Day Four: 10 March 2022 (Rongo) Story
…tor in September 2009 these youngsters each went their own way but later regrouped to form the Otacho Young Stars. Having come of age, they have appropriately dropped the Young Stars tag and are now simply Otacho Stars. For several years the group held regular shows at the Kamus bar in Ranen Centre before Covid 19 interrupted live shows, as in most places. Presently, they only perform on demand. On this live recording Dave Otieno played the guitar…
Day Five: January 22, 2019 Mwanza Continued Story
…to the same location (Kagera Bukoba) as yesterday to record three groups: Group 1: Karambi Sanaa Group: From 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 w…
Mohamed Uthman Kidumbak Group Group
Mohamed Othman Kidumbak Group is led by Mohamed Othman Faki who teaches music in the DCMA. Kidumbak is a musical style with three main influences: Taarab, Unyago and Rumba. Dumba stands for a large drum. So Kidumba is a smaller, bongo style drum. Adding Ki to the beginning of the word makes it small. Mohamed Othman had no musicians in his family. He became interested in Kidumbak style music at 16 and taught himself the violin and bass. He went to…
Bakuseka Majja Matta Group Group
Bakuseka Majja Matta Group: The group leader is 76 year old Nathan Matta Nyende. Nathan started playing in 1952 and was blinded in 1958 with an eye problem. Their style of music is Kisoga which both educates and entertains. The group are Fred Tavakumuwa on the tube fiddle; Kisame Ndaba on the thumb piano; Kirunda Awali on the flute and Nathan Matta Nyende, the lead vocalist and also playing the thumb piano. Song Meanings “Abalimperekera Baliba M…
Global Influences Project: Artist Submissions Page
…low them @jay.p_production_kenya NG’AT MALER X OTACHO YOUNG STARS//NYATITI GROUP//WATMON CULTURAL GROUP We are loving this track from Ng’at Maler who utilises several different loops for his submission. He told us how the project has really impacted his current workflow when making new music, making sure to include African sounds, and we just LOVE that! “Loops are such a great way to start a track for me. They are a great way of finding inspiratio…
Day One: February 16, 2020 (Ngawala Hotel) Story
…ulibembeleze Pendo: This means nurture our love. Tausi Women’s Taarab: The group leader’s name is Mariam Hamdiani, who is chair of the Arts and Censorship Council in Zanzibar. She plays the Qanun. The group is from Rahaleo and normally they have 28 members but brought 9 for the performance. The members included: Topsy Surrie (Oud, a beautiful version with inlay), Asha Khamisi Amur (violin and background vocals), Tatu Hamisi Amur (accordion and bac…
Day Two: February 17, 2020 (Stonetown) Story
…song with sexual connotations about the man’s hand being worn out. Urithi Group – Group of 10 young men dressed in white robes, blue vests and red Fez hats. Their whole group has 20 members. They are a Suki group which originally came from Yemen. However, these men were born and raised in Zanzibar. They had created this goup in April 2019 to sing and perform movements to celebrate the Prophet Mohammed. Their songs consist of chanting praising Moh…
Singing Wells Stories Page
…ying his guitar with our Influences artist, Winyo. He was then part of the group who travelled by bus to Nairobi to record some of his songs in the Ketebul studio. To read more about Tiny Moses and our original meeting, click here for the field report from that day. To visit the group page for the Micyingo community, click here: Micyingo To listen to the album of the Music of the Batwa, click here: The Batwa of Kisoro Okumu K’Orengo We met and rec…
Global Influences Project: Loop Library Page
…singingwells · SW Samples – Kidinda Cultural Group 158BPM Kidinda Cultural Group – 158BPM The group are from Kidinda, Uganda. They play music in the Kidinda style using the Amadinda, a 22 slab xylophone which was historically an instrument which could only be played in front of the King. You can find out more about the band here. You can watch the full visual performance of this song on our Youtube channel by clicking here. Download the loop Jogin…
Day Zero: 6 March 2022 – Travel To Stream Story
…nd equipment necessary to set up mobile live streaming studio services and travel to provide live concert streaming opportunities for musicians based in remote areas. Our mission to travel and stream in Western Kenya was made possible by funds from Hivos, with the additional support from the Abubilla Foundation. Travel to Stream After one week’s training and familiarization with the new software and equipment, we took the road to Western Kenya on…
Day Four: January 21 2019 Mwanza Story
…t an hour to Kisesa (A) to record two groups: Group 1: Mchele Mchele Sanaa Group: This group, from the Sukuma community, was formed in 2010 and performs with a number of styles: Bukomia Lume, Buchheye, Wigashe. Their instruments are: Ng’oma (Drums), Pembe (animal horns, large impala), Firimbi (flute), and Njuga (shakers). We recorded five performances: Ntale Atabihyala: ‘The boss, who is always wrong, wants to be always right. Just accept it’ Ba T…
Matende Culture Isukuti Youth Group Group
We recorded the group Matende Culture Isukuti Youth Group, which is led by John Stone Khakabo Asutsi since 2006. There are 35 members of the group. The soloist is Stanley Liai. Their instruments include: The Isukuti Isatsa: The Big Bass Drum Mutibo: The bigger, ‘mother’, of the smaller drums Mutiti: The smaller, ‘son’, of the smaller drums Imbati: The horn Shirili: Single string instrument Tsichenjele: The rings The group dances in ‘processions’…
Day Six: January 24, 2019 From Mwanza to Dodomo to Nzali to Nairobi Story
…he Dodoma Hotel, we drove about 90 minutes to Nzali to record four groups: Group 1: Makunga: This group is from Dodoma and the Wagogo Community, which they argued is the main indigenous community of Tanzania (always from the land, never migrated into Tanzania. The group was formed in 2018, but was built on a much older group. They perform in the Wuyina style. Their instruments/costumes include the: Ndulele (Horn), the Nindo (Shakers), the Mbeg…
Watmon Cultural Group Group
…ad people coming to him asking to be a part of it, and from that point the group became an institution. In the fallout of the war against Idi Amin’s regime, many people were looking for an escape, and the troupe presented just such an opportunity. The group performed for President George Bush during a state visit to Uganda. They were also recorded in 2012 for the BBC’s World Routes album, presented by ethnomusicologist Lucy Duran. Their performanc…
Day Two: January 19, 2019 From Tarime to Buturi to Bariadi Story
…cord slightly differently. https://youtu.be/yQ52ZCL5Gro Group 3: Serengeti Group: This group, formed in 2016, was from the community of Kuria and played in the Ritungu style – this style refers to the form of dancing where the two lead dancers ‘nodded’ their head in almost a trance like way to the music and to their large eight-stringed instrument. We were mesmerized. Their instruments included the: Zeze, Virandi (shakers), and Ritungu (eight stri…
Day Four: February 19, 2020 (Maruhabi Palace) Story
…Indian/ Arab feel to the music. Kizazi Kipya Kidumbaki – We drove to this group in Mahonda and the DCMA annex. Thabit Omar Ali is the assistant to the head teacher and is a teacher himself. at the DCMA. He met us at with the first group and brought us to this one. They sing and perform mainly for weddings and celebrations. Performers: (all male): Juma Fadhul Juma (leader and secretary but did not participate), Fadhili Faki (director and plays vio…