Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 4, Part 1 – Reflections Story
…re for reference. But we have always wanted to do more than this – we want to find great musicians and help their music to reach new audiences. That is why we will be in Nairobi in the studios with musicians from our 2013 visit to Uganda – we are recording them professionally, surrounding them with great new artists and we hope giving them an opportunity to find new listeners that want to take elements of the music forward. With this as background…
The Revival of Ohangla Music! News
…icle about the revival of traditional Ohangla music from nation.co.ke, featuring one of our favourite Ohangla artists, Otieno Aloka. Giving A Trendy Sound To Traditional Ohangla Music Traditionally played at weddings and funerals, the music is having new life put into it by young artists like Otieno who use electronic production, combined with incredible musicianship, to create a whole new genre. Otieno’s song Kanungo Eteko is massive on Youtube,…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 3, Part 1- Drum Making and Palace Players Story
…g drums, short for short drums. Then you bore the hold into the log,” (the tool used is Ekifumu) “you then let the wood dry in the sun.” Here Abass showed us a wooden ‘pail’ that had the rough outline of a small drum, but needed to be hollowed out. He did this by carving deeply into the wood with a large scraping tool that he used to carve wood from the centre. 2. Cutting the wood to size “You then cut the wood to size” (the saw used is called a M…
Central and Eastern Kenya: Days 5-11:An Interview with Gregg Story
…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 would be interested partners is someone that can exploit this material and could provide royalties like producers and film makers that could really make this available. We ne…
The History Of Benga Music: A Report by Ketebul Music Story
…g’ Kabaselleh, a Luo pop artist who occasionally teamed up with Laban Juma Toto, formerly of the Hodi Boys band, to produce some of the best rumba melodies sang in the Luo language. Kabaselleh’s love for rumba saw him adopt the name of Congo’s celebrated pioneer musician, Joseph Kabaselleh ‘Le Grand Kalle.’ Some of Ochieng’s sons like Babu Kabaselleh and Reggie Kabaselleh are now well-known musicians in their own right, same to his siblings who ma…
Central and Eastern Kenya: Day 3 – Nkubu to Mariene to Murungurune to Nkubu Story
…advises. Steve says that his ‘good cop’ was advising Steve and his cousins how to survive the day, while the ‘bad cop’ was essentially shouting that each boy probably lacked the courage and would humiliate his village. Ukaugiria irugu, led by Charles Kinyua. Means ‘do not tell anyone what you will meet or feel.’ And is sung before the circumcision. He is to keep the experiences to himself. “Whatever you encounter, only you and you along has the ri…
Central and Eastern Kenya: Day 2 – Muranga to Kangema to Nkubu Story
…g) We then lugged our equipment up the hill. We were extremely embarrassed to find ourselves chatting in the field at the foot of the hill, only to see that two of the older women were hauling our generator up to the vans. It took slightly too long for any of us to go help them. Shame. We then drove four hours from the field to Nkubu (route map below), where we stayed at the Heritage Hotel. For the next two nights we became Lillianna’s (our waitre…
Central and Eastern Kenya: Day 1 – Nairobi to Kiongwe to Muranga Story
…na ivinda (Chasing After Time). This song talks about the President’s call to stop corruption. The call to chase after time comes from the society that won’t condone these malpractices. Kaniini Kaseo The group is led by Mumbi Wambua, in Kyolo style. The group is also from Kamba ethnic community (ukambani wa kitui) and also from the village of Kiongwe. They have 16 members and were formed in 1980. They performed 3 songs, all of which use the Ileve…
Central Uganda: Day 5 – Jinja to Kampala Story
…wonderful hotel filled with amazing hostesses that treated us very well. We then drove straight back to Kampala and even passed the President’s car on the way (it was unclear if the car held the President). We returned to the Kampala Imperial Hotel and some of us were delighted to find a English football match on the TV (Arsenal vs. Southampton). And we were greeted by Air Conditioning which is most welcome by those of us from the North but feared…
Central Uganda: Day 4 – Jinja Story
…s also trying to start a gourd revolution so people start using them again to store liquids and stop using plastic) The coordinator and lead female vocalist in the group is Irene Nabirye. The group is made up of 6-7 Bigwala players and drummers, plus dancers and singers. They performed four songs and then we did a magic moment with their instruments; these were: Muwe Bwobona Asaba: When someone asks you kindly assist them Mperekera Omwana Womuremb…
Central Uganda: Day 3 – From Mbale to Iganga to Jinja Story
…k he is amazing. He has one of those older traditional voices that is hard to find. I know Robert felt we should invite him to Ugandan festivals. He’s the king in villages, playing at beer parties in villages, invited by the elders in traditional ‘rites of passage.’ Here is his music: The Journey to the Next Site We then packed up and said good bye to the Elgon Ngoma Troupe Centre. It was illustrative of their passion that they continue to perform…
Our top Singing Wells songs for April News
…culture. For all their songs, the ladies used the Kigamba (leg shakers). 2. Kaniini Kaseo, Kolleji Kaniini Kaseo is an all women group led by Mumbi Wambua, in Kyolo style. The group is from the Kamba ethnic community. They have 16 members and were formed in 1980. All of their songs use the Ileve (the tin shaker, played by Mumbi Wambua) and Vilingi (whistle) 3. Kangema Urban Women Group, Kibuthi The Kangema Urban Women Group was formed in 2006 and…
Current Leading Figures News
…s 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 and his thoughts on some of the central issues surroundi…
Archiving Guidelines News
…second is FEDORA. However, it is clear that to set up an online data repository, to be used as an archive, substantial technological knowledge is needed – but this guide is most definitely a great help for gaining understanding of all the issues needed be considered when setting up an online music archive. Storage of Audio Materials Guidance for the care, handling and storage of audio visual materials can be found on the Library of Congress websit…
A History of Recording East African Music News
…d she worked with Mennonite Central Committee and Peace Corp. She was able to use her role as teacher and lecturer to spread the importance and beauty of traditional African music to young school children in Indiana, up to university students across the US and Canada. Oyer’s legacy has been continued due to a few key individuals understanding the significance of her work. Professor Debra Brubaker began the archive, Solomon Fenton-Miller began digi…
Tracey Instrument Collection News
…Egyptian harps – with the cowhide that stretches over the top of the resonator used to keep it in place. Written on the side of the skin of this ennanga is ‘SSENDEGGE’ which may be the name of the actual maker of the harp, but the harp was obtained by the Traceys by the renowned ennanga player Evaristo Muyinda. The ennanga was formerly the instrument played by the master of music of the Kabaka (King) of the Bugandan people. He would compose songs…