Musisi’s Story, Part 1: The Fall of the Buganda Kingdom Story
…where. He grabbed me and we ran through several palace gates and came into one of his Throne Rooms (there were several). There were a lot of us, around the King and in the room there were dozens of soldiers. But I remember at the end of the room was a big white man, and he had a huge gun that he was moving around to shoot us. It would have killed all of us, it was so big. And the King took his magic electric gun and killed the white man first. And…
Central and Eastern Kenya: Days 5-11:An Interview with Gregg Story
…mber kick they are on and get them to work on authentic things. You guys can get better and better at producing videos, but until we make this bigger and more sustainable, the project is always one heart attack a way from stopping. But let me end simply – this is amazing and keep it going. But let’s all start figuring out how to scale it….
The History Of Benga Music: A Report by Ketebul Music Story
…963, the Ogara trio recorded the song “Selestina Juma” at the African Gramophone Stores, famously known as AGS, in Nairobi. Curiously, the song bears a distinct beat of ska, the precursor of today’s reggae. The trio’s guitar work was evidently inspired by influences from way beyond Luoland and was pretty much ahead of its time. It is possible that its ingenuity came from itinerant guitarists from the Congo, Uganda and Zambia who were already visit…
Central and Eastern Kenya: Days 5-11: Ketebul Studios, Nairobi Story
…cause – they aren’t rooted. I was a session musician at AGS (African Gramophone Studio) and CMS (Capital Music Studio) studios, both on River Road. I formed Sega Sega and we had a drummer called Katoi and Juma Otheth. We did a huge amount of studio work and as Benga became popular, the three of us played on a lot of others’ songs. This meant that our Luo sound was getting on a lot of records. The early sixties was mostly about studio work but by…
Naizungwe Drums News
…ope that we would support him with funding for his new project. We are excited to announce that we have agreed to support James in his endeavours and will be posting about the project’s development, which has been under way for a month now. We will be documenting the progress of these drums with pictures and videos here, and more details about the project and the instruments themselves are to follow soon so you can stay updated….
Central and Eastern Kenya: Day 3 – Nkubu to Mariene to Murungurune to Nkubu Story
…nts and vocals that will be used and make sure these have appropriate microphones and will be seen by the video team. The purpose of Video 2 is to zoom in on these performances so we want our ‘leads’ stationed close to Video 2 if possible. Song Length Our first job is to record the song as written no matter the length. But it is very common for the groups to honour the Singing Wells team by extended their songs – this is a huge complement to the a…
Interview: fusion band Ndoto Afrika News
…and listen to stories. So we will have to transmit these stories to their iPhones and iPads in the form of music, the universal language. Where are you from? From Kenya, in the East of Africa. To be more specific, we hail from a small village in Siaya County where most of the renowned Luo musicians come from. Ever heard of Otieno Aloka (the famous Ohangla artist)? He is our next door neighbour back at the village. We borrow each other’s salt from…
Central Uganda: Day 5 – Jinja to Kampala Story
…azi Ow’omwano Tanoba: Tamenha Ibuga Nalufuka: This was an incredible dance number that ended with all the Singing Wells crew, and many of the hotel staff, jumping up and dancing with the group. Here is their music: James Isabirye says, “It is a challenge for me to talk about Nile Beat because I have so many feelings about it. But what I’m most proud of its contribution to the preservation of Ugandan culture by organizing the only festival since 20…
Central Uganda: Day 4 – Jinja Story
…tched house. Atyamiisa Asekerera Adagha. A person who is doing well will always laugh at one who is struggling. Otabona Bukaire Even if I am old now, I’m still suitable for marriage. Magic Moment, but actually beautiful song without instruments: “Mbasaliza Ki?” (What do I do that you envy) Katonda Kyakulaga Nekikwita (God Shows You What Will Kill You) James Isabirye says, “He is THE philosopher of Basoga music. When I hear him, I get goose pimples…
Before They Pass Away News
…aph some of the world’s last surviving tribes. His book, Before They Pass Away, is a fascinating insight into these communities’ ways of life. Nelson’s breathtaking photographs capture how these last remaining tribes continue their lives amid a changing world. But rather than charge in and start pointing his camera at these people, Nelson had to get to know them and to gain their trust. When he met the Chukchi people, the elders told him: “You can…
Central Uganda: Day 3 – From Mbale to Iganga to Jinja Story
…e. After these two songs, Julian took over the lead with his drums and xylophone to play Chiina Chedya Mayi, a beautifully chilled song about the loss of a mother.. Here is their music: The Elgon Hero Brass Band Following this very traditional tribal music, the contrast couldn’t be greater – on marched the Elgon Hero Brass Band. Here’s the band with our Influences artist, Jacinta. They performed the following: Malaika (Influences): They started wi…
Happy new year from Singing Wells News
…hide to size and string the drum – ensuring it’s in tune. Here’s how it’s done. 5. We visited the Ketebul team in Nairobi and interviewed Tabu In early 2015, one of our team members moved to Nairobi and so went to visit the Ketebul studios and meet the team. Harriet interviewed Tabu, who talked about some of the most exciting upcoming artists in Nairobi who are using traditional music to influence their work, as well as the importance of the Singi…
Central Uganda: Day 0 – Nairobi/London to Entebbe Story
…e at the airport guesthouse with a Nile Special (and their daily supply of one Pringles can) in hand before midnight. It felt good to be back on Ugandan soil in the familiar environment of the Airport Guesthouse. An early start the next day meant not staying up long on arrival – little did we know that a thunderstorm of biblical proportions was on its way….. A Note About Our Sponsors We are very grateful to have two sponsors for this recording tri…
Discussions on music and culture with a young Kenyan News
…hey stand for and believe in, otherwise it won’t work. If you could find a way of making Singing Wells relate to what young people believe in, that might just work. I reckon film or TV would be a great way to get the message out, and I’d really drive home your work with modern artists mixing in traditional beats, I think people would like that. I’ve heard a few club bangers in my time with a traditional music mix – they were popular! So not all ho…
Singing Wells is on Bozza! News
…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…
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…