Ketebul Music: A Year in Review News
…l the archives. Finally, on a personal side, I’ve travelled Doadoa Uganda, where I played the Jovah CD, and the audience cried. I travelled to Zone Franche in Marseille and MaMA in Paris France. “ Thanks for the update Tabu. Ketebul continues its amazing work to preserve East African music. …
Preserving Threatened Heritage News
…en who are masters of the music, able to teach it to future generations: Ahamada Kakaire, 88, who seriously ill and bedridden, leaving only James Lugolore, 78, and Sulaiti Dongo, 79. Irene Nabirye, a resident of Butongole village, one of the two villages which play Bigwala music, attributes the music’s decline to two main factors: western influence and the 1966 abolition of kingdoms by former president Milton Obote. But, there is hope as the Natio…
Report from Womex 2013 News
…‘Growing your audience through Social Media‘ conference, the production team from BBC Radio’s Jazz on 3 led a discussion on social media and how it can be used and has been used to increase interaction with the program. One interesting idea was when they held a Google hangout between guest Moby and a few of his friends and live streamed the result on YouTube – something I am keen to try in the future. The Evolving Markets discussion looked at b…
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
…ompanied by horns. The whole community celebrates by joining the dance. ‘Umusambi’ – a song about the crane – the national bird of Uganda. The Batwa mother sings and in slow motion imitates the movements of the bird. She wears bells on her ankles to make a sound like the crane. The song is often performed at festivals or weddings. ‘Inanga yabatwa’ – a story-telling song. The leader gathers the community together and through the song tells stories…
A recording studio which fits into the back of an SUV Story
…er 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!…
The Key to Sustainable Aid in Africa? Perhaps we should follow the music. News
…e’, 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 Village, with its vast support network: We are not naive – providing…
What people say about Singing Wells News
…e timing wasn’t so tight, I’d love to join you in Kenya – Ketebul Music is amazing.” Tamara Turner, Ethnomusicologist, Boston USA: “I was very excited to learn about the Singing Wells Project and was very impressed and inspired as I surfed your website…It is great to learn about your work and I will eagerly follow the progress of the project.” Dr. Sylvia Nannyonga-Tamusuza, Curator, Makerere University Klaus Wachsmann Music Archives: “I am very fa…
The New Singing Wells website News
…something you are interested in then it’s easy to read more about it. Instruments Library We have been collecting East African instruments since our first trip to the Kenya coast in 2011. Click here to read about the traditional East African instruments we have recorded being played. Responsiveness We recognise that a lot of our visitors may be viewing the device on iPads, iPhones, tablets, netbooks, Samsung phones etc, so a lot of work has gone…
The Singing Wells supports Ketebul Music’s ‘Kenya at 50’ project News
…tationed with the Kings African Rifles (KAR), as a lieutenant and aide de camp to Sir William Platt, the commander in Chief of the East African Forces. He also worked as a flying boat traffic officer. He was thought to be the first person in Kenya to own a tape recorder, which he bought from a fellow serviceman. This brought him work from the BBC around the time of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. Colmore spent time working for the Kenya Information…
The Beat of Kenya News
…l their instruments to foreigners in attendance. The donor purchased 5 instruments in this way: two drums, one from the Luo tribe, the other from the Luhya tribe), one nyatiti (Luo), one orutu (Luo), and a fifth instrument called the litungu (Luo). Click here to go to Andrea’s blog : The Beat of Kenya Andrea Dyck, Curator of Contemporary Cultures, The Manitoba Museum Andrea Dyck received her Master’s Degree in History from the University of Winnip…
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
We are celebrating today because we are really pleased that so many people are enjoying the music videos on the Singing Wells YouTube channel……73,603 views and still counting! It’s not a meaningful number in itself (like a nice round 100,000 – our next target) but it does mean more and more people are finding us and enjoying what we are all about – bringing the more traditional sounds of East Africa to an enthusiastic audience. Thanks for watchin…
Victoria’s reflections on field trip to Northern Uganda News
…ur history, your stories unfurl We capture your memories to share with the world You travel a road and must keep on walking And peddling the wheels that keep your world turning Years distance the pain of the conflict and strife Your music your saviour, it once saved your life So sing us your story and dance us your life Your history’s a melody, you keep it alive Sing us your memories, there’s volumes to tell And we’ll capture your story, we are Si…
The Influences Series from Singing Wells News
…sion of traditional and contemporary styles. Each time the Singing Wells team embarks on a field recording visit we are joined by a talented musician who works with us on ‘Influences’ songs. They work with us in the field and also in the Ketebul Music studios in Nairobi to produce this new material. We believe our Influences series will refresh the origins of East African music and make it discoverable to a new generation of music fans. Newly rele…
Music of the Batwa: video playlist News
In November 2011 the Singing Wells team travelled to Kisoro in SW Uganda to record 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 In…