Entenga: Music that soothed kings News
…We’re delighted to annouce that our esteemed colleague and Singing Wells partner Prof James Isabirye has been featured in an article in Uganda’s Daily Monitor about his work to revive the Entenga Royal Drums. Read now. You can watch the full documentary of our initiative to save the Royal Drums here….
A Tanzanian Effort to Salvage the Music of the Past News
…t recording safaris to various rural villages to record these ngoma dances and drumming sessions.” This traditional village music was combined by state-funded bands with the Cuban-flavored rhumba coming in from the Congo. The resulting mélange, she said, “is characterised by these high guitar riffs, and then a lot of African polyrhythmic drumming in the background, and even featuring horn sections.” True to its name, muziki wa dansi is music that…
Central Uganda: Day 7 – A Magic Day in Entebbe Story
…er time with us about hearing the sounds of African music. Last night, she and Andy played together, with Andy working out a guitar part. So first, we recorded the two of them. Then, we decided that if she was writing about hearing the sounds of African music, she should hear the sounds. So James worked with Jovah on a beautiful line, where she sang about the Batwa people being driven from the parks. Then Passy worked on a separate melody line fol…
Central Uganda: Day 6: Kampala to Entebbe Story
…ne pitched very high and one lower Their members include: Ronald Muwonge (drums and dances) Denis Kasasira (long drums) Samson Basoga (Tube Fiddle) Isabirye Basoga (15 slab xylophone) Jane Babirye (lead vocalist) They performed 4 songs and two magic moments, which they referred to as ‘Magic Dancing’ and ‘Magic Singing’: Bana Uganda Banange: It is about a particular brand of beer called Senator Lager. It has contributed to the local economic develo…
Kenya’s Amazing Musical Instruments News
…nged Luo instrument which, in the hands of the masters, serves as a bass, drum and rhythm guitar combined. One of the most famous Nyatiti players of all time is Ayub Ogada, seen here playing “Kothbiro”: We were lucky enough to meet the Joginda Boys in 2011 in Siaya, where we witnessed Organda Joginda simultaneously playing “bass” with the Nyatiti, percussion with his leg “snares” and the kick drum with his big toe (wearing a metal ring) banging on…
Interview: fusion band Ndoto Afrika News
…t grandchildren to have an idea of what it was like in the days of their grandparents, and hope that is not too much to wish for. Who are your musical influences? Right now, it will have to be Eric Wainana, Otieno Aloka, Gee (The Gambia) and X Maleya (Cameroon) What’s it like being an artist in Nairobi? If hell has an alias, then call it Nairobi – any upcoming artiste. But nothing is easy the world over, for anyone. Music is a huge challenge and i…
Central Uganda: Day 5 – Jinja to Kampala Story
…us were delighted to find a English football match on the TV (Arsenal vs. Southampton). And we were greeted by Air Conditioning which is most welcome by those of us from the North but feared and mistrusted by those of us from Nairobi. We look forward to recording tomorrow in Kampala. Apparently there is a marathon. We shall provide the soundtrack….
Discussions with Peter Cooke: ethnomusicologist and Ugandan music expert News
…in playing the Kiganda amadinda xylophone from the South African musicians Andrew and Paul Tracey before their evening show Wait a Minim.” “My work in Uganda led me to begin exploring that country’s traditional music initially with the aim of collecting useful materials for teaching purposes. That exploration has continued since then, apart from during the chaos of the periods of the rule of Amin and the Second Obote regime (1969-87).” Most notabl…
Central Uganda: Day 4 – Jinja Story
…in the group is Irene Nabirye. The group is made up of 6-7 Bigwala players and drummers, plus dancers and singers. They performed four songs and then we did a magic moment with their instruments; these were: Muwe Bwobona Asaba: When someone asks you kindly assist them Mperekera Omwana Womurembe: When you are walking and living with someone by your side, they are the special one and you don’t look at anyone else. Mwene Wamwenda: When you love someo…
Before They Pass Away News
…t to sustain the musical heritage of East Africa, we want to promote it in today’s world. With this in mind, we’ve been following the work of British photographer Jimmy Nelson with interest, who spent four years travelling to meet and photograph some of the world’s last surviving tribes. His book, Before They Pass Away, is a fascinating insight into these communities’ ways of life. Nelson’s breathtaking photographs capture how these last remaining…
Central Uganda: Day 3 – From Mbale to Iganga to Jinja Story
…yed with a stick, a rhythm drum played with hands, a smaller high pitched drum and a shaker. From two members of his group, they became a band of 12 players. They named themselves the Elgon (the local mountain) Ngoma (generic term for drums) Troupe and starting in 2009 played all sorts of functions that would bring money in to support the band members, all of which live on the premises. Shortly after, a friend of Julius’s donated some brass instru…
Happy new year from Singing Wells News
…s YouTube channel. Our channel features videos from our trips across Kenya and Uganda, including visiting the tribes of the Kenyan Coast, Central and Eastern Uganda, our work to share the music of the Batwa community and the Luo community. We’ve told the story of repatriating Kenya’s music heritage after 50 years and celebrated magic moments – where we’ve found an extra-special artist on our journeys and recorded their work. 7. We spoke to a young…
Central Uganda: Day 2 – Kampala to Budaka Story
…spirits are real. You can’t ask them to invite the spirits in and then expect a musical performance. You will get something very different.” Here’s their music: Journey Back After a full day of wonderful dancing the groups loaded into big trucks and headed off. So did we, making it the 30 kilometers to Mbale to stay at the Elgon Mountain Hotel, a great hotel with wonderful fish fresh from Lake Victoria. And as always, French Fries with Nile Specia…
Central Uganda: Day 1 – From Entebbe to Kidinda Story
…n on the tin roofs and thunder crashed on our heads. After a breakfast of fruit and Spanish Omelets (although not real Spanish Omelets) , we joined our two drivers Musa and Ronnie. We drove to the outskirts of Kampala and picked up James Isabirye, our Ugandan music expert. Throughout our trip, he will be commenting on the groups we meet and, of course, he’ll be performing with the Nile Beats Artists and helping with “Influences” sessions on our la…
We’re discovering the lost music of the Ugandan Kingdoms News
…me background and the beginning of our journey to discover the lost royal drums of the Buganda Kingdom Context on the Entenga royal drums we’ve been searching for The story of Musisi – a drummer from the royal palaces and the fall of the Buganda Kingdom Some information on the progress of the Bigwala trumpets – an instrument we restored on a previous field trip Interviews with the palace players and a great deal of information on the art of drum m…
Singing Wells surpasses 500,000 YouTube hits! News
…world. Recording Nyerere Wa Konde Music Club perform in Gede, Kilifi, Kenya on our Singing Wells Pilot trip in 2011. A brief collage of the story of the recording of the music of The Batwa in Uganda and then back in Nairobi at Ketebul Studios. The Watmon Cultural Group, recorded in December 2012. The Elgon Ngoma Troupe sing about the circumcision ritual….