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Day Three: 9 March 2022 (Kisumu) Story
…er’s carpentry business and performing music on special occasions. On this live show, Olith Ratego was accompanied by Ben Mukabwa on bass, Fiston Lusambo on guitar with Brian Nyamanga and Thelma Lukachia of the Loko band on percussions and shakers, respectively. Day 3: Wednesday, 09 March 2022 Act Three Artiste: Asego Ensemble Genre: Ohangla Location: Dunga Camp Hill – Kisumu city Profile: Asego Ensemble Asego Ensemble consists of young talented m…
Day Zero: 6 March 2022 – Travel To Stream Story
…tour’s coordinator and Spade was our driver. The drive was slow and uninterrupted with only one stop for lunch in Nakuru. We reached Kisumu City just before dusk and settled down for dinner at Kalongolongo restaurant, run by a close friend. After a meal of fish and ugali (the local staple made from corn), we were entertained by our very own artiste Makadem (also known as Ohanglaman) who was touring the lakeside city at the time. We listened to one…
The Revival of the Entongooli Page
…Some of the children here tell us about their reasons for learning the instruments, what other instruments they are learning and how they are enjoying the process. We cannot wait to see their progress and finally watch them perform with this incredible instrument, given a new lease of life by the next generation of musicians! From Embaire to Entongooli: Part 1 For these musical scholars, their musical journey actually starts with another fascinati…
Day 6: Thursday, February 23rd, 2017 Story
…rris We then interviewed Daudi about Mzee Morris: “I met Mzee Morris when I was younger and saw him play. I loved his style from the first moment I heard it. I also listened to him on the Tanzania Broadcast Corporation, because his drums was used hourly to announce the news. I spent three months trying to learn the drum riff he used. I could never understand how a blind drummer could remember where all 10-12 drums were. Amazing.” Here’s Daudi:…
Day 4: Tuesday, February 21st, 2017 Story
…full plate is a metaphor for an abundant life and good harvest) Part two: We then brought in Henry and Leo Mkanyia, Rajab-Alli Morris, Steven Jonas (Tomato) and Elliot Wenman and Sophie Grant to play five more songs. These were: Marugaro Sanaa: arts Chipela: When you’re hungry you gather lots of fruit from the fruit tree). This song featured Ndanhini on the thumb piano who created the most amazing rhythm, which played off Henry’s bass brilliantly….
Day 3: Monday, 2017 February 20th Story
…e drum. Our sessions are typically filled with lots of smoke and video of drummers running back and forth in/out of camera range tuning their drums as they play. See example: Here’s the Group: The group played 6 songs: Ndio Kwanza (We’re just starting and haven’t done anything yet) Mama Shughuli Yako Tomeiona (Now, you’ve seen how we play) Boga (Pumpkin), or Mboga in the local dialect Nina Ubembeleza Undugu (I’m begging for us to be brothers) Drum…
Day 1: Saturday, 2017 February 18th Story
…e Morris’s grandsons, Abdala Nyunyusa Morris on vocals and Rajab Alli Nyunyusa Morris on drums. Rajab is the only of Mzee Morris’s offspring to make his living as a drummer. Here he is with Morris Drums: Here is the group: They played seven songs: Jembe ni Mali: a song to encourage farming Kilongo Salale: a call to unity Rasilmali Ya Mnyonge: The worth of a poor man. Bendera Ya Taifa: The flag of the nation The Snake Dance Sarakasi: Circus. This i…
Ketebul Music presents Shades of Benga Online News
…music, examining external influences from the English waltz to Afro Cuban Rumba and how they helped mould new music styles across Africa. Rumba was brought to Eastern Africa via the itinerant Congolese musicians Edouard Masengo and Jean Bosco Mwenda who’s intricate guitar-picking styles largely shaped the present Kenyan sound, with the Benga playing a dominant role. Currently, you can get advance copies from Ketebul Music Studios or place your or…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 4, Part 1 – Reflections Story
…is support, build the infrastructure. This involves seeds for gourds for trumpets, or drum-making for drums. Inevitably something needs to be invested in the infrastructure. Step 5: Bring on the young. Inevitably, you then need to bring on the people to learn and enjoy this music. And here we had an interesting debate. Some of our palace musicians felt the young people didn’t care anymore. But it was Ben Nsumugo Ntabula who provided a wonderful c…
Recce to Tanzania for our 2020 Field Visit News
…est groups to record during our upcoming field visit in February. We are struck once again by the amazing talent this country has to offer, and can’t wait to capture some amazing moments with these artists when we visit again with the full team in a few weeks time. Thanks to the good people at Dhow Countries Music Academy for helping us with the information and contacts from their database. Getting a private crash course on the ganun from ganun vi…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 3, Part 2 – Interviews with Musicians of Uganda’s Royal Palaces Story
…fight. I signed. So then a man came in and said that anyone can leave who lives close by. But I lived far away and they said those that lived far away could go and wait back in the prison another week. But I didn’t want that and knew I needed to leave. One of the boys had a mother that was close by: she was at Kyaliwajjala. So a group of the young boys all decided to go with him to his mother, and we all climbed in a bus to travel to his house. T…
Central and Eastern Uganda: Day 2 – Kampala to Jinja Story
…he next generation of trumpets. There are now four trumpet groups and about 20 trumpets, with many more growing in the fields in different parts of Busoga. Everything about the Bigwala model has become the inspiration for our attempts to rediscover the lost royal drums. The trumpets are thriving and young people are starting to learn the instrument again. And James Lugolole is thriving. In his interview he told us, “I am so happy. I feel now, when…
Singing Wells Youtube Channel hits 2.5Million views News
…ern artist connecting to his musical heritage as he plays the traditional orutu, whilst also inflecting it with his own contemporary style. https://youtu.be/gPaBQwODTtU Also at the top of the list is the legend of Mwanzele, Nyerere Wa Konde, performing with his family as the Nyerere Wa Konde Music Club. This was filmed back in 2011, on the very first day of the Singing Wells pilot trip to Kenya. Seeing the generations of Nyerere’s family performin…
Musisi’s Story, Part 1: The Fall of the Buganda Kingdom Story
…am now so happy and they call me The Professor because I’m teaching these drummers how to play the Royal Drums and I want to do nothing more with my life than to help this music be heard.” Musisi’s work: drummers setting up to perform And we’ll stop there. We will report more on Musisi as the week goes on, but we felt this was the right place to start, the telling of his last night at the palace, the last moments the Entenga were played at the pal…
The Return of Bigwala News
…he kingdoms were restored in 1990, very few players with knowledge of constructing and playing the bigwala remained alive. James Isabirye, a Lecturer at the Department of Performing Arts of Kyambogo University in Kampala, has been striving since 2012 to restore knowledge of the instrument, receiving help from UNESCO, on their List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, to preserve the instrument. https://www.youtube.com/wa…