Samite makes truly joyous music, full of complex, swirling melodies and infectious rhythms. A master flute-player and a soulful singer with a beautiful, warm voice, he mesmerizes his listeners with his own brand of modern East African folk music, singing in his mother tongue of Luganda and accompanying himself on kalimba (finger-piano), marimba (wooden xylophone), and litungu (Kenyan lyre), as well as his beloved flutes.

Samite was born and raised in Uganda, where his grandfather taught him to play the traditional flute, putting him on the path to becoming one of the most highly regarded musicians in East Africa. In 1982 he fled to Kenya as a political refugee where he played with the Bacchus Club Jazz Band and the popular African Heritage Band. Having immigrated to the U.S. in 1987, Samite now makes his home in Ithaca, New York. He has played throughout the country and has nearly a dozen CDs, including his recent Embalasasa, inspiring the Oakland Tribune to comment, "Whatever has you feeling down, Ugandan expatriate Samite has the cure. He speaks more about passion and love with a few scat syllables than most singers can convey with a whole song."