Returning to Uganda in Autumn 2013 Story
…ah and Winyo, singing with the Mperwa Dancers in Kisoro. 3. The Exotic Instruments: You’ve heard the Likembe, but what about the Adungu from Kampala? Or the Nanga and other instruments from the Watmon Cultural Troupe. 4. Extraordinary Dance: Uniquely in our experience to date, Ugandan music is still performed by the young and they bring with it amazing energy. Let’s start with the Oramba dance by the Alur Kingdom And provide one of our ‘Magic Mome…
Day 10: File Management at Ketebul Studios Story
…t is simply impossible for two vans and 10 people to travel faster. Keep a running table of groups, songs and audio takes and camera times. This worked very well this trip and by circulating the table to everyone we could keep making corrections to everything as we went. The person who drives the clapper board should control the ‘final spelling’ of all and then work with Camera 2 to keep a log of all songs/takes and times. This also requires us to…
Hannah interviews Sabina – Acet, Northern Uganda News
…t from God because I could never play it before the war or before the operation, it is a gift from Him to help me heal. We also have the Rigi Rigi (tube fiddle, similar to the Orutu) the Bul (drums) and the Agwara (similar to a calabash) but mainly, as you saw, we sing and we dance. Hannah December 2012…
Day 9 (AM): Ketebul Studio – Influences session for Cheri Story
…ybee first worked with Stanley, Bishop and Johnnie to get the basic song structure down and put on a vocal ‘Chorus.’ Stanley wants the song to be a classic love song and the his vocals are really beautiful and sincere. We then asked Nyerere Wa Konde to come in and work on the verses. We asked them to find their best love song that fits the beat and recorded them. Their musicality is amazing and the lead was able to introduce a whole new melody ove…
Day 8: Entebbe to Nairobi and Ketebul Studios Story
…e to play the burkandit (a handmade guitar). In Nyanza, we focused on the Orutu, the Nyatiti and the Ohangla (drums). In Kisoro I didn’t know what to expect from the Batwa and was schocked by how musical they were – amazing vocal harmonies. In Nortern Uganda, I wanted to make sure we did three things: 1) the likembe (thumb piano, called Kalimba in Kenya) which they borrowed from the Congo but make their own, 2) adungu (stringed instrument) and 3q)…
‘Missing’ – Singing Wells fundraising song for 2013 News
…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 song to celebrate and support Singing Wells….
Day 7 (pm): Recording at the Airport Guesthouse, Entebbe Story
…killed immediately. There were many fights, he said they would fight a few times every day with the government army hot on their heels, and the children were constantly scared. They were ‘trained’ to shoot in a matter of days, and were periodically beaten a number of strokes depending on your age, in his case it was 300. Odika called it the ‘bush mind’, and sometimes even once soldiers returned that mind would come back again, in nightmares or in…
Meet our ‘Influences’ artists News
…grew, she has later shared stages with such greats as Uganda’s own Susan Kerunen in a girls group called “Anyira” a luo word meaning “the girls”, led by Miss Susan Kerunen herself. After she then emerged as a professional backup singer with her first song being “Aluru” from Uganda’s own Michael Ouma’s debut album, still in the same light she joined Miss Tshila in a girls band called “Tshila and the Diamond’s”, still in this journey she worked with…
Day 7 (am) – back to Kampala: Naguru to Entebbe Story
…o’ and ‘bass 2’. As with the Likembe, the bass adungu doubles as the kick drum and this case the drummer was also the vocalist. The band was rounded out with shakers and 3 young women dancers (below). They played four songs. The first was called ‘Adii Mudong‘, which was a traditional piece of music sung in the Alur language. The music is typical to the type of songs you’d hear at a wedding, and the lyrics talk about the happiness that still exists…
Akello sings ‘Influences’ songs for Singing Wells News
…performed with the Watmon Cultural Troupe Akello Biography Akello is an African contemporary and urban music performer who sings in most popular languages like Acholi, Luganda, Swahili and English..After years of working with a few of Uganda’s leading contemporary and world music greats such as Kaweesa, Susan Kerunen, Myko Ouma, Tshila and Kinobe Herbert..she is indeed a rare talent with a rich textured organic voice. Akello begins a new jour…
Northern Uganda: Day 6 – Soroti to Kampala (a driving story) Story
…well paved two lane road. We have moved from sheer terror that we will be run off the road by Mac trucks to a growing lack of confidence that we will arrive in Kampala before the hotel kitchens closed. Given that we forgo lunch as a rule we find ourselves highly dependent upon night time eating. Just over the sounds of speeding trucks and crashing bikes on the shoulders, you can begin to hear the faint rumblings of our tummies. Two lane nice road…
Northern Uganda: Day 6 – Soroti to Obuell-Lira to Soroti Story
…e. Pretty quickly, everyone in the Teso region carried a thumb piano or a drum and all claimed they were members of Macedonia. The Macedonia band and the song Uganda, Land of Freedom was known by everyone and served dozens of times to spare someone a fast execution as a collaborator. We then arrived at Joshua’s village. It was the most beautiful we’ve seen with four-five small thatched huts, each painted with patterns. There was a large clay oven…
Promotion of Batwa cultural music: UOBDU report March 2013 News
…of Uganda while Birara group entertained the Ford Foundation Director from New York and FF Nairobi team when they visited UOBDU. Mikingo and Kanyabukungu groups also entertained visitors during the Women’s day celebrations in Kisoro. Through formation of the Batwa dancing groups have made other developmental ideas to the including saving groups. These groups have gone ahead to improve their economic situations by carrying out other activities such…
Northern Uganda: Day 5 – from Pakwach to Soroti (a road trip) Story
…the party in power it seems – at least by our road test. During the day, trucks are trucks. They lead a lot, overburdened with their cargo and the dozen or so folks hitching a ride to supplement the drivers income. Then there are the ‘taxi’s’ – in Uganda, these are the white vans with English names, ferrying folks up and down the highway. They are fun because each is covered with decidedly random words, like Gorgeous, Amen, Big Mama, Jesus Love,…
Hannah interviews Evelyn Ojok – Acet, Northern Uganda News
…nly performed by the women). Today the reason there was a man playing the drums is because one of our women is sick, normally there are no men in the performance. In Gulu when I want to meet with the other women I play drums and they all come, usually in the evening. I want to push the music to it’s highest level so that we can get some sponsorship from NGOs or from the Ugandan Government. I have opened up a bank account for us to make this easier…
Northern Uganda: Day 4 – night recording at Fort Murchison Story
…antastic, especially given the full day of travel. They had about 15 bul (drums) and 2 drummers and a smallish ndara (xylophone). Their lead male singer was about 6 foot five and commanded the whole group and the growing audience with a loud voice, great dance and fun drumming. They sang Myeli, Wuon Nyaci, Cwara Rac, Ngeta Romo, Atyekedec Gen, and Apako Orang’a. Each of their songs followed a rough pattern: the lead singer sang out the main theme…