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Samite of has been called the “unofficial ambassador of Uganda to the US.” With the release of seven albums in the US since his 1987 arrival here, Samite has demonstrated his mastery of traditional Bagandan music and instruments, and indeed proven this prestigious title to be true. Often backed by guitar, bass and drums on his albums, Samite blends impossibly fast, interlocking kalimba (thumb piano) playing with an assortment of traditional and western flutes, madindas (xylophones) and his tenor voice. Over the past two decades, Samite has received glowing reviews from sources as varied and prestigious as the New York Times, Billboard and Joseph Shabala of Ladysmith Black Mombazo. Indeed, audiences everywhere seem to adore Samite’s exuberant performances.
Born and raised in Uganda, Samite was exposed to traditional music from an early age. As a child, his grandfather taught him to play the endere (traditional flute). His family’s upper middle class status allowed him to attend a prestigious primary school in King Edward Mutesa II’s palace, where Samite heard traditional musicians playing for the nobles. The tenants of his mother’s apartments would play kalimbas and sing traditional songs behind their houses after work and Samite would go out and listen, absorbing the complex, interwoven parts that would later work themselves into Samite’s own music.
While the generally upbeat and vibrant melodies of Samite’s music may evoke liveliness and joy, they are hardly indicative of his long and often tragic journey through life and a musical career. Fleeing the oppressive Idi Amin regime, Samite settled in , where, in his words “I became a musician.” His brother, however, was not so lucky. Like the estimated 300,000 others who lost their lives under Amin’s authoritarian rule, Samite’s brother was killed by the Ugandan military. Escaping the grief of his brother’s death, Samite began playing flute and saxophone with Bacchus Club Jazz and the African Heritage Band. While he played predominantly Western music on a European flute, Samite held traditional aesthetics and songs close in his mind. Over time, he itched to rediscover the traditional music of his youth. As he notes in an interview with Christina Roden, “At that time, I wasn\'t playing any kalimbas. When I\'d been in about a year and a half, I started missing home. I was thinking about things I\'d left behind in , like the thumb piano and other African string instruments. I started to play the kalimba again and found out that I knew more than I realized!” Samite began touring solo and found tremendous support for the traditional music he had embraced.
After meeting his future wife (an American teacher) in Kenya, Samite emigrated to the US in 1987 and quickly began recording his music and going on tour. Samite has since toured extensively throughout the US, playing at concert halls, universities and festivals from Seattle to Ithaca, NY, his current home. Before the release of Tunula Eno, his 2003 CD, Samite’s wife died of cancer. The album’s songs candidly express the sorrow he felt with his unique “ability to turn the most complex emotion into song.” Samite carries this aptitude and frankness with him into all his musical endeavors, tackling such difficult issues as personal loss, war and AIDS, yet never lets the hardships he or anyone else faces impede his pursuit to bring his music, his joy, to the world.
In an effort to exploit the natural healing powers of music, Samite has established Musicians for World Harmony, an organization of musicians committed to promoting peace and instilling hope in “displaced and distressed” communities throughout Africa and the world.
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