Day Six: January 24, 2019 From Mwanza to Dodomo to Nzali to Nairobi Story
…’s friend. Lyuwa Laloka: it is sunset and time to conclude whatever business and return home to your family https://youtu.be/J50cA94uhYk And…that was it! Our last group. From there we drove…and 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 One: 7 March 2022 (Shikangania and Mukumu) Story
…to record directly to the laptop. All recording systems have their merits and demerits and our choice was no exception as it caused us some delays when the laptop overheated due to the hot tropical sun, resulting in drops in frame rates. We solved this problem simply by avoiding direct sunlight and staying in the shade. Due to the short period assigned for the completion of this project, we did not have time to conduct a recce and for that reason…
Day Two: January 19, 2019 From Tarime to Buturi to Bariadi Story
…formed in 2012. They are from the Abhasimbete community. Their style is Rirandi and they play the Zeze/Endongwe (a one stringed instrument similar to the Kenyan Orutu and Ugandan Rigi Rigi), Rirandi (a giant horn, similar to the Uganda Big Wala, but made with 6 gourds, not one), Ekeborogo (flute), the Ekedomwa (drums), Ama’ghorro (huge leg shakers), and Firimbi (whistle). They wore Amahunsho (grasses that are attached to the shoulders, and shake w…
Day Four: 10 March 2022 (Rongo) Story
…cussive instrument and an accompaniment by a soloist. However, the nyatiti and the litungu played by the Luo and the Luhya, respectively, follow chord progressions, notes and keys. Ontiri came on stage at Treat House Resort at 5:30pm and true to the professional that he has become, gave an exemplary performance without any re-takes. By 7:00pm his session was completed and he was on his way back to Kisii County. The next group was Otacho Young Star…
The Revival of the Entongooli Page
…ss. When the wood has appropriate time to dry, it is prepared for chopping and shaping, and the next process of preserving the wood through the use of animal dung. More on that later… Simple but Effective Tools Having the right tools for the job doesn’t necessarily mean the most high-tech or complicated. As we show in this video here, the tools needed to continue shaping the base of the Entongooli are very simple, but remain incredibly effective….
Day Zero: February 15, 2020 – Assemble in Zanzibar Story
…were ‘secret songs’ and filled with metaphors that would explain about sex and love and all the wonderful and difficult parts of marriage. As this music moved from the secret rites to more public performance, you find the audience laughing at all the double meanings. To be more specific, the women are laughing and the men are scratching their heads. As we tried to identify the meanings of the lyrics of these songs, the women often laughed with…
Global Influences Project: Artist Submissions Page
…e Otacho Young Stars Shoe Shine Box loop to add some movement to the drums and arpeggio and I was really happy with how the rest of the elements came together in this piece.” To hear more work from Ng’at Maler, you can follow him at @ngatmaler MAKOSSIRI X ALOKA OHANGLA We love this brilliant submission from Kenyan techno artist, Makossiri. Describing herself as “A true rebel from the outerworld who defies boundaries through her genre bending sound…
Field Recording Report by Kahithe Kiiru Story
…led by locally famous musicians: Eric Shitakha and his Balozi Band on one hand and Benson Muhitsi’s isukuti group on the other. Shitakha’s Balozi band had basic Luhya instrumentation, notably using shirili fiddle and several idiophones (metal ring, rattles, etc.), while Muhitsi plays the isukuti drums in a style simultaneously authentic and original for his mastery and virtuosity on the drum. These two played a large number of popular Luhya folk s…
Video playlists from Kenya 2018 Story
…LuHcABH8vHJri1c8QCE Super Phoenix Band with Julius Itenya https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy4cBwvCpyE&list=PL6jxUA468Mq9NQ-zWTvuNk2xUKNJQr6Uh Bugnoma Roots Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESB-pxQBUYE&list=PL6jxUA468Mq9OAlm-PXg8Z-Pgb_ckPZHK…
Day Four: February 19, 2020 (Maruhabi Palace) Story
…performs in a fusion of traditional African rhythms from mainland Tanzania and Pemba, and contemporary African sounds. The three young men are all students at the DMCA performing with a well known drummer and teacher of music. This band has been together for 2 years. Performers: Lukoa Nenes (sticks), Joshua Muyumovela ( shakers), Nyemo Mopana (guitar, kalimba (hand held thumb piano), lead singer), Heri Kombo (drums) Songs: Mwaludeje – Tradition…
Mumias United Group
…Mumias United was founded in 1997 by Francesca Odour. They have 38 members and 22 showed up for our performance. They perform in the Imbira style. They are part of the Wanga tribe, which is a sub-group of the Lua, known for their Kings (Nabongo). We performed next to the mausoleum where four kings were buried, dating back to 1700s….
Here for Research? Page
…hey are playing. Alongside this, expect interviews, historical information and first hand accounts of the way East African music has developed and grown. Instruments In depth information and photography of the different musical instruments used in East Africa. This database is constantly evolving as we discover and record more instruments. The instruments are tagged by their ethnicity, their recording location and the type (simply broken down into…
Buganda Music Ensemble Group
…as people would bring him messages for the king that he would turn to song. “Mulirwana”: it means neighbour and the song is about people who don’t trust their neighbours and they believe that anyone that doesn’t trust their neighbours is a witch. “Ssewaswa”: This is about twins Wasswa and Kato, and praising twins. “Anamwinganga”: This was a piece composed by Albert’s father in 1945 and recorded in the 1960’s. It talks about who will attack the kin…
Ayub Ogada Group
…he 1980s. He remembers he had gone for 6 lessons (at a 100 shillings) only and then continued practicing and experimenting by himself. It was equally interesting to hear his theory of the name nyatiti, which he translated from the Luo word nyar as queen and titi, making it “the queen of the clan”. The most interesting points Ayub had made were on the difference between playing at home, in an informal or traditional setting and playing in a foreign…
The Music of the Mijikenda Album
…ngwara – both recorded in the village of Sila. The next day saw 4 groups – and all are included here. Chechemeko Raha and 4 the Mzinga, both captured in Kibarani village, further south from Sila, and then further south again, later in the day – Supaki Kalazo and Sengenya recorded in Junda, Mombasa. We then headed to the South Coast and recorded in Vuga, Kwale County. The ZigiDigi Cultural Troupe and Muungano Kayamba providing the music. The album…
Tarajazz Group
…akame, who studied classical piano and music. He became interested in Jazz and created an African fusion of Taarab and Jazz about two years ago. The name of his band changed from Mansule to Tarajazz. He combined African rhythms such as Msewe and Kyaso (both from 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…