Interview: fusion band Ndoto Afrika News
…lias, then call it Nairobi – any upcoming artiste. But nothing is easy the world over, for anyone. Music is a huge challenge and if you venture into it with a high expectation of becoming an overnight millionaire or celeb, then you are in for a rude shock! There are so many artistes fighting for an audience space and what’s making it twice difficult is that you have to compete with international foreign brands who in most cases are the radio favou…
Central Uganda: Day 5 – Jinja to Kampala Story
…the music, we love it and felt we had no choice [The three founders are: Haruna, the MD who is running the group, Saul Kasule and James Isabirye]. The Journey Back After the performances, there was a lot of picture taking, hugs and farewells. We also said goodbye to a 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…
Central Uganda: Day 4 – Jinja Story
…st stay with them. Wandyaku Vooto (Dindu) Followed by a Magic Moment with Trumpet and Drums James Isabirye said of this group, “These are my darlings. They are trying to reconstitute a group that will lead the savior of the trumpets. There are two old men and the rest are younger trying to learn from the old men, who were master players. The National Council of Folklore for Uganda supports them. The trumpets are royal music, meaning they were perf…
Discussions with Peter Cooke: ethnomusicologist and Ugandan music expert News
…usician Bulasio Busuulwa, one of the former royal flute players, who was already working with me at Kyambogo, I also recruited his young friend Musisi – a former member of the royal entenga group,” says Peter. “They made an excellent team – making numerous traditional instruments in the department’s workshop and teaching them to the music students and to music teachers who came for in-service courses. Like Musisi, Busuulwa had not found conditions…
Before They Pass Away News
…t to sustain the musical heritage of East Africa, we want to promote it in today’s world. With this in mind, we’ve been following the work of British photographer Jimmy Nelson with interest, who spent four years travelling to meet and photograph 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…
Central Uganda: Day 3 – From Mbale to Iganga to Jinja Story
…This makes the tone so rich and it is far richer than the skin sound of a drum. The drum sound of the slab, with the hole underneath is actually unique in the world of percussion. They are not limited to 22, because there is no royal role. Anything between 21 and 23 is fine. If they could extend it, they would. The limit is the deeper you go, you can no longer tune the slab. It stops going deeper. The nature of the wood limits the distinct notes t…
Happy new year from Singing Wells News
…e checked in on the preservation of the Bigwala trumpets The Bigwala is a trumpet-style instrument made from gourds. Singing Wells has been supporting the work of James Isabirye to preserve this fantastic traditional instrument, so in 2015 we went back to Uganda to check on the progress of the project. 4. We learned about the art of drum making During our 2015 trip to Uganda, we had the privilege of being able to watch and record the making of the…
Central Uganda: Day 1 – From Entebbe to Kidinda Story
…da. They had 27 members join us (32 in total), roughly divided between instrumentalists (drums/shakers/Endingidi – the Luo Orutu) and dancers/singers. Their leader was Charles Dumba and they are from Masaka Nyendo. They have performed for roughly six years together and their musical style is Nganda from Buganda. They are called the ‘Boys’ band, but there are girls in the group too. They sang three songs: Mbidde (Medley): The Mbidde is the banana p…
We’re discovering the lost music of the Ugandan Kingdoms News
…the lost royal drums of the Buganda Kingdom Context on the Entenga royal drums we’ve been searching for The story of Musisi – a drummer from the royal palaces and the fall of the Buganda Kingdom Some information on the progress of the Bigwala trumpets – an instrument we restored on a previous field trip Interviews with the palace players and a great deal of information on the art of drum making You can also keep up to date with our latest news fr…
Singing Wells surpasses 500,000 YouTube hits! News
…we’ve found an extra-special artist on our journeys and recorded their work. To celebrate our 500,000th YouTube hit, we’ve put together a selection of our most popular videos. We hope you enjoy, and please keep visiting our channel and sharing the traditional music of East Africa with the world. Recording Nyerere Wa Konde Music Club perform in Gede, Kilifi, Kenya on our Singing Wells Pilot trip in 2011. A brief collage of the story of the recordi…
Meeting Ketebul: an interview with Tabu News
…ifically? I care deeply about culture. You cannot do without music in this world. Everything is tied to music, it’s important! We want to celebrate other cultures and share our own. I think there is a place for us in the world market and we haven’t tapped into it yet. For a long time Kenyan’s have just been music consumers. In exchange for our buying other’s music, we want them to see them buying ours. Who inspires you, and who are your influences…
From African Twist to Benga News
…o the ‘old masters’. Our recordings are particularly poignant as Ochieng Nelly sadly passed away shortly after the making of this album. Read our report from the studio sessions here. …
The repatriation of Kenya’s music heritage News
…returned to the communities in which these songs were made in the 1950s by English ethnomusicologist, Hugh Tracey. The repatriation of these recordings began in August, during a two-week pilot project in Kenya’s Rift Valley led by Prof Diane Thram, Director of the International Library of African Music (ILAM) in South Africa and the team from Ketebul Music, supported and funded by The Abubilla Music Foundation as part of the Singing Wells project….
Ten More Singing Wells Stories News
…tures in his masterpiece Soge (and this is the tube fiddle, the sister instrument of the Orutu which inspired Benge in the Luo tribes): What do Singing Wells, Jimmie Rogers and ILAM have in common? Read here. The Otacho Young Stars and the Sadness of Joyous Praise: Travelling around Africa you always pray a little to the gods above that Africans would enjoy the benefits of a few more responsible folks with power, in power. And then we ran into t…
Current Leading Figures News
…it all. where is culture? How much support would one expect?” Words that truly reinforce the crucial work of many of the individuals and organisations explored throughout this series, along with all the work that James does himself. His students at the university perform at carol services, annual university graduation ceremonies to a crowd of over 40,000 people, and perform every Wednesday to each other during a recital hour. However, when asked…
Music Depositories and Archives around the World News
…he album Delicious Peace: Coffee, Music & Interfaith Harmony in Uganda. 5. BBC Radio 3: World Music Audio Archive Presented by Lucy Duran, the World Routes programme on BBC Radio 3 is a mixture of interviews with top performers, live concerts, a monthly CD round-up, and special location features. For 13 years the programme has been exploring the globe and making on site recordings of world music, whilst also giving some background on the culture a…