Contact Page
…rrey GU9 7PT (A Limited Liability Partnership. Registered no: OC354221) www.abubillamusic.com Abubilla Music Foundation Valiant House 12, Knoll Rise Orpington, Kent BR6 0PG (Registered charity no:1142173) www.abubillamusicfoundation.org.uk Ketebul Music The GoDown Arts Center P.O Box 21737-00505 Nairobi, Kenya (A company limited by guarantee. Registered no: 134230) www.ketebulmusic.org…
Baseki Group
…ming where the band brought up children from the village and taught them about hoeing the soil to the song. Later we saw several videos of how this song is used in the fields to motivate farmers, who hoe to the beat. Throughout Tanzania, we saw school kids walking to/from school with their hoes, where they often tend to small plots at the school. Serengeti: We are near the national park and this is a song in celebration to Tanzanian parks and wild…
Day One: 7 March 2022 (Shikangania and Mukumu) Story
…to plan until a group of mourners appeared from nowhere with a coffin of a dead relative that had just recently arrived from Nairobi. Although the burial was planned for the following day, the emotional villagers were already wailing loudly and playing mournful dirges. This dramatic twist of events threw us off guard and we were forced to stop our program temporarily. As required by local custom, we dutifully went to commiserate with the family of…
Video playlists from Kenya 2018 Story
…?v=JtkGVQFNoPw&list=PL6jxUA468Mq-RUCpUdIrKZrrZyRF216Mz Pius Wafula https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUa3LzYZ8G8&list=PL6jxUA468Mq-JL9a_FMhl3js2eQdqUBVn Shem Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cewr4zGeAXo&list=PL6jxUA468Mq_qagUS8lrS4ItNX84ceQc_ Peter Awkabi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn-XGp22MhY&list=PL6jxUA468Mq8jxHLbNS6k_pYHTbUBBZMz Fanuel Amimo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz1eILZlyLE&list=PL6jxUA468Mq-FBWk0X39BrJvKiw8sblnH Johnston Muk…
Page
…ers here (https://www.singingwells.org/partners/) Further Reading UOBDU Website Ford Foundation Website Ten More Singing Wells Stories: The Batwa A Story of Batwa Traditions The Batwa of Kisoro Album Recording in the Travellers Rest Hotel “Studio” Our Field Report: UOBDU & The Birara Dancers #9 – Bigger and Better in Uganda The Giant Instruments of Uganda Our travels across East Africa have shown how each region has their own voice, style and iden…
Our Sponsors Page
…ells project, helping to design and put into practice our ideas for our website. Our website is the main repository for all of our recording activities in East Africa, and the we are very proud of the latest version. Thanks to Wes and the team at Nebulo Strata for their continued help and support. To find out more, go to: http://www.nebulostrata.com Clarkson, Wright & Jakes Type of Sponsor: donation in kind Thanks to Clarkson, Wright and Jakes s…
Day Zero: 6 March 2022 – Travel To Stream Story
…n doing so, they created new income-generating platforms, as some of these online acts allow audiences to support the musicians via M-pesa and Pay-Pal contributions. Another possibility was to sell tickets with the use of online access codes that admit ticket holders into the virtual performance. The result was that a number of live streaming studios where performers book sessions to perform and stream their concerts sprung up in Nairobi. Some ven…
Privacy Policy Page
…s Cookies help to let us see (via Google Analytics) how many people have visited the site and what content is popular, and what isn’t. This is anonymous, so be rest assured that we’re not snooping on your browsing. You can opt out of Google Analytics (with certain browsers) – info on which you can find here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout There is also the chance that other services on our site – such as embedded videos from YouTube, may…
FAQ’s Page
…have recorded? A selection of our music is available to download from our site. We have one album of music from each trip, and we hope to curate albums of particular styles and instruments soon. To browse our albums, head over here. Where does the money to support Singing Wells come from? We invite financial contributions from private donors and corporate sponsors and seek grants from NGOs. Donations and grants are administered by The Abubilla Mu…
Global Influences Project: Artist Submissions Page
…track per the prompt.” If you want to hear more of Yohanan’s work, head to www.blackbuddhasounds.com or follow him on instagram @blackbuddhasounds Want to get involved in the Global Influences Project? Head to singingwells.org/global-influences-project Mkostii Beats & Collo Skyzan x Joginda Boys This joint submission from Mkostii Beats and Collo Skyzan is a brilliant demonstration of how these traditional beats can inspire something truly unique a…
1. Introducing the Naizungwe drums Story
…from Peter Cooke’s recordings of the drums that James talks about: http://www.singingwells.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Peter-Cooke-naizungwe-recording-1.mp3 http://www.singingwells.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Peter-Cooke-naizungwe-recording-2.mp3 What makes this project particularly exciting, is the difference of approach required compared to the entenga drums. With the entenga we found a surviving old master player (Musisi) who was able to…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 4, Part 2 – Flutes Story
…be discovered by his fellow musicians. His was the story of being left for dead in 1966, when he actually escaped with Musisi’s half brother to a local village. Flute being tuned with a bottle of water An Endere Group is made up of six flutes, moving from longest to shortest, following again, the notes of the Pentatonic scale; these are: The Enkologi: the longest The Ekiwuuwa: the second longest. The Entengezi: the third longest The Ensaasi: the f…
Fundraiser for Matthew Watmon News
…s may be able to help us. If you are based in East Africa, please get in touch with Matthew’s brother, Constantine Odida ((MTN) +256-782-236-742 and (Airtel) +256-704-261-037). If you are based elsewhere in the world, we have created a GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-mathew-watmon The donors of Abubilla Music Foundation, who support the Singing Wells project, will match these contributions up to £1000 so we greatly appreciate you…
Ketebul Music presents Shades of Benga Online News
…Music have just launched Episode 2 of their online series Shades of Benga Online, to go alongside their book ‘Shades of Benga: The Story of Popular Music in Kenya 1946 -2016’. You can watch the latest episode below, and also find out more at their website here. Shades of Benga: The Story of Popular Music in Kenya delves into the foundations of modern Kenyan music, examining external influences from the English waltz to Afro Cuban Rumba and how…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 3, Part 2 – Interviews with Musicians of Uganda’s Royal Palaces Story
…one was killed. So when he returned from the palace he told everyone I was dead. But when the soldiers took over the palace they took us to prison. And I was there for three weeks but they would release me only if I signed a paper saying I didn’t have a gun and wouldn’t fight. I signed. So then a man came in and said that anyone can leave who lives close by. But I lived far away and they said those that lived far away could go and wait back in the…
Central & Eastern Uganda: Day 3, Part 1- Drum Making and Palace Players Story
…bengwa Drum Makers (P.O. Box Mukono near Colline Hotel, Jinja Highway, opposite the Pork Joint). The shop is run by Abass Mirimu, a gentleman from the famous village of Mpambire which is known for its drum makers. Abass was the maker of some of the Entenga drums (the royal drums of the Buganda King). Above: Abass Mirimu To be specific, in the 15 drum set up we described here, Abass made the three standalone drums on the far right of the set up. We…