Here for Research? Page
…a. This database is constantly evolving as we discover and record more instruments. The instruments are tagged by their ethnicity, their recording location and the type (simply broken down into stringed, percussion or wind at present) Groups Detailed information about each group we meet on our Field trips. Head here to browse through groups by Location or Genre, or to search directly for a Group that we have met. Each page has information about th…
Here for the Music? Page
…sten to some of our Singing Wells Albums, head to the links below. Stories Read some of our most memorable stories from the field, featuring stunning photography taken by our team. Learn more about the communities we meet, the instruments that are being played and the background stories behind some of the photohraphy on our website. Albums Head here to see the collection of Albums we have created as a result of our recordings on the Field and at K…
Pius Wafula Group
…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 also struck with wooden sticks; CHISASI – shakers made out of gourds. We recorded five of Pius’s original compositions and were amazed with his rough yet mellow voice….
What We Do Page
…d Uganda. Our long term goal is to visit each country in East Africa and research, document and record the music and dance of the major traditional music styles of each region. Click on the following links to read our field reports from each of our visits: Music of the Mijikenda – Kenya’s Coastal Region Music of the Luo – Nyanza Province, Kenya Music of the Kalenjin, Great Rift Valley, Kenya Music of the Batwa, Kisoro, Uganda Music of the northern…
Day One: January 18, 2019. Assemble in Tanzania Story
…tyles and background, instruments and songs. In almost every village, we struggle with spellings of songs and instruments as these can differ by village and by band. We fully recognize that there are multiple spellings out there, but we defer to the band leader in almost all cases. During a recording session, we will also capture alternative takes; these are called: ‘Freestyle’: We work hard to give our groups the space and freedom to sing and dan…
Zam Zam Group
…, in Rahaleo. All male group ranging from age 7 up to 40, ten all together today. They sing Islamic and secular songs for weddings and celebrations. It was mainly an acapello performance with one flute made out of a bamboo stick. The singers included: Ibrahim Ali Hassan (lead singer, flute ), Issa Ali Hassan (lead singer), Mlenge Ali Hassan, Othman Mlenge Ali, Afann Mlenge Ali, Iddi Abdallah Mohd, Abdillah Salum Juma (lead singer), Fesal Sleiman M…
Our Sponsors Page
…included accommodation at the Airport Guesthouse and the use of their 4×4 truck and wonderful driver, Musa. www.gorillatours.com Anne Wright, The Wright Approach Type of sponsorship: Field Recording day in Kenya, Music of the Kalenjin, March 2012 Thank you to Anne for her kind and generous donation to towards our 2012 field recording visit to Kenya. Read all about it here. http://www.annewright.com/index.asp Institute of International Educatio…
Day One: The Iteso People and their Music Story
…instrument, the Seketa and the 9 String ‘Solo’. Percussion includes: The ‘drum set’ of drums, bottle tops for snares and a plate serving as ride. The set is called the Achaeket. The shakers are called the Itwol. The ring is called the Edongot. Between their core songs, influences and a magic moment, we had a long session with the group. Songs included: Ataikatiaka Kitiso: This song is about the unity of the Teso people. While forces are trying to…
Likembe Instrument
…create lower notes. The sound is very similar to that of a calypso steel drum band. The Rubanga Kingom Awach Boys are a full likembe band, with about 8-10 likembe players in each performance. Their likembes range from 6 to 20 inches, with the largest played on an over turned tub so that the bass notes resonate. They play songs about war and disease which so often affected their communities in the recent past. We next came across the likembe when…
Imachina Group
…d the song tells people to come toward the smell and honour the man. Don’t run from this, confront it and honour his memory. The Mayo Procession – this is about bullfighting. The songs include: Lukumili: This is about the moment the horns lock between the two fighting bulls and the context really begins. Ing’ombe: This is about the bulls (I can’t read my handwriting here!) Iminyi: This is a type of bird that hides in roofs and is difficult to find…
Fadhilee Itulya Staff Profile
…nted to listen to the news on radio. After high school he worked as a construction worker to fend for himself. Meanwhile he mastered his guitar, volunteering to teach kids music at the neighbouring Soweto slums. He continued offering private guitar lessons even after joining the University of Nairobi, where he is studying International Relations and Diplomacy. His first break in professional music was at the 2008 edition of Spotlight on Kenyan Mus…
Field Recording Report by Kahithe Kiiru Story
…tarted playing music in 1958 and has mastered several Teso traditional instruments. Today he plays with an old friend – Mzee (Edler) Ikobulo (born 1932) and his daughters as back-vocals. Through a series of 8 songs, he showcased three major instruments: ADEUDEU – 5-strings arced harp; AGEREGERE – a one-string traditional fiddle; ACCORDION. All through the session, Obasie was accompanied by a percussionist on a drum called atenus amwatonitand by Mz…
Kijaruba Group Group
…Kijaruba Group are a group part of the larger Bigilia Group. We met them on our 2017 field trip to Tanzania. You can read more about them on the Bigilia page here….
The Singing Wells podcast #5 Podcast
…Edition 5 of the Singing Wells podcast is here – with a bit of a catch up on the latest news from the past 12 months of the Singing Wells project. Click here to download Podcast 5…
FAQ’s Page
…we also benefit from the voluntary help of the Abubilla Music Foundation trustees and UK Project Managers. How long have you been working on the project? We made our first field recording on the Kenyan coast in March 2011. The Abubilla Music Foundation was granted charitable status in June 2011.We are currently preparing for our 10 year anniversary, and are doing a countdown of our Top 20 Singing Wells moments here. How do you discover the music…
Bigwala Instrument
…y, accompanied by a specific dance. A typical performance begins with one trumpet; other trumpets then join in followed by drummers, singers and dancers in that order. The singers and dancers move in a circular formation around the five drummers, swaying their waists gently and raising their hands with excitement in time with the music and rhythms. Women spectators ululate as the performance nears its climax. Bigwala plays a significant role in co…