geoffrey oryema - makambo
it was the summer of '98 that i took my first-ever business trip: a 2-hour thursday night meeting in washington, d.c.
with the rest of the weekend i explored the city... monuments, sights, georgetown u, record shops, 18th street lounge (where i met rob and eric from thievery corporation, before they became famous. definitely a highlight). one evening i wandered into a high-end persian rug and artifact shop.
inside, time stopped. hypnotized by a nostalgic melody, sensing that i was far away from home, i became drawn to the african masks, ancient giant pots and urns, beautifully crafted rugs... totally lost in time and space. suddenly, i heard a man calling me from above. i looked up. it was the shop owner. he had been watching me from the loft space above.
he had a friendly smile so i went up the steps to his loft office. he was a fascinating and engaging man. we spent a few hours engrossed in conversation over tea and music. i was falling in love.
as i was leaving, he insisted on giving me one of his gorgeous persian rugs as a gift. i couldn't accept.
instead, i asked him for a copy of the cd he was playing. yes, he said but it would cost me my phone number.
totally worth it.
the cd? the ugandan musical genius, geoffrey oryema's exile.
and here's the track that i fell in love with that night.
ps - who knew that ten years later i'd be taking work trips to uganda? funny where life leads you...
and - to answer the questions! i fell in love with this song, not the man!
find geoffrey oryema's exile at amazon
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