Aynu Traditional Group Group
…n are descendants from the first creatures put on earth by spirit (the creator of men). Spirit created a man (gboro-gboro) and a woman (meme), and then domestic livestock. Meme had wild animals in her womb so that after the gazelle had broken out all animals followed from her womb. Man was the last to come out. The first human beings are said to have been twins: Arube and O’duu. Arube was a boy while O’duu was a girl. These twins, unlike their par…
Mr Bado Group
…with Ketebul Music. He mixes an impressive combination of styles, and part of his mission is to help preserve styles such as Taarab which are fading on the modern music scene. To do this, he performs at cultural events with his father and brothers, as the Nyerere Wa Konde Music Club. We filmed a great session with Mr Bado and Mzee Nyerere wa Konde, in a collaboration with Benga fusion artist Winyo, in their village in the coastal region. Mr Bado w…
Jackie Akinyi Group
…and songs. This love for music started way back in primary school when she used to sing in a traditional music choir and continued even after joining Secondary School. In 1998, she started singing with Jambo Star Band of Mwanza Town, and while with them, she composed her song known as “Wawili Wawili” in the year 2000. After this song did very well on the Kenyan market, she decided to move to Kenya. It was during the years 2004 and 2005 that she me…
Original Chuka Drummers Group
… Original Chukka Drummers, led by Eustace Mjuki Bundi. They are 30 males who all play drums except for their banner waver. They were formed in 1930 and have spawned so many imitations that they had to add the word ‘original’ to their name. They are Ameru, of Tharakanithi County. The group plays on all occasions, during harvests, births, weddings, marriages. The play the Mwinjira (Drums) and Biringi (Whistle)….
Umoja Wa Kusini Group
…etaphor of a broken chicken leg to say that even if love is broken, it will mend, the ‘girlfriend will come back.’ Rushwa Magic Moment 1: just vocals Magic Moment 2: percussion Malalanga: this is about being quiet because a performance is starting Magic Moment 3: Francis singing ‘Alelewani’ solo. Alelewani with full group Mikocheni Makongwe Malowe Magic Moment 4: Daudi Fernando Joseph plays the drums in style of Mzee Morris…
Irimbene Cultural Dancers and Self-Help Group Group
… Irimbene Cultural Dancers and Self-help Group, formed in 2000 with 21 young men, and is led by Edward Kiogura. They play in the Authi style and are from the Ameru ethnic community, from the Irimbene Village, upper Kiungone Sublocation, Abogeta West Division. The group uses Mbere (shakers) worn by Bernard Nkonge, Ginfold Mbae, Amos Munthi and Fraras Ikunda. They also use a flute, Coro, which is performed by John Mwiti….
Hannah Calascione Staff Profile
…ogy at Cambridge University in 2013. She is joining the Singing Wells team for the field visit to Northern Uganda 2012 and has researched the area in great detail, writing reports on the tribal groups and their music and traditional instruments. Hannah will be armed with a microphone as she interviews the musicians and documents their oral histories, providing the all important context for the songs and dances we will be recording in the field. …
Introduction: Project overview and objectives Story
…ecord elderly traditional musicians whose skills and knowledge may soon be forgotten, the originality of this programme lies in the idea of documenting the traditional ways of fabricating and assembling a particular instrument. From a methodological point of view, this particularity renders the project difficult to manage in terms of both timelines and accessibility to information and requires a shift in the field team’s customary practices. Sugge…
Chibite Group
…ith Chibite over the next two days and meet many different family members. For this first recording in Boma, the line-up was Ndahani Bwani, the older brother, his sister Ndekwa and two daughters Grace and Leah. They played 4 songs: Dunia Nigahira Samamba: Streamlined. Malugaro: And a Magic Moment with Grace playing the Zeze (large stringed instrument). Throughout, they played stringed instruments, thumb pianos and drums – all…
The Batwa of Kisoro Album
…to the UN refugee camp at Nyakabande was a happy one, as it was empty. The Togetherness group gave us a spirited performance and one of the tracks is on the album. The remainder of the field recordings were made at the Travellers Rest Hotel in Kisoro – battling through torrential rain, a storm of locusts and power cuts to be able to record. The Kabahenda, Gatera and Micyingo communities performing for us under the veranda of the hotel. Also includ…
Kirundo Group
…forming with a well known drummer and teacher of music. This band has been together for 2 years. Songs: Mwaludeje – Tradition after the harvest. New composition. Mjomba – Uncle, celebrating the good hunt. New composition Uye – Come Back Please, used at a wake after someone is buried. New composition. Uringe – Be Proud. Old Traditional song Kyaso – old traditional Zanzibarian song of celebration Mnyamwana – Respect for women. New Composition. They…
Zam Zam Group
…of Talent, in Rahaleo. All male group ranging from age 7 up to 40, ten all together today. They sing Islamic and secular songs for weddings and celebrations. It was mainly an acapello performance with one flute made out of a bamboo stick. The singers included: Ibrahim Ali Hassan (lead singer, flute ), Issa Ali Hassan (lead singer), Mlenge Ali Hassan, Othman Mlenge Ali, Afann Mlenge Ali, Iddi Abdallah Mohd, Abdillah Salum Juma (lead singer), Fesal…
Day two: From Sirisia to Mabuyole Falls Story
…: Song about weddings. Oche Kombe. This is about all those that die living together. Influences: We then had an influences session with Fadhilee playing Oche Kombe with the band. We did a second influences again with Oche Kombe. We then had a Magic Moment with just percussion from the group. We then travelled to Lugulu to record Plus Wafula. We were in a stone quarry to record them next to Mabuyole Falls. Beautiful but hot. We were recording Webuy…
Day 9 – Sunday 9th July 2017 Story
…ists of two arms and a cross‐bar.” Through a group interview, we attempted to compare them in: size (size of resonator; length of arms and per extension of strings); materials of fabrication (types of wood); body parts (any specific additional parts and why); strings number; playing techniques (position of instrument; hands positioning and fingers involved in playing; plucking techniques); tuning and sound (central string, sound spectrum, twin str…
Day 2 – Sunday 2nd July 2017 Story
…for resonators as well as for the arms and the head; note vernacular names of tools used for making a nyatiti (patas, pel, etc.); learn details on choice and procurement of nyatiti skin for the resonator; note on methods of attaching strings to the resonator; and confirm that transmission of skills was traditionally done solely by observation. Obong’o also spoke of 3 witchcraft stories associated to competitions and explained the fact that cultura…
Filimbi Instrument
…A whistle. The word filimbi is Swahili for ‘Whistle’, ‘flute’ or ‘pipe’. – so the instrument name ‘Filimbi’ could refer to any whistle or flute type instrument. We heard this Filimbi in use by a member of the group Zaire Ndindingwara on our field trip to record the music of the Mijikenda in 2011, played alongside percussion – as a bed for the vocalist in the group….