Field Recording Report by Kahithe Kiiru Story
…est hits, songs that any Kenyan can easily identify with: “Kweli Ndugu”; “Mtoto si Nguo”; “Sengula Nakupenda”; “Kunywa Kidogo” and “Watu Wanasema Uongo”. Fadhilee’s reaction to this last session was worth the wait, as he discovered the author of “Kweli Ndugu”, a song he had done a cover of years ago. Therefore, we recorded one last Influences with Fadhilee playing the song alongside Mukabi. The day was closed with a photo session ringing together…
Kiplagat Edwin Kwambai aka Fifty Cows Staff Profile
…sigis communities. It was during this period, presenting the show dubbed, “Tos Taibwoti?” which loosely translates to “Do You Remember?’ that he acquired his nickname “Fifty Cows.” In 2012, Fifty Cows was approached by Ketebul Music Executive Director, Tabu Osusa during a Singing Wells fact-finding reece on the music of the Kalenjin, which was the focus area for the Singing Wells project at the time. Fifty Cows went on to be the main contact perso…
Ekhunjwe Musical Group Group
…ht (28) members coming from the different administrative areas of Samia district. Ekhunjwe ya Abasamiawas formed in April 2008 with common focus on using music as a tool for community development. The group promotes traditional African values and acts in both education and local economy. Members also engage in traditional crafts like basket weaving and jewellery making for exhibition and sale. Their Chairman Mr. Bwire also chairs the County Cultur…
ZigiDigi Cultural Troupe Group
…Music of the Mijikenda Vuga, Kwale County, Kenya Group Leader: Matano Mwachiti; performers: Mwanasiti Mwacheruphe, Nchoga Mwacharo, Mwanasada Joshi, Sauma Mwanyika, Mwanasiti Mwalnlo, Binti Mwadumbo, Iddi Bora, Salim Mwambwaku, Juma Mwanganyawa, Nasow Mwanganyawa, Salim Hamadi, Hamir Kumbayugu, Hamisi Chabindo…
Kochia Traditional Dancers Group
…a strong history, being found in 1965, and since then its members have dedicated themselves to entertaining guests at countless national celebrations and holidays, private events, as well as internationally as part of the Folklife Festival in the UK and in the USA at the Smithsonian Folk Festival. As well as this they are determined with their performance to preserve the incredible Ramogi dancing, a mainstay of traditional Luo culture. Ramogi was…
Day 3 – Monday 3rd July 2017 Story
…interview was Sewa’s description of the small pointy decoration on the bottom of the resonator we had previously referred to as ‘the nipple’. According to him, this is in fact the umbilical cord of the instrument (in vernacular pende thum), which makes the resonator stronger and more difficult to break. Finally, Sewa told us he got the knowledge of nyatiti making from his step‐father and commented on the custom of making a sacrifice upon completi…
Kivolti Instrument
…A flute -type whistle – played to the side. We encountered this instrument in Vuga, Kwale County, Coastal Kenya, while recording the music of the Mijikenda. The group were The ZigiDigi Cultural Troupe. …
Day 4 – Tuesday 4th July 2017 Story
…ainting ad strings); All of the instrument’s components are fixed and left to dry together (resonators, skin, arms and head). Finally, he makes a clear difference between clients who are traditional and/or locally famous players, for whom he does a sacrifice upon completion of job, and outsiders, commercial clients for whom he does no such thing. Finally, we closed our day with an indoors interview at Namsagali hotel in Siaya. There we talked to T…
Original Chuka Drummers Group
… Original Chukka Drummers, led by Eustace Mjuki Bundi. They are 30 males who all play drums except for their banner waver. They were formed in 1930 and have spawned so many imitations that they had to add the word ‘original’ to their name. They are Ameru, of Tharakanithi County. The group plays on all occasions, during harvests, births, weddings, marriages. The play the Mwinjira (Drums) and Biringi (Whistle)….
The Music of the Mijikenda Album
…ed in the village of Sila. The next day saw 4 groups – and all are included here. Chechemeko Raha and 4 the Mzinga, both captured in Kibarani village, further south from Sila, and then further south again, later in the day – Supaki Kalazo and Sengenya recorded in Junda, Mombasa. We then headed to the South Coast and recorded in Vuga, Kwale County. The ZigiDigi Cultural Troupe and Muungano Kayamba providing the music. The album also includes two ‘i…
Day 2 – Sunday 2nd July 2017 Story
…. They are the fruit of a specific player’s imagination and can be adapted to the occasion and/or to tell the praise of a different person. The fact that Meshack picked up the instrument only once his father had passed away brought about several hypothesis on the meaning of this generational gap and questioned the possibility of an existing cultural taboo concerning two generations of players from the same home playing actively at the same time. F…
Pius Wafula Group
…). Pius, singer and player of shirili fiddle, used to play with a famous local group called “Webuye Jua Kali” up to 2009, when he founded his own group. Today the group counts 5 members who play the following instruments: LITUNGU – a 7-string traditional lyre; ISIRILI – a one-string fiddle; LUENGELE– a percussive idiophone, they use a wooden stool struck with wooden sticks; ENG’OMA – a generic term for drums, they use a plastic water container als…
Conclusion: Challenges and Recomendations Story
…and economise on filming time. From a methodological point of view, for us to be able to build on the original concept of the series and remain scientifically both pertinent and correct, a proper research preparation should be put in place as a standard. The ideal approach to pre‐recording preparations should thus include: short pre‐interviews with identified interviewees (this would later allow better and easier data collection and create a certa…
The Singing Wells podcast #3 Podcast
…Here is podcast number 3. In this podcast, we look at the development of Abubilla Music – one of the partners in The Singing Wells project – from initial idea, to music label. There are interviews with members of the SMCC, and music from the SMCC, Louise Calf, Gus Warriner, Tati Kalveks, Chris Kozlowski and Ketebul artist Winyo. Click here to download the podcast….
Albums Introduction Page
…to collaborate with the groups we record. In the event that we have invited one of the musicians back to the Ketebul Studios in Nairobi to record, we will also include these recordings. The albums are available to download through our Bandcamp store in your choice of formats. The proceeds from the sale of our albums will be fed back to the musicians involved in the recordings, wherever possible. CDs may also be available in the future. Join the m…
The Kalenjin of Kenya Album
…rs and the Kewamoi Women Dancers both featured. The latter – a nice addition to the lineup, as the field day coincided with World Women’s Day. Eddie Grey was part of the team for the recordings, and he joined a number of groups to join them for Influences recordings. Two of these have been included on the album – his guitar playing accompanying The Elimu Cultural Promoters and the Kewamoi Women Dancers….