Ten More Singing Wells Stories News
…bout Spain that switches to Africa and ends with the Batwa song lamenting the loss of their homelands… That’s it. There are 230 more stories that we need to tell you and 1000’s more waiting to be recorded. Don’t just pull up a chair next time. Jump in our jeeps and join the show… Jimmy…
Current Leading Figures News
…ol 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 if they record their own music, James says “We lack good equipment to record the music professionally but it is an idea that requires serious and immediate consideration. ” NACOFU, which he is a member of, is attempting to address this problem – to document folk music – but is c…
Music Depositories and Archives around the World News
…nd Andrew Tracey Collections available for online access. There are over 12000 30 second recordings from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The archive grants access to anyone who is interested and is not restricted to academic or research purposes. The physical archive at Rhodes University is open normal business hours, unless special arrangements are made. 2. Global Music Archive This archive is housed within the Anne Potter Wilson Music Library in Vanderb…
A History of Recording East African Music News
…Fellowship grant to study South Rhodesian music, with which he made over 600 recordings, and inspiring traditional English musicians, Ralph Vaughn Williams and Gustav Holst, at the Royal Academy of Music, who urged him to “discover every chord” of traditional African music, Tracey ran out of funding. He became a broadcaster, utilising every opportunity to promote African music. However, he could not stay away from Africa long, and in 1946 realise…
ILAM, Repatriation and Jimmie Rodgers/Chemirocha News
…zens of influences on village life, from rites of passage that trace back 100’s of years, to record albums accidentally left behind by passers through. That doesn’t ‘dilute’ the music, it makes it abundantly more rich and interesting. We live in a world of musical circles. There is no doubt that Jimmie Rodgers music was inspired by and build upon the influences of Black-American music, and it is only fitting that his work filtered back to Kenya. W…
James Isabirye and Tabu Osusa Discuss East African Music News
…other issue. Part of the problem we have is our ‘everything now’ culture. 50 years ago, if you got a job, you knew that if you worked hard and stayed with the job and got promoted you could buy a home for your family, or a car. Or help your children to be educated. Once you got a job, you knew not to lose it. Now people work for a little bit and then quit and they complain about how hard life is. I tell them, “Why did you stop the job? You just lo…
Ketebul Music: A Year in Review News
…ur people a sense of history. Our partners are Hivos, Phat Magazine, Kiss 100 (every Sunday they host two artists from us and talk about the music, etc..) etc… and we will be the main stand, talking about music through a set of panels. Everyone wants to be involved. One major project we still need to finish is Kenya at 50, both a documentary and coffee table book – which presents 50 years of music. We still need to finish this. A gentlemen named A…
Group of the Month – Otacho Young Stars News
…ncountered the group on our trip to record the music of the Luo in Western Kenya in December 2011. Up to that point, we had had a bad day – which included Andy taking the collected rainfall of the past hour, in the face from the roof of the tent…. We then moved from our original recording location to the DRC – not the Democratic Republic of Congo, but Dinky’s Resort Club, down the road in Rongo. We set up the recording gear at the back of what loo…
The Birara Batwa Community Story
…he Birara Dancers did not end in Kisoro. We left Uganda and headed back to Kenya for a second week of field recordings (Music of the Luo) but we could not forget the beautiful voices of the Batwa music groups. So we decided to invite a group to the Ketebul Music studios in Nairobi to record more Batwa songs and others for the the Influences series. Since our visit to Kisoro we have been in regular contact with the local NGO the United Organisation…
The Key to Sustainable Aid in Africa? Perhaps we should follow the music. News
…a Host of More Urgent Problems: When Tabu and I started Singing Wells in 2008, we were passionate about its mission: to record, archive and share the traditional music of East Africa. Our twin goals were to sustain and celebrate the extraordinary cultural music heritage of the region and to help make this legacy relevant and fresh to today’s audiences. The last five years has only re-enforced our commitment. On our first goal, we only have to rem…
What people say about Singing Wells News
…fferent ethnic groups and cultures.” Christine Kamau, Afro-Jazz trumpeter, Kenya: “Thanks for getting in touch! I have checked out your project…it’s great that you are dedicated to keeping indigenous music alive. Very best wishes and I hope we can keep in touch.” Scott Mathews, Music Producer, California: “…what you are doing as a non-profit is very special and soulful. I firstly want to congratulate you on your efforts and achievements and second…
The New Singing Wells website News
…have been collecting East African instruments since our first trip to the Kenya coast in 2011. Click here to read about the traditional East African instruments we have recorded being played. Responsiveness We recognise that a lot of our visitors may be viewing the device on iPads, iPhones, tablets, netbooks, Samsung phones etc, so a lot of work has gone into making our site accessible on these devices. Albums We have now curated 4 albums, repres…
The Singing Wells supports Ketebul Music’s ‘Kenya at 50’ project News
…to Me franchise in Kenya. His daily diaries between the years of 1970 and 2003 are comprehensively written and prove and interesting insight into life in Nairobi at this time. His diary writings tail off towards the end of his life. He died in Nairobi, on the 24th January 2004, aged 84. Colmore was a keen photographer and as his diaries and the archive show – he seems to have taken a photograph of almost everyone he met, including the ruling polit…
The Beat of Kenya News
…were donated to the museum in 2011 by a Canadian who had worked in Maseno, Kenya in the late 1960s. During the course of his work there, he was often invited to gatherings in the villages around the area where musicians would be part of the evening. At the end of the evening, the musicians would usually sell their instruments to foreigners in attendance. The donor purchased 5 instruments in this way: two drums, one from the Luo tribe, the other fr…
73,603 views on YouTube News
…still counting! It’s not a meaningful number in itself (like a nice round 100,000 – our next target) but it does mean more and more people are finding us and enjoying what we are all about – bringing the more traditional sounds of East Africa to an enthusiastic audience. Thanks for watching! Our top 3 video hits In third place, this is the Nyerere Wa Konde Music Club from Sita Village, Gede in Kenya’s Malindi District. It was the very first vide…
The Influences Series from Singing Wells News
…generation of music fans. Newly released Influences song – Missing March 2013 saw the release of an original track from Abubilla Music, re-mixed for the Influences series. The song is called (The only thing that’s) Missing and it was first recorded for the Abubilla Music album Misery Marmalade and other Spanish Jams. Here is the video of the new ‘Influences’ version, featuring musicians from Kenya, Uganda and the UK collaborating in this a unique…