Kenya’s Amazing Musical Instruments News
…mportant instrument in Luo music (though we also encountered it in central Kenya, where it’s called the Wandindi). When well-played, it takes on the role of the “fiddle” found in Irish or American country music. The Orutu is a one-string instrument played with a bow, whose notes are created by finger pressure against the central stick, producing the effect of ‘fretting’ notes. Watch here as the Aloka Ohangla Group plays “Nyar Karapul” (the Orutu i…
Interview: fusion band Ndoto Afrika News
…o Afrika – what’s your story? They say stories live forever and one famous Kenyan writer keeps saying that a story is good, until another is told. We are here to share with the world how wonderful it is to be born and raised in Africa. Sadly, the urban African youths are so consumed with the modern technology that they no longer are willing to sit by the evening fire and listen to stories. So we will have to transmit these stories to their iPhones…
Central Uganda: Day 5 – Jinja to Kampala Story
…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 and mistrusted by those of us from Nairobi. We look forward to recording tomorrow in Kampala. Apparently there is a marathon. We shall provide the soundtrack….
Central Uganda: Day 3 – From Mbale to Iganga to Jinja Story
…elf. He is from Manafawa District and playing since 1970 and has played in Kenya, Malawi and Nigeria. He has 7 children none of who want to carry on the music tradition. Eridat Makwiri was fantastic; a very traditional player who lost himself in his music. Very much a long the lines of the Lou Nyatiti players or Ben Kinsinja. He played three songs: Wangoyo: This is a song about co-wives. One lady was lazy. And she would wait for the co-wife who ha…
Before They Pass Away News
…add to throughout their lives. He followed the Samburu people in Northern Kenya as they travelled across the land searching for new plains for their cattle, and the Maasai in Tanzania. Singing Wells too has travelled extensively across Kenya, meeting remote tribes like the Pokot Tribe, the Marakwet Tribe and the Ameru Ethnic Community. In a Ted Talk, he shared some of the fascinating rituals that he came across on his travels. Nelson’s objective,…
Happy new year from Singing Wells News
…om our trips across Kenya and Uganda, including visiting the tribes of the Kenyan Coast, Central and Eastern Uganda, our work to share the music of the Batwa community and the Luo community. We’ve told the story of repatriating Kenya’s music heritage after 50 years and celebrated magic moments – where we’ve found an extra-special artist on our journeys and recorded their work. 7. We spoke to a young Kenyan about the future of traditional music Dur…
Central Uganda: Day 1 – From Entebbe to Kidinda Story
…da are passionate about tribal music; sadly, this is in direct contrast to Kenya, where we find the interest of the rural youth in their tribal music waning. In both countries, the urban youth has mostly abandoned village music, but at least in Uganda, the passions and commitments of the rural youth is alive and well. The Journey Back We then drove 60 kilometers back to Kampala and stayed at the Kampala Imperial Hotel, which had air conditioning w…
Singing Wells surpasses 500,000 YouTube hits! News
…om our trips across Kenya and Uganda, including visiting the tribes of the Kenyan Coast, Central and Eastern Uganda, our work to share the music of the Batwa community and the Luo community. We’ve told the story of repatriating Kenya’s music heritage after 50 years and celebrated magic moments – where 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…
Our top Singing Wells songs for April News
…’re celebrating our all-woman groups with a selection of music from across Kenya. 1. Gacharaigu Gitiro Women Group, Kimunya We recorded the Gacharaigu Gitiro Women Group in Kangema, Kenya in 2014. The group, formed in 2006, is led by Fidelia Nyambura Mwangi. Their songs are dedicated to self-help. Its style is Ndumo, an old women’s dance purely for entertainment and preservation of culture. For all their songs, the ladies used the Kigamba (leg sha…
Who’s looking at you? Story
…This little fan joined us along Lake Victoria to record some of the best Nyatiti players in Kenya in November 2011….
Rediscovering Afropop and its influences News
…amed a musician that influences them as Daudi Kabaka. Kabaka was a popular Kenyan artist whose songs include African Twist.The traditional Benga sound is about 60 years old with its formative years occurring between the late 1950s and the 1960s. Its roots run deep in age-old Luo musical instruments. Singing Wells and the ‘bridge’ between traditional and modern Tracking the story of Sauti Sol’s musical influence excites us, as it’s a reminder of ho…
Discussions on music and culture with a young Kenyan News
…aditional music mix – they were popular! So not all hope is lost for young Kenyans? Look, we aspire to a western life and we enjoy western music, but we have our own way of speaking in Kenya, our own slang – our own twist. There’s still some authenticity but it’s about mixes and making the most of these influences. We can’t go backwards but you could try and ensure that going forwards all is not lost for traditional music. How do you think Singing…
Meeting Ketebul: an interview with Tabu News
…ll be lost.We play a very important part of bridging the gap between young Kenyans in the city who don’t go to the villages and might never hear the traditional music of Kenya, and old musicians don’t come to the city. We can only make traditional music popular with access to it. But why is this so important to you, specifically? I care deeply about culture. You cannot do without music in this world. Everything is tied to music, it’s important! We…
Our top 5 Singing Wells songs for March News
…more meaningful this song is. Ochieng was one of the founders of Benga, a Kenyan music genre adapted by the Kikuyu musicians of the ’60s. We were privileged to have the chance to record him and preserve his music in March 2014. Sadly, Ochieng died soon after. Had we not recorded and documented these songs, they might have been lost forever. 3. Mariene Traditional Dancers – Mpandi mautini This group was formed in 2003. They are from the Ameru Ethn…
The coolest dude at Homa Bay Story
…A wonderful picture of one of the Kochia Dancers who we recorded on the banks of Lake Victoria at Homa Bay, Kenya, in November 2011….
From African Twist to Benga News
…lls. Our goal was to record some of the most important ‘bridge’ artists in Kenya – a group of musicians who have built a connection between the music of their villages and modern music. They were the founders of Benga, the African Twist, Luhyia ‘Omutibo’ and the ‘Yoddeling’ sound adapted by the Kikuyu musicians of the ’60s. We dedicated six days of studio time at Ketebul Music in Nairobi to record this set of legendary musical artistes, all of who…