Day Three: Bungoma Town to Kakamega Story
…(these were songs dedicated to their heroes). They turned these recordings into cassettes to sell at the bar for 100 shillings per tape. After a year they also did videos to their songs. Then they met John Charles Kapanga (who attended today’s Singing Wells recording session). He was a local business man with a house in Malinda. He invited the band to the house to rehearse, write and perform. Wilbert says that they were driven to the house on the…
Day Four: February 19, 2020 (Maruhabi Palace) Story
…ed by mango trees. We met the first group there. Sekimbuke – traditional singing and dancing with some Taarab influence. They sing for weddings, celebations and the harvest. They use traditional Zanzibar drums: Vumi – a tall, narrow, large drum based on the floor, Kinganga – a short medium sized drum, a Bati – a high hat, a Chapuo – a long narrow drum held under the arm, a Dutu – a smaller version of the Chapuo and Masewe – shakers worn on the le…
Tarajazz Group
…ho loved Pakistan when she visited Kasha – Kenyan Taarab love song. A man singing about his “chest being opened and empty” In typical Taarab style this has sexual inuendo Hijjaz Solo – Jazz solo without the singer Ashikibaya – name of a city. Magic Moment of Christopher Weston on Cajon and High Hat Magic Moment of singer Regina singing Kasha Magic Moment of singer Regina and Hassan on Sax performing Kasha. We really enjoyed this group. The drummer…
Page
…ers and songwriters to show how this “traditional” music is still relevant into today’s modern world. Below you will find links to the musical loops we have selected that are available to download for the project, If you are interested in joining the Global Influences Project, you can download the project brief here or get in touch with us with any questions you may have. SUBMISSIONS FOR THIS PROJECT ARE NOW CLOSED. Click here to access the Glob…
Support Singing Wells Page
How you can sponsor the Singing Wells Project Singing Wells is a charitable project, managed and funded by the Abubilla Music Foundation a UK registered charity (reg. no: 1142173). Our work to record, archive and share the music of East Africa is funded by donations. Funds are used to support our field recording trips, provide a permanent music archive and also to help the communities we visit gain an income from their music. You can help us sup…
Royal Entenga Drummers Group
…James discovered the sixty-something Musisi, possibly the last surviving drummer. Musisi was just a teenager at the time of attack and barely survived the night of the attack itself (more on this here). James met him and realised that together they could begin to build the drums. Working closely with Albert and Shaban, a professional drummer who now leads the new band, they built a new set of Royal Drums, recruited a team of passionate drummers to…
Day two: From Sirisia to Mabuyole Falls Story
…ruited new members and the band has stayed very active and prosperous, playing in the Tindikiti style. The play at hotels, festivals, weddings, funerals, etc.. In terms of instruments they have: Luengere: Drums Eng’oma: Drums Litungu: Strings They performed the following songs: Kuzula Ni Bora: This is a song that emphasizes that prevention is better than the cure. The singer takes us through many illnesses to argue there are ways to recognize the…
Kidedeya Group
…ve to play Mrondogomo: A wedding song Kidedeya: A send off song, a marriage song Kidedeya: Freestyle Magic Moment: Omusingero again…
Day Zero: 6 March 2022 – Travel To Stream Story
…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 wherever they may be. With the prevailing situation, it is becoming increa…
Here for the Music? Page
…hy of our surroundings. Head here to see some images of our time on the field, the people we meet and the stunning scenery. YouTube You can find the full collection of our video recordings on our Youtube channel. With over 500+ videos for you to choose from, delve into the world of East African music and dance with us. “We set out on this mission not to become ‘fossil collectors’… We work with musicians to make sure their music traditions contin…
Kirundo Group
…ion. Mjomba – Uncle, celebrating the good hunt. New composition Uye – Come Back Please, used at a wake after someone is buried. New composition. Uringe – Be Proud. Old Traditional song Kyaso – old traditional Zanzibarian song of celebration Mnyamwana – Respect for women. New Composition. They sang in a combination of Hehe and Kigogo, both languages from mainland Tanzania, as well as Swahili. They had incredible energy and charisma. The singer, Nye…
Buganda Music Ensemble Group
…ything had happened. Albert leads the song with the bow harp or Ennanga, a new instrument for us. Albert is only one of 3 master players. It was played in solo performances and the Ennanga player was the advisor to the king, as people would bring him messages for the king that he would turn to song. “Mulirwana”: it means neighbour and the song is about people who don’t trust their neighbours and they believe that anyone that doesn’t trust their ne…
Global Influences Project: Artist Submissions Page
…on the programming of this song. I added a few Techno elements still maintaining the Afro House percussion and groove to compliment the sample. The chord progression was the last touch as it also gave the record color and vibe.” You can follow Shona on Twitter (@afroshona), Instagram (@officialshonasa) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/afroshona) AMZI ODEK X ALOKA OHANGLA//NYATITI GROUP We really enjoyed this submission from Trombonist and…
2. Naizungwe Drums – progress report 1 Story
…We decided to make many because we would like to have enough drums for training a new generation of players. However, the basic number includes: 1 large Uganda drum (played with short heavy beaters) 3 smaller drums (played with long curved sticks) 1 medium drum (played with sticks) 1 long drum (ngalabi – hand-beaten) All together, 6 drums. Therefore, we are making four sets of naizungwe drums mainly to facilitate learning.” Below is a video docum…
1. Introducing the Naizungwe drums Story
…entenga royal drums of the Buganda kingdom starting in 2015 and contacted Singing Wells with the hope that we would support him with funding for his new project. We are excited to announce that we have agreed to support James in his endeavours and will be posting about the project’s development, which has been under way for a month now. James gives some background about his inspiration for starting this project: “I led the revival of entenga royal…
Day 6: Thursday, February 23rd, 2017 Story
…out being quiet because a performance is starting Magic Moment 3: Francis singing ‘Alelewani’ solo. Alelewani with full group Mikocheni Makongwe Malowe Magic Moment 4: Daudi Fernando Joseph plays the drums in style of Mzee Morris 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, beca…