James Isabirye and Tabu Osusa Discuss East African Music News
…s able to listen in on a fantastic conversation about on the topic ‘Why is East African music under such threat?’ Both James and Tabu are passionate about the topic, but more importantly they are committed to addressing the threat through their efforts to develop musicians committed to traditional music. Tabu: There are so many reasons our musical culture is threatened. I know that Hugh Tracy blamed Christianity. The churches came to the land and…
Ketebul Music: A Year in Review News
…Professor, gave us access to a collection of music and photos, from music promoter Peter Colmore. We are getting all the genres of Kenyan music. I would like the book to be done by types of music. It needs to involve DJ’s, musicians, writers, etc… We have almost all the material. It is now about making a big impression. My dream is we launch this book during the Smithsonian conference next year in Washington DC. In terms of artists, Winyo is doin…
Preserving Threatened Heritage News
…Wells, our goal is “to record, archive and share the traditional music of East Africa for two important reasons – to sustain and celebrate the extraordinary cultural music heritage of the region and to help make this legacy relevant and fresh to today’s audiences.” And it is always great to hear of stories where others are attempting to do the same, especially in countries so close to our heart, such as Uganda. An article on the website of the Ug…
SWP Uganda 2013 – our proposed itinerary News
…another week of live field recordings. On this trip we will be working in East and Central Uganda, visiting musicians and music groups from the Baganda, Basigu, Bagwere, Basoga and Banyoli communities. In September, Steve and Tabu from Ketebul Music travelled to Uganda to undertake a ‘recce’ and identify the music styles and groups which we will be recording for this next Singing Wells trip. We now have our outline itinerary to share with you. Da…
The Birara Batwa Community Story
…music relevant to today’s artists and audiences. We want to celebrate and promote the music heritage of East Africa in a contemporary context. We are doing this with ‘Influences’. We were staying at The Traveller’s Rest Hotel in Kisoro and the staff kindly allowed us to set up the studio under the verandah and it was there that we recorded our first ‘Influences’ session – a fusion of Batwa music from the Birara singers and contemporary music from…
The Key to Sustainable Aid in Africa? Perhaps we should follow the music. News
…ent needs. We tended to talk about our mission with caveats. “The music of East Africa is under threat, but of course, East Africa is facing many other more pressing issues as well.’ It was hard to argue that music was more important than helping a starving family or providing basic medicine to a child. Part Two: An Emerging Hypothesis: Music REALLY Matters and is the Soundtrack for Delivery of More Urgent Aid And on one level, of course, this rem…
A recording studio which fits into the back of an SUV Story
…ed in studios the world over but, most likely, not seen in the villages of East Africa. The equipment has been carefully selected so it can easily fit into a few holdalls and four rugged peli-cases which protect everything while in transit, whether it be on a plane from Nairobi or in the back of the van on a bumpy track to one of the remote villages we are heading for. We are adding to our equipment lists all the time as we refine our methods, lea…
What people say about Singing Wells News
…d. Singing Wells is the much needed portal for ethnomusicology research in East Africa.” Matthew Morin, PhD in Musicology, Florida State University: “Singing Wells does more than preserve traditions for future generations. By involving a younger demographic of East African musicians, producers and videographers like Winyo, Jesse Bukindu, Partick Ondiek and Steve Kivutia, the project generates bridges of local musical influence that directly funnel…
The New Singing Wells website News
…’s easy to read more about it. Instruments Library We have been collecting East African instruments since our first trip to the Kenya coast in 2011. Click here to read about the traditional East African instruments we have recorded being played. Responsiveness We recognise that a lot of our visitors may be viewing the device on iPads, iPhones, tablets, netbooks, Samsung phones etc, so a lot of work has gone into making our site accessible on these…
Group of the Month – Watmon Cultural Group News
…rdings, stories, videos, interviews, and other content we have gathered in East Africa. Our first group of the month is the Watmon Cultural Group. We have videos from our Uganda 2012 trip, as well as recordings made in both Naguru and at the Entebbe Airport Guesthouse, where due to the generosity and patience of the manager Jan Willem and the other guests, we set up a recording studio in the garden. You can join us on Facebook here: https://www.fa…
The Singing Wells supports Ketebul Music’s ‘Kenya at 50’ project News
…ded the guitarist Fundi Konde – said to be the first electric guitarist in East Africa. He also set up Hi Fidelity Productions and studio in Nairobi – a promotion and public relations company, which produced advertisements for big brands in Kenya at the time – Coca Cola (featuring the Congolese musician Eduoard Masengo), Ever Ready and Aspro. Through this union, he created the All African Variety shows, which were broadcast live on radio, and late…
A quick summary of the Singing Wells Project News
…lage thanked us because they noted that this great player, a legend across East Africa, had never been properly recorded. He died two weeks later. Here was the last song we recorded… 4. Singing Wells is about bringing the tribal music of East Africa to the latest generation of singer-songwriters, like Winyo: However important it is to capture music before it is gone, this is necessary, but not sufficient. We are not fossile collectors. The second…
73,603 views on YouTube News
…d enjoying what we are all about – bringing the more traditional sounds of East Africa to an enthusiastic audience. Thanks for watching! Our top 3 video hits In third place, this is the Nyerere Wa Konde Music Club from Sita Village, Gede in Kenya’s Malindi District. It was the very first video we uploaded to YouTube following our field visit to the Coast Region to record the music of the Mijikenda tribes. Is second place is a video from our…
The Influences Series from Singing Wells News
…of the keys objectives of the Singing Wells project is to introduce tribal East African music to a new generation of musicians and fans who might not consider it relevant today. So, we have developed the Influences series – a fusion of traditional and contemporary styles. Each time the Singing Wells team embarks on a field recording visit we are joined by a talented musician who works with us on ‘Influences’ songs. They work with us in the field a…
Listen to more ‘Influences’ tracks from Singing Wells News
…ls Influences series – a fusion of contemporary and traditional music from East Africa. Influences songs This track features Jovah Nyiramajoro performing with Jesse Bukindu at Ketebul Music Studios. We discovered Jovah on the Singing Wells field trio to Uganda in November 2011. She is from the Mperwa Batwa community, a small settlement of families just outside Kisoro. Read our report from the trip here. This next track is called Amahoro – a Batwa…
The origins of Singing Wells Story
…is being eroded. He says, ‘For reasons I can’t fully explain, contemporary East African music has lost touch with its tribal roots. Our most popular musicians find far more inspiration in western music than they do with East African music. I worry about this. As a people, we risk losing our deep cultural heritage – the role of traditional music and dance in our lives. And as musicians, we risk becoming undifferentiated. Rather than drawing upon wh…