kabwe, the third son in a family of ten. They were a musical family, and Rex grew up taking guitar lessons from his father, a Zambia Railways mechanic, and his brother J.J. After cutting his teeth in a variety of local bands he moved to Lusaka in 1986, playing with a variety of gospel bands before becoming a founding member of the popular gospel band, Reality, for whom he wrote and produced songs. In 2002 he set out on his own and started doing session work, working with such artists as J.K., Maureen Lilanda, Joe Chibangu, and Jane Osborne. He was a Ngomo award winner in 2002, won the Azam award in 2002 and 2003, and was nominated for "The Most Promising African Artist" award at the 2003 Kora All African Music Awards.

Uncle Rex considers himself a pioneer in the world of Zambian jazz and "Fingerspeech" speaks clearly to both lovers of jazz and African music aficionados. It's a real pleasure to hear a CD that is the true realization of an artist's creative vision. In this CD Uncle Rex paves the way for a new sound that will be fascinating to follow as he, hopefully, continues to record more of this "Zambian Jazz," and lets his sound grow.

For more on Uncle Rex and new music from Zambia, visit www.mondomusic.co.zm .  The site will also let you hear selections from and  buy this record. 

Contributed by: Elena Skye