May 2011 – Jimmy reports back on the pilot phase News
…ually a dance style) and mwanzele which has been exported to Nairobi and souped up as ‘nzele’. The Mijikenda (literally “the nine clans”) also employ the use of a vast array of impressive instrumentation such as kayambas, marimbas, flutes, horns, various cow-hide drums and shakers. I often point out to the “misuse” of the synthesizer in generation of drums beats and percussion in modern recordings. However, modern technology can greatly enhance th…
Reflections on the pilot phase by Pato News
…fly but finally met up with Katana bin Kalama group leader of the third group of the day called Supaki Kalazi. He took us to the location that they use for their rehearsals. The scenery was the most interesting so far, a dried out seasonal river bed. Kids were already playing around our set, I could tell they were excited seeing the third group of the day dressing up for their performance. Bin Kalama gave a good performance but he was not as energ…
Reflections on the pilot phase by Willie Bembe News
…rn a lot from him since now we can see how it is done in real time. The group is amazing. The father and son are very talented. DAY 3 I start to realize that most of the groups we are recording have members who are very old which means that they have been storing this music for a very long time. All this then translates to the project being very important for my generation, the rest of my countrymen and the whole world. This is history…..my histor…
Discovering music roots with SWP News
…ually a dance style) and mwanzele which has been exported to Nairobi and souped up as ‘nzele’. The Mijikenda (literally “the nine clans”) also employ the use of a vast array of impressive instrumentation such as kayambas, marimbas, flutes, horns, various cow-hide drums and shakers. I often point out to the “misuse” of the synthesizer in generation of drums beats and percussion in modern recordings. However, modern technology can greatly enhance th…
More Ketebul voices…Steve reports from the field News
…the perfect backdrop for the video. Then it was all hands on deck, putting up the tent, setting up the recording station, and powering up good old Jenny as the performers got ready and took their position. When we finally got to recording, the sound was amazing. The equipment worked better than expected, and the performance by Mwanzele Nyere wa Konde Music Club was out of this world. They performed three songs in the Mwanzele style, a polyrhythmic…
What we learned from the pilot phase News
…traditions. Winyo performed in three villages and in each one the local groups worked with him effortlessly turning the resulting songs into something very special. And the highlight was when Winyo, Bado and his father took a Bado composition (yes, sounding like any American group) and turned it into something truly amazing by combining the best of old and new. The Magic Moment on Day 1 when it all seemed worth it. We took a simple (very American…
Ketebul Music website launched News
…most pressing need was for a dynamic website which would show the work of the Ketebul artists in their full glory and we think we’ve succeeded in our goal. Take a good look around the site to see how Ketebul Music is working to combine the traditional sounds of East African tribal music with the best of contemporary artists. And through Bandcamp, listen to or download the inspirational music of Kenya from artists such as Ontiri Bikundo and Makade…