Global Influences Project: Artist Submissions Page
…follow his facebook page here:www.facebook.com/ashisho254 Or follow him on Instagram & Twitter: @Ashishomusic SOFIA GRANT X WATMON CULTURAL GROUP Our first submission for the #GlobalInfluencesProject comes from the brilliant Sofia Grant. This collaboration between the rhythmic plucking of the Watmon Cultural Group and the haunting vocals of Sofia have created something magical and we can’t wait to hear from more amazing musicians and creatives who…
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…no better than the other Batwa so I thank you for choosing me. I am happy 1000 times over. My message represents the rest of the Batwa people. I listened to the recording of my song – it was so nice, so sweet.’ The day ended with her joyfully dancing to her own record, with her newborn baby in her arms. It was a moment that made so much of the work put in by the entire team completely worth it. And it has inspired us to continue searching for more…
What We Do Page
…join in with the dances too. A typical field visit involves, in the first instance, identifying traditional, region music styles and groups in the area we are travelling to. Once we have the final itinerary, the Singing Wells team sets out by road with the mobile recording studio and spends up to a week in the field recording the local music groups we have discovered. Click here to read about a typical day in the field by Andy Patterson, our Abub…
Day 3 – Monday 3rd July 2017 Story
…e had laid a piece of cow skin. This piece was placed on the resonator and installed using nails. He would then wash it with soap. The stages of nyatiti making we could not see were described later in an interview. Sewe explained how he treats siyala wood, from which arms and head of the nyatiti are made. He buries them in firewood to make the wood stronger. His explanation also revealed a more ‘liberal’ usage of many different types of wood for t…
Recording, archiving and sharing the traditional music of East Africa Page
…ase some of the albums we have recorded with the groups that we have met. Previous Next Click here to Celebrate our Singing Wells Top 20 Moments Youtube Facebook Instagram Twitter…
Day 1: Saturday, 2017 February 18th Story
…his name is a sign of respect – think, ‘Old Man Morris’. He was born in 1920. At two years old, he lost his sight as a result of a bout of small pox. He died in 1999. Throughout his long life he drummed. Here’s Leo Mkanyia , our 2017 Influences Artist, describing his experience listening to Mzee Morris’s music: “He wasn’t normal. He plays his drums like a guitar. You have to listen very carefully to realize not only is he keeping the beat, but h…
Recce to Tanzania for our 2020 Field Visit News
…urse on the ganun from ganun virtuoso and teacher Rajab. In a few previous instances, the importance of Singing Wells is emphasised when someone we record passes on some time after we record them. We were reminded even more of the importance of Singing Wells when we received the news of the death of a musician who we were set to meet that afternoon, Taarab Singer, Mzee Makame Faki. A brilliant musician and our thoughts are with his family and frie…
The History Of Benga Music: A Report by Ketebul Music Story
…African countries—Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania—covering an area of over 68,000 square kilometers. The Luo who live around its shores in Kenya speak a western Nilotic tongue distinctly different from their Bantu neighbours to the north and south, and their Kalenjin distant cousins to the east. The Luo comprise close to 3 million people. Their forefathers migrated south from the Bahr al Ghazal region in what is today know as Southern Sudan in a stead…
Discussions on music and culture with a young Kenyan News
…before, I might come home and my dad would be playing it on the radio for instance… but I don’t like it. Put yourself in my shoes — imagine your parents playing old-school church songs, chances are you’re not going to like it. It’s not really popular with young people generally. Why do you think that is? Well, we’re adverse and stubborn. We run away from tradition. And we’re heavily influenced by the west. I think a big part of that is because fi…
Current Leading Figures News
…ol services, annual university graduation ceremonies to a crowd of over 40,000 people, and perform every Wednesday to each other during a recital hour. However, when asked if they record their own music, James says “We lack good equipment to record the music professionally but it is an idea that requires serious and immediate consideration. ” NACOFU, which he is a member of, is attempting to address this problem – to document folk music – but is c…
Archiving Guidelines News
…he Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects (IASA-TC 04) – in 2009, which is described as ‘an accepted authority on digital audio preservation in the sound archiving field.’ It is informed by their other publication, ‘The Safeguarding of the Audio Heritage: Ethics, Principles and Preservation Strategy’ (IASA-TC 03). When researching guidelines for the online archiving of sound, the term metadata is often mentioned and this is the large…
Day 7 (pm): Recording at the Airport Guesthouse, Entebbe Story
…ally beaten a number of strokes depending on your age, in his case it was 300. Odika called it the ‘bush mind’, and sometimes even once soldiers returned that mind would come back again, in nightmares or in daily life. To help returning soldiers they were taken to Gulu Children of War Rehabilitation Centre for 6 months before going home, partly to make sure the rebels couldn’t find you in your home village but also to help the returning soldiers a…
Kathy’s reflections on her Singing Wells experience News
…rakwet and Pokot fought each other for many years over cattle up to early 2000’s. That was not long ago yet these tribes came and sang together. They appeared to be at peace with each other although Fifty Cows felt it would have brought up memories of past conflicts. I saw various tribes intermingle and sing spontaneously with each other after their performances. There was also conflict in 2007 in the Rift Valley, in particular in Eldoret where we…
More on the launch of the Ketebul Music website News
…aced to understand the functionality that a music organisation needs in their web site. Taking this experience we developed a dynamic design and implemented a custom installation of WordPress, enabling all content areas of the site to be administered by the Ketebul team.”…