Central Uganda: Day 7 – A Magic Day in Entebbe Story
…Our best day. We never leave the hotel but create new music with wonderful vistors: Matia Kakumirizi, Passy and Charles from the Kika Boys Cultural Troupe, Jovah and Jacinta….
Central Uganda: Day 6: Kampala to Entebbe Story
…rp, where there are only 3 master players) and the endongo (Bow Lyre). His best moment was playing for Ronald Mwenda Mutebi’s wedding in 1998. The band members include: Kigozi Daudi: Emburtu (big drum) Steven Ssebuufu: Amadinda and endingidi Kyakonye dodovic: Engalabi (long drum) They played seven songs: Ggangalwa: A king servant tried to play with the princess. All women in the palace, however, are controlled and possessed by the king. He was pun…
Central Uganda: Day 5 – Jinja to Kampala Story
…the cultural association in my university. During her school life she was best dancer in 2007 and 2010 in high school, and best dancer in her university in 2010 and 2011. Musoke Meddy: He is a senior member of Nile Beat and the treasurer in group. Meddy was voted the best dancer in the Uganda in 2004 and in 2008. The Group performed five songs: Ikobo Kobo: The name is a type of herb. It is a song about a girl who is very bitter because her mother…
Central Uganda: Day 4 – Jinja Story
…ed a few beers and stayed in one of the cottages telling stories about our best Singing Wells moments, only some of which had to do with the music. The group then divided roughly along age lines on the fundamental issue of fish vs. sleep. Tabu, Jimmy, Andy and Vicki voted sleep and we had food delivered to our cottages, ate and went to bed early. Steve, Patrick, Jacinta, Nick and Robert voted fish and went off the local casino for ‘the best fish i…
A Tanzanian Effort to Salvage the Music of the Past News
…tchy tune, conveying information about how to take care of children or how best to help one another build a new, independent Tanzania. “It was all about love, all about unity, all about coming together and building a new nation”, said Benson Rukantabula, who also works on the project. But as with any state-sponsored propaganda, some messages were politically acceptable, while others were not. Also in the archives are other historical gems, includi…
Central Uganda: Day 3 – From Mbale to Iganga to Jinja Story
…anzi, pan pipes The performance was simply spectacular. Our search for the best xylophone players in Uganda is declared over! What a group. Obutasoma (Education), with lead singer Muniru Ayubu Obwiire Bukyeire (The Time Has Come), with lead singer Kisubi Eliasa Magic Moment: We loved the xylophone and asked the group to replay a minute of Obwiire Bukyeire, with only the xylophone. We asked Vicki to climb in next to the bass notes, so she could get…
Central Uganda: Day 2 – Kampala to Budaka Story
…about this group were the beautiful vocal harmonies; this was some of the best choral singing we’ve heard at Singing Wells. The group started in 2001 and perform in HIV sensitization sessions twice a month and other ceremonies such as weddings, introductions, and Cultural Competitions, the most well-known of which is sponsored by the beer Senator. Their trainer is Paul Mwima and they originate from Bunyole, Butaleja District. Their style is Mabeg…
Who’s looking at you? Story
…This little fan joined us along Lake Victoria to record some of the best Nyatiti players in Kenya in November 2011….
Meeting Ketebul: an interview with Tabu News
…ng Andy. Actually, thinking about it now it wasn’t the worst, it was pretty funny! The worst was driving from Mombasa to Malindi at night, it was dangerous. The road was narrow, unmarked and I didn’t like it. We said after this we wouldn’t do it again. Now we hardly drive at night. As for the best? Every moment is the best when it comes to Singing Wells! What can we look forward to from Singing Wells and Ketebul this year? We’re going to be doing…
Ten More Singing Wells Stories News
…we loved about Uganda is all the great the instrument bands, from the Xylophone, to the Likembe, to the Adungu to the Calabash. When you hear these bands live you are awash in sound as 5-10 instruments, sized for multiple octaves, overwhelm you. So here are a few of our favourites: The Xylophone: One of the Royal Instruments. Here is a whole village dedicated to the music and dance of their instrument The Adungu: One of the most beautiful Ugandan…
Current Leading Figures News
…e, faith, hard work, discipline, science, leadership…. teach them all. The best place to preserve values, and music does this, is in the hearts of people.” When asked how large a problem is getting funding for music related/cultural projects? Do you feel people generally in Uganda understand the importance of such projects? His reply was striking… “The African problem has been seen to be economic & political rather than cultural by our leaders, pa…
Music Depositories and Archives around the World News
…ion. It is worth noting that some of the items are listed in French and some in English. This article has tried to cover as wide a range of places and sites to access East African music – however, it is by no means a finite list. …
Singing Wells in Numbers…. News
…Andy did a litte homework for this one: Number of recordings of groups: 374 (this does not include other recordings like Magic Moments, Influences, etc…) Number of groups recorded: 83 Number of hours of music: 27 hours and 30 minutes. …
James Isabirye and Tabu Osusa Discuss East African Music News
…People from the government always want to help me. I tell them simply: the best way to help me is to stay out of my way. Let the musicians talk to their audiences. Let them play. We don’t need a big government program on culture, we need to give the artist the stage and a microphone and an audience. Let people rediscover their culture through great artists doing great things. You don’t rediscover you heritage with a government policy. James: Exact…
Report from Womex 2013 News
…onsuming music. In Africa – 60% have electricity whereas 86% have a mobile phone. This is again another area in which the Singing Wells project may be interested in the future – mobile phones and ring back tones as a method of delivery for music. Mike and I also attended the African music networking session which became the launch for a new initiative by the Cape Verde government. It has been calculated that music is their biggest export and so ha…
A recording studio which fits into the back of an SUV Story
…ing with us: 2 Apple MacBook Pro 2 MOTU Traveler MK3 Audio Interface 4 Headphone amps 8 Sony MDR-V600 headphones 2 Shure mics & stands 2 Rode Lavalier omni-directional mics 2 Rode NTG-1 condenser Shotgun mics 1 Matched Pair of AKG C414 XL Microphones 1 Matched Pair of Rode NT5 Microphones 2 Rode professional boom pole 1 K&M telescopic mic stand/boom 1 Canon EOS 7D 1 Canon EOS 60D 1 Canon EOS 5D 1 LED video camera lights 1 Flip HD video camera Thin…