Tabu Osusa Staff Profile
…frica Project Co-ordinator for Singing Wells. His extensive knowledge of the East African music industry is integral to the strategic planning of the field visits and identifying inspirational, cultural music groups throughout the region. Tabu is responsible for conducting interviews in the field for the Singing Wells oral histories library….
Day Three: February 18, 2020 (Stonetown, Mpendae, Maungani) Story
…la). Dancers/singers: Pili Idi (lead singer) Aisha Khamis, Zainab Khamisi, Aldeh Jonas, Nafla Khamis. Director: Omar Mohamed – he didn’t play in the band but directed it and spoke with us Songs: Chapapunga Asili Zarina – rhumba style Magic moment – trumpets and trombone. Once this band started, they played for 25 minutes. When the lead trumpet played a solo, they switched styles. We were able to distinguish between three main styles. The dancer…
Introduction: Project overview and objectives Story
…uning methods and transmission techniques. Aside from the wish to record elderly traditional musicians whose skills and knowledge may soon be forgotten, the originality of this programme lies in the idea of documenting the traditional ways of fabricating and assembling a particular instrument. From a methodological point of view, this particularity renders the project difficult to manage in terms of both timelines and accessibility to information…
Day One: 7 March 2022 (Shikangania and Mukumu) Story
…i, son of the legendary guitarist George Mukabi. The senior Mukabi is regarded by all as the pioneer of omutibo, arguably the most popular musical genre in the region. It would not be our first meeting with Johnstone Mukabi since we had previously featured him on the Singing Wells project in April 2018. He later came to Ketebul Music studios in Nairobi in May that year and recorded a few songs that are yet to be officially released. Going through…
Day One: January 18, 2019. Assemble in Tanzania Story
…roughly 20-25 groups, and a 100-125 performances. We have roughly 1,000 videos online. Our general setup for a recording is: a) Steve is in charge of audio and we typically have two general mics for the group and 5-6 specific microphones for singers and musicians, b) we have three video cameras operating – one wide shot for full performance, one close up to capture details of instruments and one roving camera to provide a second angle on the perf…
Day Five: February 20, 2020 (DCMA) Story
…alimba (hand held thumb piano), lead singer), Heri Kombo (drums) Songs: Mwaludeja – Kirundo group started with this song they had composed. Tarajazz joined in. Nyumbani – Tarajazz started and Kirundo joined in. They improvised together. It was wonderful to see the combination of traditional instruments such as the Tanzanian drums, Kaliba, shakers and sticks along side more Western instruments such as the piano, saxophone, cajon and high hat. C…
Day 1 – Saturday 1st July 2017 Story
…cussion on the nyatiti gender taboo (whether a woman is or is not traditionally allowed to play the nyatiti and the reasons why); ‐ Mention of a Cultural Festival which takes place every year on 27th December and hosts several local nyatiti players; ‐ Discussion on whether a good nyatiti maker needs to be able to play the instrument as well; ‐ Names of currently best nyatiti makers in the area, according to Meshack and mention of several masters w…
Tarajazz Group
…oard, director), Hassan Mahenge (Saxaphone, assistant director), Mahsin Basalama (contra base), Christopher Weston (Cajon and high hat), Regina Juma (singer). There was supposed to be a violin player but unfortunately he couldn’t make it. Songs: Alamina Dura – The orbit of the Gods Pakistan – written by Siti Binti Saad who loved Pakistan when she visited Kasha – Kenyan Taarab love song. A man singing about his “chest being opened and empty” In typ…
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…a specific role in this. She is there to comfort the girl throughout the ordeal and to give her lessons about how to live her life in the world of men. We talked to one of the female dancers, Zaituni Salum, about the reality behind the dance. She was kept in her hut for about 3 years, as were most of the women dancers in her band. Essentially, from the moment she goes into the hut, the family is working to arrange a marriage and raise money for he…
Day Four: 10 March 2022 (Rongo) Story
…ucive environment that would enable them to showcase their individual musical talents and unique identities. If we succeed in our efforts, we believe they will rightfully take their place on center stage. To accelerate this process music policies must be put in place for these musicians not to be simply programmed as part of a loose musical troupe, relegated to and delegated with the mundane task of playing ceremonial music to visiting tourists. E…
Day Zero: 6 March 2022 – Travel To Stream Story
…longo restaurant, run by a close friend. After a meal of fish and ugali (the local staple made from corn), we were entertained by our very own artiste Makadem (also known as Ohanglaman) who was touring the lakeside city at the time. We listened to one more act by an upcoming nyatiti player Kent Mudenda before we continued with our journey to Josephine Garden in Ilesi, Kakamega County, our final destination….
Day Three: 9 March 2022 (Kisumu) Story
…talented musicians who play an array of musical instruments with Mwalimu Odede on vocals and the acoustic guitar. Others members are Ayuto wuod Nyasuba on lead vocals and keyboards, Boniface Onyango Juma on marimba and piano, and Kevochi on percussions. For the live recording they were accompanied by Fiston and Ben on bass and congas respectively. The group derives its name from the surrounding Asego hills which are close to the homes of most of…
Ketebul Music presents Shades of Benga Online News
…st launched Episode 2 of their online series Shades of Benga Online, to go alongside their book ‘Shades of Benga: The Story of Popular Music in Kenya 1946 -2016’. You can watch the latest episode below, and also find out more at their website here. Shades of Benga: The Story of Popular Music in Kenya delves into the foundations of modern Kenyan music, examining external influences from the English waltz to Afro Cuban Rumba and how they helped mo…
Central Uganda: Day 5 – Jinja to Kampala Story
…mb pianos. They also have the traditional Ugandan Xylophone. All instrumentalists also sing and are supported by three ladies who sing and dance. The three core members are: Walusimbi Nsibambi Haruna: He the Founding Director of Nile Beat Artists. Walusimbi was once the Global Youth Earth Day Ambassador for Africa after winning the Global Youth Earth Day Ambassadors Competition in Marikina-Philipines. Nabayaza Sumaya Baiga: She is a senior member…
Meeting Ketebul: an interview with Tabu News
…moment. We need to look for a platform to promote our stuff, whether it’s online, digital radio, TV – we need to make the music more accessible to all. Why is Singing Wells important? Singing Wells is important because we’re trying to capture our East African heritage. Many of the musicians we record from remote tribes are old and we run the risk of the traditional music in Kenya dying out, we don’t want to see that happen. Further, most recordin…
Music Depositories and Archives around the World News
…from 1940 to the present day. As it is housed at the University, it is an invaluable resource for students, especially those who study Anthropology or African Studies. Often material is bought by the archive to complement the research projects of students, but some material is also donated, with regional emphasis on Ethiopia, Ghana, Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. Dr Hauke Dorsch is currently the Director of the Archive and stated th…