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). …
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…) the better! Muwewesi Xylophone Group Unsurprisingly for the Muwewesi Xylophone Group, the Xylophone is the star of the show. A giant xylophone lays across the floor, played by 8 musicians, alongside vocalists, pipe flute players and tube fiddle players. Based in Nakisenye, East Uganda, we visited the group in 2013, and when we arrived we found that the band had been there since morning preparing – they had dug the pit for the xylophone, with the…
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…
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As with most websites out there on the internet, our website uses cookies. A cookie (as well as being a sweet treat) is a file that is saved to your computer when you visit a website. These help to do a few things: – make the website work properly, quickly and safely. – remember any settings between visits – such as what worked the last time you visited. They also help to make our Music Map work properly, so you can enjoy the music of the Cookies…
Day Zero: 6 March 2022 – Travel To Stream Story
…ians via M-pesa and Pay-Pal contributions. Another possibility was to sell tickets with the use of online access codes that admit ticket holders into the virtual performance. The result was that a number of live streaming studios where performers book sessions to perform and stream their concerts sprung up in Nairobi. Some venues also adapted to hosting online performances, directly streaming shows to mobile devices and computers of audiences wher…
2. Naizungwe Drums – progress report 1 Story
…above). He comes from a famous family of drum makers from Kalalu village, Buyanga sub country, Bugweri County in Iganga district. Muhamudu was taught how to make drums by two of his uncles who shared their wisdom and experience with him, and tells us that ever since he was young, his relatives and neighbours have all been drum makers. This begins to make sense when he says that one drum offers 54 different jobs: cutting the tree, shaping the trun…
Day 4: Tuesday, February 21st, 2017 Story
…(Meaning Plate, where a 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…
Day 2: Sunday, 2017 February 19th Story
…ing for three reasons: We had the whole day so were able to record a large number of songs and do an “Influences” session. This gave the village children time to get to know us and understand our mission. By the end they were singing along to all the songs. In addition to being a professional musician, Leo also teaches music to school children so he is a natural with kids. On all the songs that he did, he had the whole village singing and laughing…
Day 1: Saturday, 2017 February 18th Story
…eparing equipment. After a brief hold up at airport to check documents and buy a chicken burger, we were met by our drivers, Isaac and Abdullah, and drove immediately to our first field visit – to the home of Mzee Morris’s son, Rafael Nyunyusa Morris. “Retracing the lost drums of Mzee Morris Nyunyusa” is the purpose of this trip, so before discussing today’s music, let’s now give you a bit of background. Mzee Morris is Tanzania’s most famous drumm…
Our journey to the Royal Drums: in the words of James Isabirye Story
…out to teach. But very quickly it was clear that regular students were not good enough to master these drums. So we brought in professionals. I found Shaban and others and we started to practice. We didn’t have drums at first, we just worked on the xylophone that uses much of the same structure. And over time the professor, Musisi, and the students gradually developed a great relationship and are so committed to each other. Then I had to order the…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 3, Part 2 – Interviews with Musicians of Uganda’s Royal Palaces Story
…w if you play the music the children will come. I know if you set up a xylophone in a village and play good music, the children will come. We can’t blame them for not liking the music – they don’t hear it. When they hear it, they come and dance. Kopoliano Kyobe Finally, we had a brief discussion with Kopliano Kyobe: “I was born in Ggavu on the main road. I learned to play the xylophone (Amadinda) as a young boy and they took me to the palace in 19…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 3, Part 1- Drum Making and Palace Players Story
…m to hear the tone. Quite a dance. He then explains tuning further: “Never buy a drum that has been tuned in the sun, or when the drum is too dry or too hot from the sun. This drum will always be too low – because as the skin cools it will lower in pitch. I only tune very cool drums inside and my drums will never go out of tune in the sun. As the sun dries them and the pitch rises, you simply wet them down to keep them in tune.” Here, we learn tha…
Recce to Tanzania for our 2020 Field Visit News
…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 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 impor…
Central and Eastern Uganda: Day 2 – Kampala to Jinja Story
…e short drum with a lizard-skin playing surface, and the bass drum The xylophone Here, we will focus on the players, verses the xylophone instrument itself. We have recorded a lot of Ugandan xylophones over the years, but this time we really wanted to understand the players themselves as the arrangement mirrors in many ways the royal drums. There are generally six players, 3 on each side, configured very roughly as follows (I say roughly, because…
Musisi’s Story, Part 1: The Fall of the Buganda Kingdom Story
…The palace was destroyed and now filled with mud and rain. But this was a good thing because the King’s gun still worked in the rain. And the soldiers’ guns couldn’t work in the rain unless they shot straight down so the rain didn’t go in the barrels. And this meant the King could keep shooting and he killed as many soldiers as he could. And we stayed in this hell, with chaos everywhere throughout the morning of May 25th. I guess the Central Gove…
Central and Eastern Kenya: Days 5-11:An Interview with Gregg Story
…you are focused very much on the actual project – doing it right. That is good. But I do worry you are missing the big picture. There is too much to do and we don’t have the resources within Singing Wells to do it. We have to think bigger. We have to find partners that will fund it beyond the limited resources of the AMF. We need to think about who would want our content and get them to pay for the right to access it. The only people I feel that…