Buganda Music Ensemble Group
Buganda Music Ensemble: founded in 2004 and led by Albert Bisaso Ssempeke Jr, son of the legendary Dr. Albert Ssempeke Senior. Music style: Kiganda Song Meanings “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 punished by cutting off his fingers. His friends eventually found out due to all the rumors circulating the palace. They tried to ask him abo…
The Kalenjin of Kenya Album
The tracks on this album were recorded in March 2012 on location in the field in Kenya, as part of The Singing Wells trip to record the music of the Kalenjin. The album opens with Ben Kisinja on the Burkandit, recorded in Kapsokwony on the 5th March 2012. Also recorded in the same session were the Chebonet Group and the Teriet Band. We also have a short snippet of The Masirtaret – a performance that was sadly cut short by rainfall – one of the…
Recording, archiving and sharing the traditional music of East Africa Page
…sustain and celebrate the extraordinary cultural music heritage of the region and to help make this legacy relevant and fresh to today’s audiences. As a group of sound and video engineers, producers and musicians, we set out on this mission not to become ‘fossil collectors’ and store the recordings in inaccessible archives. We work with musicians to make sure their music traditions continue to be practiced, can be shared amongst the widest audienc…
Global Influences Project: Loop Library Page
…Ekhunjwe Musical Group – 153BPM Ekhunjwe ya Abasamia was formed in April 2008 with common focus on using music as a tool for community development. The group promotes traditional African values and acts in both education and local economy. Members also engage in traditional crafts like basket weaving and jewellery making for exhibition and sale. You can learn more about the group here. You can watch the full visual performance of this song on our…
Imachina Group
…row to match the procession. We asked them to pick their favourite processions and then play a couple songs within these. They played: The Shirembe procession, which is a special funeral for a very big local hero, where you might even stage a bullfight on the grave. The songs included: Kutaywa: Literally means a ‘cock’ and is to let you know that this is a great man, who ‘rules the roost’ so to be speak. The singer mourns that a great man is lost…
Day Five: February 20, 2020 (DCMA) Story
…Instrumental – traditional old song of the community. Taksim – Improvisation on the Qanun by Rajab Suleiman, magic moment This group performed very well together. Rajab Suleiman played the Qanun to a very high level and Fum Faki got an amazing amount of different sounds out of the bongos and tabla. The singer sang in a lovely melodic, haunting way. Tarajazz and Kirundo Fusion – we had seen these two bands earlier in the week and they came togeth…
Day Two: 8 March 2022 (Ilesi) Story
…g session was finally figured out the actual recording started at about 17:00 hours. The three sisters and their two brothers have pleasantly matured musically and it was really encouraging to see them helping to keep their father’s legacy alive. All was done a few minutes to 8:00pm. After the routine photo shoot the Obasie Palnyang brothers and sisters were off to their serene village in Kodedema, close to the Kenya-Uganda border. After the long…
Elgon Ngoma Troupe Group
…ilimbwa Julius. Julius is a member of the Bagisu tribe, who founded it in 2009 as a group for orphans or disadvantaged youths. Julius helps these students develop their natural talents to the next level, in the hope of finding work with their skills. He struggled through his teens with no support, but found his way gradually as a musical performer, working with the National Theatre and various troupes around Mbale. He was always extremely proud of…
Day Zero: 6 March 2022 – Travel To Stream Story
…ew offices at the GoDown Arts Centre on Kayahwe Road off Dennis Pritt by 9:00am. It took us an hour to load the van with the equipment and our personal effects. On our team was Tobias Odhiambo (or Shunkyz as he is known in the music circles) as soundman in charge of the technical aspects of the recordings. Shunkyz was assisted by Fiston Lusambo, a Briton of Congolese origin and guitarist with the London-based Afriquoi Musical group. The video sect…
Day Three: February 18, 2020 (Stonetown, Mpendae, Maungani) Story
…rom Zanzibar) with Singeli (a new tribal rhythm). Taarab came from early 1800’s as Egyptian music. In Zanzibar the Mother of Taarab, Siti Binti Saad, made Taarab more popular in the 1920’s to 1950’s. We spoke to Hassan Mahenge, the assistant director of this band. He is a teacher at the DCMA. He teaches the Oud and plays the saxophone. All the students at the DCMA study traditional music such as Taarab as well as Western music. Members of the grou…
Day Two: February 17, 2020 (Stonetown) Story
…rs on a scholarship from the DCMA to study violin and the oud starting in 2000. He’s been teaching at the academy for 18 years. Members of this group include: Mohamed Othman Faki – leader, on violin, Kheri Mizaka Aliy on African Bass, Makame Ali Juma on drum, Buruhami Makame Haji on 2nd drum, Mgeni Seleiman Makame on sticks, Said Ame Othman on shakers, Aikazija Abdala Ame -dancer, Mirianaharus Juma Hamis – dancer. All sang but Mohamed Othman Faki…
Day One: February 16, 2020 (Ngawala Hotel) Story
…o (accordion) and Fatima Yuma (bongos). The group has been together since 2009 and play traditional Taarab. All songs are about love (love lost and gained) and all secular They usually perform in Kisawandui. They played five songs:Bashraf of Alia: Instrumental Usione Chaelea: Means that you don’t really see the subtlety in something. Mbiyo Za Sakafuni: This is about too much haste and costs of being too fast (literally it translates as ‘speed on t…
Day One: January 18, 2019. Assemble in Tanzania Story
…rage, we do one field visit a year, recording roughly 20-25 groups, and a 100-125 performances. We have roughly 1,000 videos online. Our general setup for a recording is: a) Steve is in charge of audio and we typically have two general mics for the group and 5-6 specific microphones for singers and musicians, b) we have three video cameras operating – one wide shot for full performance, one close up to capture details of instruments and one roving…
Day Five: January 22, 2019 Mwanza Continued Story
…Kagera Bukoba and part of the Wahaya Community, this group was formed in 2000 and performs in the Akasimbo style. Their instruments are: Kangote (Drums), Akafotho (hand whistling), Enganja: Clapper – two wooden ‘bricks’ struck together, and they wear Ebisheshe (grasses). We recorded four performances: Wachumba Walya: A song about someone who is too mean-spirited to support his community even though he has lots of money, it is about a man “who eat…
Day Six: January 24, 2019 From Mwanza to Dodomo to Nzali to Nairobi Story
…nd drove…and drove…and ended up back in Nairobi. Some of us stayed for an important Singing Wells trip to Zanzibar. And the London crew sadly flew home….
Day Three: 9 March 2022 (Kisumu) Story
…n: Dunga Hill Camp – Kisumu. Field Notes: We left Khayega for Kisumu at 10:00am and made a quick stop at Kiboswa ‘city’ on our way to the Lakeside city. This historic center, inhabited by the Luo, Luhya and the Kalenjin tribes of Kenya, is home to Paul Kelemba (or Maddo, as the cartoonist is popularly known). After taking a few photos to prove to the award-winning cartoonist that we actually visited his ancestral home, we continued with our journe…