Joginda Boys Group
…Music of the Luo Aluny Village, East Alego, Kenya Group Leader: Organda Joginda…
Anyim Lac Group
…Music of the Acholi Paibona Tugu village, Awach, Northern Uganda…
Aloka Ohangla Group Group
…Music of the Luo Aluny Village, East Alego, Kenya Group leader: Otieno Aloka…
Waroco Tewaro Group
…Music of the Acholi Paibona Tugu village, Awach, Northern Uganda…
Cieng Dwong Group
…Music of the Langi Fort Murchison, near Pakwach, Uganda…
Ben Kisinja Group
…Music of the Kalenjin Kapsokwony, Kenya …
Instruments Introduction Page
…he UK. Where we find an instrument that we have not seen before, we make sure we record it, photograph it and research it. This page features a selection of the instruments we have found so far on our travels. The instruments are tagged by their ethnicity, their recording location and the type (simply broken down into Stringed, percussion or wind at present). This also makes it easy to find links between instruments – the Rigi Rigi and the Oru…
Introduction: Project overview and objectives Story
…art, complementing Abubilla and Ketebul’s work in relation to SW’s mission and to the novelty of this specific series. According to its original concept, the Singing Wells Masters series aims at recording and documenting master players and instrument makers of various Kenyan/African instruments as they: a) Make their respective instruments;b) Tune the said instruments;c) Give master classes to other musicians of those particular instruments;d)…
Adungu Instrument
…ged instrument we encountered in Northern Uganda. We also recorded an Adungu group in Kampala, as we passed back through on the way to Entebbe. It is an arched harp instrument with between 7 and 10 or more strings. They vary in size between smaller instruments, played close to the body and the larger bass adungu, on which the player can sit. The sound box is commonly covered in animal hide, and is also at times used as a percussion instrument…
Fadhilee Itulya Staff Profile
…t find the guitar-plucking amusing, especially when he wanted to listen to the news on radio. After high school he worked as a construction worker to fend for himself. Meanwhile he mastered his guitar, volunteering to teach kids music at the neighbouring Soweto slums. He continued offering private guitar lessons even after joining the University of Nairobi, where he is studying International Relations and Diplomacy. His first break in professional…
The Singing Wells podcast #5 Podcast
…Edition 5 of the Singing Wells podcast is here – with a bit of a catch up on the latest news from the past 12 months of the Singing Wells project. Click here to download Podcast 5…
Kahithe Kiiru Staff Profile
…n Anthropology (ABD) at the same university. She was recently appointed Head Choreographer for Bomas of Kenya, a national dance troupe tasked with the mission to preserve, promote and showcase Kenyan traditional music and dance worldwide. She has been a scientific advisor with Ketebul Music since 2015 and worked on Ngoma Zetu(2016) and Singing Wells Masters of the Nyatiti(2017) and Signing Wells Western Kenya(2018) projects….
We assemble in Kisumu Story
…i the day before. We are very happy to be joined by ethnomusicologist, Kahithe, and we welcome her to the Singing Wells family. A bit of background: Kahithe is a Ethnomusicologist and dance researcher but is also a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher. She is a skilled researcher with extensive experience in ethnographic research and fieldwork management. She has 8 years of experience in ethnomusicological research in East Africa, with a specia…
Tabu Osusa Staff Profile
…ser and band manager. He has been actively involved in shaping the careers and running some of the top recording and performing bands and artists in the country, including the much acclaimed Orchestra Virunga and The Nairobi City Ensemble, and more recently Iddi Achieng,’ Makadem, Suzanna Owiyo, Olith Ratego, Ogoya Nengo, Gargar and Winyo to mention but a few. Together with the director of Alliance Française in Nairobi, Tabu Osusa co-chairs the st…
Day 5 – Wednesday 5th July 2017 Story
…. He picked it up later in his career and studied from a player/teacher at the national cultural centre of Bomas of Kenya in the 1980s. He remembers he had gone for 6 lessons (at a 100 shillings) only and then continued practicing and experimenting by himself. It was equally interesting to hear his theory of the name nyatiti, which he translated from the Luo word nyar as queen and titi, making it “the queen of the clan”. The most interesting point…
Winyo Staff Profile
…experience. Winyo is also a professional photographer, actor and a TV producer. He is currently the executive video producer for a Kenyan media company called Big Foot productions, which has produced several local TV shows. His goal is to take African music all over the world and enliven people to dance and sing to the sweet and melodic sounds of African songs and music. Winyo is a valued member of the Singing Wells team as one of our artists on…