Report from Womex 2013 News
…e. The Evolving Markets discussion looked at both the African and Indian markets and how the markets are evolving. India was a particular suprise here – in a population of 1.2 billion, 50 % are under 30 and consuming music. In Africa – 60% have electricity whereas 86% have a mobile phone. This is again another area in which the Singing Wells project may be interested in the future – mobile phones and ring back tones as a method of delivery for m…
SWP Uganda 2013 – our proposed itinerary News
…ised to find a large group of teenagers playing an assortment of brass instruments and drums in a marching band format! Elgon Ngoma Troupe is an interesting group led by a very charismatic director called Wolimbwa Julius. Most of them are former street kids and, apart from learning music and performance at the centre, they also live there and till a modest garden, producing crops for their food and also for trading in exchange for other food items…
The Birara Batwa Community Story
…culture it is still leading and very creative. The community members also share the knowledge on culture and pass on the knowledge to the young ones in order to promote and preserve the Batwa culture which includes music and dance.” Listen to the music of the Birara Dancers This is a song recorded for the Influences series – Francis singing Inanga Nyamunini accompanied by Jesse Bukinda from Ketebul Music on guitar This is the song ‘Uganda’ perfor…
The Batwa Community Story
…e trail provides an income for Batwa and it is the first initiative to afford them a stake in the conservation and management of the National Park which was once their home. This short video produced by UOBDU explains about the current situation facing the Batwa people in Uganda And another short video promoting the Batwa Trail…
The Key to Sustainable Aid in Africa? Perhaps we should follow the music. News
…lain why so many urban people feel more at ease, somehow ‘at home’, in the rural areas. It does raise the notion that there should be programmes which actively seek to reverse the rural–urban drift. Let’s bring this to life for you. As you listen to the Macedonia band, look at the Ugandan village behind it – how clean it is, how fresh the air, how tight the community: Or in Kenya, as you listen to the Sega Sega Band, look at the wonderful Luo Vill…
A recording studio which fits into the back of an SUV Story
…G-1 condenser Shotgun mics 1 Matched Pair of AKG C414 XL Microphones 1 Matched Pair of Rode NT5 Microphones 2 Rode professional boom pole 1 K&M telescopic mic stand/boom 1 Canon EOS 7D 1 Canon EOS 60D 1 Canon EOS 5D 1 LED video camera lights 1 Flip HD video camera ThinkTank sun screens (for the laptops) Various Canon zoom and fixed lenses Plus at least 9 Sandisk memory cards and 15 portable back-up drives and a lot of leads and cables!…
What people say about Singing Wells News
…ells website and it helped a great deal in being able to hear what the instruments sound like when played and to see pictures of how they are held, etc. It sounds like you have a wonderful project. I would welcome any assistance you could give me as I am excited to share this wonderful collection with our visitors.” Babra Bwisho, Singer, Kampala, Uganda: “Hello there guys, you are so amazing, I was here watching the recordings you did on your visi…
The Singing Wells supports Ketebul Music’s ‘Kenya at 50’ project News
…seems to have taken a photograph of almost everyone he met, including the ruling politicians of the era. The archive also contains some interesting artefacts from Independence in Kenya – including an invite to the ceremony of the handover of instruments at Independence. Colmore bequeathed the contents of his archive to his friend, Oxford academic Professor Richard Greenfield. Sadly, Professor Greenfield died before the contents reached the UK – a…
A quick summary of the Singing Wells Project News
…ten to the Nyatiti for the first time with your eyes closed. It is a kick drum. It is a snare drum. It is a bass. It is guitar. Listen: Watch a real drummer. Watch someone that drums through their souls. And ask yourself whether East African Music is relevant. 7. Singing Wells is about bringing you groups and sounds that are ready for prime time – someone just needed to give them a microphone. Here are the Otacho Young Stars…. Why aren’t they the…
73,603 views on YouTube News
…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 video we uploaded to YouTube following our field visit to the Coast Region to record the music of the Mijikenda tribes. Is second place is a video from our field visit to Kisoro in south west Uganda where we met and recorded the w…
Victoria’s reflections on field trip to Northern Uganda News
…sitive eyes, your sweet smiling face We travel a road to the beat of your drum The calabash crash and the steel on your thumb The bells and the strings, the whistle and holler The dance in the ring, the leader, the follower So sing us your story and dance us your life And show us your world that is hidden inside Sing us your history and dance us your life In musical words where your heritage lies We travel a road of music discovery The map and the…
The Influences Series from Singing Wells News
…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. 71 Hours to Monday Our very first ‘Influences’ song was 71 Hours to Monday. An original song from Abubilla Music re-mixed to include percussion from Sau Paulo and vocals from Nairobi. (Read more about the ba…
Music of the Batwa: video playlist News
…rd the music of the Batwa, a marginalised group whose music and dance tells the story of their history, culture and the problems they face today. To read the daily field reports from this trip, click here. Video playlist The trip was facilitated by the generous support of donors to our charity the Abubilla Music Foundation, including a grant from the Institute of International Education….
Music of Northern Uganda: video playlist News
…In December 2012 the Singing Wells team travelled to Uganda to record the music of the northern tribes, including the Alur, Acholi, Iteso and Langi. To read the daily field reports from this trip, click here. The trip was facilitated by the generous support of donors to our charity the Abubilla Music Foundation. Video playlist…
The origins of Singing Wells Story
…nspiration for the name comes from the real-life singing wells of the Samburu tribes people. During the dry season, Samburu herdsmen (and boys) draw much needed water for their cattle from deep wells which they have dug in the parched river bed. As they pull water from these wells they begin to sing, a different song emanating from each well. The animals appear from the bush, seeming to recognize the unique song of their master. Once the animals h…
Winyo performs with Batwa musicians for ‘Influences’ News
…etween contemporary musicians and the music groups we have discovered during our field recording visits. When the Singing Wells team visited Kisoro in SW Uganda (Nov 2011), we were joined by Winyo, a singer/songwriter from Kenya. Here is a video from that trip and the music is performed by Winyo collaborating with Tiny Moses, a wonderfully talented musician from the Micyingo Batwa community. The track was recorded at the Ketebul Music studios in…