Central Uganda: Day 4 – Jinja Story
…(yes, as Tabu said we had two legends of Ugandan music visit us today) – Natha Matta Nyende performing for us with his band the Bakuseka Majja Matta Group. Nathan is 76 years old and has been blind since 1956. He formed his group in 1952. They play in the Kisoga style and are from Kasokoso in Iganga District. They are four members. Nathan plays the Endongo, which is the local name for the small thumb piano. Kirunda Awali sings and plays the Ender…
Central Uganda: Day 3 – From Mbale to Iganga to Jinja Story
…oweh” and popularised as “A lion sleeps tonight”). Altawale. This was a great combination of heavy brass, traditional drums, marching band drums and a good old fashioned American Marching Band Twirler, straight from Music Man. Here’s their music: We loved what Julius had created. First and foremost he was giving these kids stability and hope. They were gifted, talented and proud and love to perform. Second, he was building on his culture – he was…
Before They Pass Away News
…lso serves to highlight the struggles these communities face: constant threats of displacement from their land, potentially deadly diseases brought by newcomers, and loss of the habitat on which they rely. It’s now more important than ever to understand, respect and celebrate the world’s indigenous cultures and remaining tribes, before it’s too late. To find out more information about Jimmy’s work visit http://www.beforethey.com/. Do you know of a…
Rediscovering Afropop and its influences News
…ands. She described their music as ‘Afropop’, a contemporary music genre that combines traditional African music and Western popular music. Afropop influences The Sauti Sol band members have named a musician that influences them as Daudi Kabaka. Kabaka was a popular Kenyan artist whose songs include African Twist.The traditional Benga sound is about 60 years old with its formative years occurring between the late 1950s and the 1960s. Its roots run…
Discussions on music and culture with a young Kenyan News
…massive effect on people and how they perceive themselves. We watch a lot of western media, so a lot of our ideals are based on western notions of what great life if like. It means that people aspire to western ways of things, and so we don’t embrace our cultural music and heritage… it’s not ‘cool’. Do you think losing the cultural music heritage of East Africa is a shame? It’s a massive shame! But the western style of living is so appealing – ju…
Our top 5 Singing Wells songs for March News
…t rhythm. The group is led by Margaret Mbia and plays in the musical style of Kilumi, wathi wa kikamba. They were formed in 1974 and the two drums at the front are called Kilumi, played by Makai King’ei and Koka Mbindyo. 5. Ohalanga Drum Solo – Keith Moon Final favourite has to be the Ohalanga Drum Solo by Keith Moon, filmed in Singing Wells’ 2011 trip through Northern Kenya. 0.52 secs is my favourite moment, when Keith stands up and the dude behi…
Singing Wells is on Bozza! News
…heir fans throughout Africa. The platform is available to emerging and established artists from around the continent and can be easily accessed by visiting www.bozza.mobi from mobile phones and PCs.” Thabiso Mohare, Head of Brand & Marketing…
Current Leading Figures News
…video from the 2013 festival can be seen below – and is the project coordinator of the Retracing Series, documentaries which aim to to research, archive and document the musical culture of Kenya, the latest of which ‘Retracing Kenya’s Songs of Protest — Music as a Force for change in Kenya 1963-2013’, was released recently. His extensive background of involvement in the East African music industry can be found on his About Page at Ketebul Music an…
Music Depositories and Archives around the World News
…y valuable resource for traditional music and enables it to have some sort of commercial value, though it is not for profit. It also publishes a magazine, with great articles that supplement the music recordings they have available. For example, the latest issue, Peace, features an article, Coffee, Music, and the Performance of Peace by Jeffrey A. Summit, which explores issues surrounding the music they produce, namely the album Delicious Peace: C…
Archiving Guidelines News
…l and physical sound files. Online Sound Archiving The International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (IASA) released the second edition of an online publication – Guildines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects (IASA-TC 04) – in 2009, which is described as ‘an accepted authority on digital audio preservation in the sound archiving field.’ It is informed by their other publication, ‘The Safeguarding of the Audio…
A History of Recording East African Music News
…niversity to provide up to date tools and skills, such as the digitisation of DAT and reel-to-reel tape. Dr Sylvia Nannyonga-Tamusuza from the university, in this article, sums up the importance of archiving “My hope is to create materials for secondary schools from the archive. In that way, (students) can be able to remember and to understand what was there before […] With the recordings, we can give (students) some background and some context; t…
Tracey Instrument Collection News
…holds two horns, which are part of the Omukama of Bunyoro‘s horn ensemble of at least six horns, that were collected in the 1950s by Hugh Tracey. The Omukama of Bunyoro is the titular head of the Banyoro people. Ennanga eight string harp This harp is unusual in the sense that the neck does not pierce the body of the resonator, but rather rests on the inside of it – like the earliest Ancient Egyptian harps – with the cowhide that stretches over th…
Preserving Threatened Heritage News
…uncil of Forklorists in Uganda (NACOFU) has been helping the villagers to preserve the music, by encouraging them to grow gourd trumpets, teach it to the youth and increase the profile of the music, by performing it at more occasions. Nevertheless, their efforts are stumped by limited resources and finances. …
Report from Womex 2013 News
…members of the group about their experiences in the genocide. It was a great watch and the group would be one we’d be keen to work with if we venture to Uganda. Find out more about the film here: http://www.sweetdreamsrwanda.com/ New Friends at the festival We met a lot of new friends – as that was the point of our being there. We were spreading the word of the project and its aims and objectives, with listening stations for passers by to liste…
Group of the Month – Otacho Young Stars News
…ndy taking the collected rainfall of the past hour, in the face from the roof of the tent…. We then moved from our original recording location to the DRC – not the Democratic Republic of Congo, but Dinky’s Resort Club, down the road in Rongo. We set up the recording gear at the back of what looked like an old dance hall – the grass at the rear of the hall forming a natural arena for our groups – one of which was the Otacho Young Stars. We later me…
The Batwa Community Story
…took us to the southwest corner of Uganda. Here we met the members of six Batwa communities, all of which had a music group which we recorded for the project. Before we introduce you to the communities we met and the wonderful music and dance of the Ugandan Batwa, here is some background information about this unique group of people. The Batwa people of Uganda The Batwa, historically a nomadic, forest dwelling community of hunter-gatherers, are wi…