Day Three: Bungoma Town to Kakamega Story
…ile group is changing. Magic moment 2: Nisiri Mulamu Another solo as group changes. Nambacha: This is about a ‘loose woman’ who spends time with too many men in the village. Alandire Mwitala: A traditional song in three parts where a man goes to visit his daughter in her new home Influences: Fadhilee Itulya, our influences artist, joined Wilbert to play acoustic guitar on another version of Ndirenje. We travelled from Bungoma Town to Mumias (which…
Field Recording Report by Kahithe Kiiru Story
…ginal for his mastery and virtuosity on the drum. These two played a large number of popular Luhya folk songs and marked the perfect end to our stay in Isukha land. DAY 7 – Friday 23rd February 2018 On the seventh day of recording, we moved to yet another county of the Western region of Kenya – Vihiga County. Here we were welcomed by Philip Isilia, our contact for the area who is himself also a musician. In Emativini village of Ebubayi location…
Day Two: January 19, 2019 From Tarime to Buturi to Bariadi Story
…ut neighbours, where the band remembered times when all neighbours used to support one another Maria: A story about a woman that abandoned her kids Mazingira: a song about the environment and the need to protect the environment. Examples included stopping use of plastics and keeping your waste water away from your drinking water. Magic Moment: We recorded the beats of Majirani, percussion only Magic Moment: Majirani again to record slightly differ…
Victoria Denison Staff Profile
…in September 2010 to help establish the Singing Wells project. In order to support the project, Victoria set up The Abubilla Music Foundation, a company limited by guarantee, and then managed the application for charitable status with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. (Charitable status was achieved in June 2011). As well as acting as administrator to the Trustees, Victoria is the UK Project Manager for Singing Wells. Working closely w…
3. Background of the Naizungwe drums Story
…ties were and still are organized on clan system. One ethnic society has a number of clans where each clan has a leader – clan leader. Each of those clans had identifying regalia and one of them are drum rhythms that symbolize the general belief of that clan. The Basoga ethnic society from the Eastern region of the country is organized according to clans. Eleven clans are royal; they are the leaders and the rest are not. One of the clans is the ba…
Global Influences Project: Artist Submissions Page
…the fast paced drums with a laid back bass and a simple bass drum beat to support the percussion. The shaker pushes the pace forward and accentuates the percussion. Other than defining the groove, the bass is also the lead instrument in this particular arrangement. The piano and gaara add more depth to the chorus parts and pull us away from the shakers’ high pace forcing us to lay back some more. I think the end result leans more towards dodo, at…
Mchele Mchele Sanaa Group Group
…This group, from the Sukuma community, was formed in 2010 and performs with a number of styles: Bukomia Lume, Buchheye, Wigashe. Their instruments are: Ng’oma (Drums), Pembe (animal horns, large impala), Firimbi (flute), and Njuga (shakers). …
Group 4: Urugangaze Ballet Story
…dance. As with the other Intore we saw, there was a group accompanying the dance on the amakondera (horns). A couple of facts we learned about the Intore today: firstly, the Intore name is derived from the verb “gutora” (to choose/select) as a large number of the trainees originally were recruited from the children of upper middle class families. Secondly, the lion manes that the dancers wear are made of wood that is beaten so fine it becomes hair…
What We Do Page
…erwa Batwa community. To read more about the Influences series click here. Supporting the sustainable village Our experiences in the field have highlighted the importance of music within communities. We have visited remote villages where the success of the community appears to be directly related to the quality of their music groups. We are committed to supporting traditional music performance in rural East Africa as we believe that this not only…
Mr Bado Group
…o in Watamu called Bado Records, where he records his own music as well as support and help aspiring artists from Watamu. His songs, ‘Shemeji’ and ‘Susumila’ were mega hits in the coast region, earning him a performance slot at Safaricom Live in 2010. He has performed internationally, including in the USA as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2014. He released his album Kama Kazi with Ketebul Music. He mixes an impressive combination of sty…
Page
…hy we love him so, he works in the field to bring this music back to life, supporting the revival of instruments and styles AND supporting the groups on an on-going basis. Did we mention he’s our hero? Second, what surprised us? We never considered ‘royal instruments’ in the initial formation of Singing Wells, and frankly it is a strange and wonderful category of our mission. On one hand, the history is amazing: the role these instruments played i…
The Kalenjin of Kenya Album
…rs and the Kewamoi Women Dancers both featured. The latter – a nice addition to the lineup, as the field day coincided with World Women’s Day. Eddie Grey was part of the team for the recordings, and he joined a number of groups to join them for Influences recordings. Two of these have been included on the album – his guitar playing accompanying The Elimu Cultural Promoters and the Kewamoi Women Dancers….
Sangwamahoro and Royal Burundi Drums News
…wars in Burundi and found shelter in Kenya. Initially focused on providing support to refugees, it later evolved into a cultural club designed to help children born in exile reconnect with their heritage—particularly their language and cultural practices—and to offer a platform for adults to meet, share experiences, and uplift each other. Today, Sangwamahoro has grown into a vibrant cultural collective, featuring a group of drummers, as well as ma…
FAQ’s Page
…the recording. This amount varies based on a number of factors such as the number of members in the group and the number of songs we record. In the event of any music we record making money directly (through sales, sync licensing or performance royalties) we will endeavour to channel this money back to the original performers. Can I buy the music you have recorded? A selection of our music is available to download from our site. We have one album…
Support Singing Wells Page
…DONATE NOW — Sponsor a Song £25 Your Gift to Us Your money will be used to support the Singing Wells project to record the songs of traditional music groups, help us tell their stories and keep their music traditions alive. Your donation to the project will be spent in East Africa and will go towards supporting music groups during their Singing Wells recording session. Each group receives a payment for their performance, which they can use to help…
Day Six: January 24, 2019 From Mwanza to Dodomo to Nzali to Nairobi Story
…ces of men, represented by two men playing shakers) Muziki: A song to gain support of the people for the music and dance Muziki: Freestyle Muhongwa: another song from the circumcision ceremony, named after the instrument used (the wooden trough) Group 2: Nyati Muchoya (also spelt Mchoya): From Nzali, the group is from the Wagogo Tupu community and was formed in 1966 by the grandfathers of the current performers. Their instruments include: Nind…