African Music – The Blog of Samite

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Here is a message from Samite and a free sample of music from his recent concert where he released his latest CD, “My Music World”.

“I just had a wonderful experience performing with six very talented musicians!  We played songs from my new CD and a few old favorites as well.

When I listen to the mix, I hear my dream band!  This music will be released in a live DVD coming soon, but right now, I would like to share a taste of it with you.

This song, “Nawe Okiwulira,” from Embalasasa; in it the kalimba leads the other instruments.  You will hear the banjo, which originates from Africa, talking back to the kalimba.

Enjoy!
Samite”

You may order the CD by clicking on Samite’s album cover photo at the bottom right of this blog.

Most African instruments are divided by various categories: Balafons, Percussion, Shakers, Kalimbas, Strings, Bells, and Udus.  Here are some examples.

To the Western eye and ear, balafons appear as xylophones and they come from Ghana.  The musician who plays the balafon is usually a vocalist too.  The balafon offers both rhythm and melody and has keys made from the Shea Butter tree.  Only trees which have been dead for long periods of time are considered dry enough for this purpose.

Wood is cut and dried further over fires built in pits in the ground.  The strips of wood are cut into keys and a sharp knife does finish work for tuning.  Balafons are also made with metal keys to create a unique sound. Gourds support the frame and amplify the sound and rubber beaters are fashioned out of old truck tires.  A balafon from Ghana costs $79.00 to $430.00.

Shakers are an African music tradition and there are roughly 25 different kinds commercially available.  Most shakers are made of wood however some are made of beads, leather, woven reed, seed pods, coconut, even goat toes!

Gourd shakers are the most common and they are held in the hand and shaken back and forth to produce a rhythmic noise.  These can be as long as 10 inches long and cost from $14.00 to $49.00.

Some musicians tie shakers to their ankles as well so they can produce an even more complicated sound originating in their dance.  Ankle rattles tie at the bottom of the leg and they are made of seed pods and clacking goat toes.

Bells are a part of African music tradition and historically were used to send messages between villages.  Ghana is a top producer of bells, along with Cameroon and Nigeria and they cost from $12.00 to $34.00.

Much different from the west, African instruments are colorful and lively extensions of the earth.

Announcing Samite and his band at the Corning Museum of Glass, Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

This is a special CD Release concert for Samite’s newest CD “My Music World” that is sponsored by 171 Cedar Arts and with complimentary Ithaca Beer for refreshments.  This concert will be part of the Live DVD celebrating “My Music World”.

Come dance with Samite and his band.  Joining Samite will be Jeff Haynes, Richie Stearns, Charlie Shew, Nate Silas Richardson, David Cullen and Kate Knosia.

$10 General Admission with a discount for members, seniors and students with ID.  Tickets are available at:
171 Cedar Arts Center – Corning
Ithaca Guitar Works – Ithaca
Toko Imports – Ithaca

Come enjoy, celebrate!

It is important for me to take time during my concerts to talk with my audience and answer their questions.  One question that I am frequently asked is where my instruments come from.  I have quite a collection – many that I take with me to every concert, but some that are so fragile or old so I keep them in the studio and they sometimes find their way into a recording.

I would like to share a story about a kalimba that I had in my possession for a very short time.

One evening we found a small package on the back porch.  I had no idea what to expect as I did not recognize the name on the return address.  When I opened it, I found a beautiful little handmade kalimba.  The top was wood and the bottom was made out of what appeared to be a sardine can.  It was painted blue with stars and moons along the side.

I immediately began to play the keys and the sound was so sweet – like chimes.  I played this little kalimba while my girlfriend read the letter that was enclosed.  The gentleman that sent it said that he had it made especially for me to give to one of the orphans that I work with when I visit East Africa.  He requested from the craftsman that it be fashioned to play lullabies.

I have to admit that my first reaction was to keep it for awhile – it sounded different from any other kalimba that I have and I wanted to record it!  I did play it for hours that evening and enjoyed every minute of it.

Eventually a group of orphans that I work with in Nairobi visited Ithaca NY for Christmas and I was able to spend some time with a young boy who I believe had a natural gift for playing kalimba music and was hopeful that I would send him home with one of his own.

On Christmas day this sweet lullaby kalimba found its home.

Samite

Traditionally, world music artist meant any musician who created a sound out of Africa, Asia, South and Central America, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean.

In the 1980s the rapid rise in popularity of non-English popular music in the U.S. and Great Britain prompted a search for a name for this new genre.  “World music” was considered a lasting and mainstream style by the early 1990s.

This genre received early endorsement by Francis Bebey, a Cameroon national living in France who boosted the profile of this rich and soulful sound.  France became an appreciative market.

The biggest stars in those early days were Fela Anikulapo Kuti and King Sunny Ade from Nigeria and Youssou N’Dour from Senegal.

In the 21st century world music grew to include the Pakistani sounds of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who artfully blended technologically sophisticated rhythmic sounds with ancient messages.  The French group Gipsy Kings were performers who wove this unique texture into a popular sound of the early new century.

World music has its share of detractors.  The New York Times published an Op-Ed piece by David Byrne of the Luaka Bop music label.  Titled, I Hate World Music, Byrne wrote that describing music of other cultures as “exotic” places an unfair advantage on world music artists over others performing in more typical genres.

The BBC Radio 3 obviously thinks otherwise, hosting World Music Awards from 2005 until 2008.  Beginning in 2009 the Awards were hosted by the Music Magazine Songlines.

Today people around the world, in cities large and small, have the opportunity to hear world music through dozens of festivals occurring around the world.  The largest is the Ariano Folk Festival in southern Italy.  One of the smallest locales is in Trumansburg in the Finger Lakes region of New York, home of our believed world music artist, Samite Mulondo.

It usually takes place annually on the second-to-last weekend of July in Trumansburg, New York (10 Mi. North of Ithaca). GrassRoots presents over 60 bands on four stages for four days, in just about every genre you could think of, with the emphasis being on world, folk and ethnic music.  Watch this site for future announcements.

These traditional African instruments enrich the fabric of African history and culture, and contribute to the exciting opportunity of a global audience for this genre.

The Basoga and Baganda Lyre is a string instrument of lizard skin and other skins in the tradition of drums and harp.  Strings are tied to wood and placed in a hole so the two arms of the lyre can connect.  The “endongo” or Ganda Lyre has a single hole, the Entongoli or Soga instrument has two pieces of barkcloth, banana threads or ordinary cloth and it winds around the yoke.

Strings are wrapped around tightly until it becomes a tuning peg.   An unusual feature of the Baganda and Basoga lyre is the lack of progressive order of the strings.  Unlike the zither and arched harp, the highest note is the third string from the left and the lowest is the fifth lowest.  Octaves are found on strings 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7.

Akindinda:  This is a percussion instrument that resembles a xylophone.  200 years ago the keys were tied in place with fiber threaded through holes in the wood.  However the more “modern” akadinda has two braces with carving on the bottom so it doesn’t move when placed on a countertop.

The keys of this instrument are held together with the novel method of the musician’s toes or even a young child holding them in place.  The Akadinda has 17 keys although older versions had 22 keys.  It took five men to play the 17 keys.

The amadinda has 12 different keys which required three men to play a unique theme.  In Ugandan culture, only the most important men in society maintained the amadinda.

The Sansa is a widely popular musical instrument first reported in 1586.  It has iron keys and a U-shaped foundation and keys determined by the specific ethnic group, making traditional African instruments a very personal experience in the continent.

We received a review from Samite regarding his support for a new CD sampler of music from Zimbabwe. We encourage you to check it out and enjoy more African music.

“I recently had the opportunity to listen to a new CD from Zimbabwe titled:

“Zimbabwe Today“.

It is a compilation CD by talented musicians from a place that we were used to hearing only bad news about. It is very exciting to learn that while the politicians in Zimbabwe have yet to figure out how to run their country and feed their people, musicians remain creative and feed their countrymen’s souls.

The songs vary from reggae rhythms to intricate arrangements with marimbas, mbira (what East Africans call kalimbas) and flutes.

One of my very favorite musicians today is Oliver Mtukudzi and when I heard that his daughter Selmor Mtukudzi was one of the featured artists in this compilation, I could not wait to hear it.

I was not disappointed when I heard her track “Mhembwe Rudzi.” I think she is as talented as her father is. While the songs on this CD do not necessarily go well with each other, it does not matter because I think it is a great sampler of what we can expect to hear from Wide World Artists and especially from Zimbabwe.
I encourage you to check them out at www.wideworldartists.com.

Samite”

To understand music from Uganda it is necessary to know about the history of this strong and turbulent country. Samite’s music comes from deep within his soul, a soul that was assaulted by a brutal regime, but which was overcome with pure human spirit. That is what you hear in Samite’s music.

Uganda is a country in East Africa, landlocked with savanna plateau and combined with lakes and mountains. The most famous body of water is Lake Victoria, named while under British protection. Lake Victoria is the source of the Nile River and lead British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to refer to Uganda as “The Pearl of Africa”. The Ruwenzori Mountains are native to the mountain gorilla, a species on the endangered list.

Uganda achieved independence from Britain in 1962 and that vacuum gave birth to the brutal regime of Idi Amin. An estimated 800,000 Ugandans were murdered. The National Resistance Army had some success at restoring stability and in 1996 leader Yoweri Museveni became the first Ugandan elected by popular vote.

As peace returned to the people of Uganda, its army sent troops to the Civil War raging in Congo. When it withdrew forces thousands of Congolese people flooded Uganda seeking asylum and straining the fragile resources of that emerging economy.

To this day a people’s militia stands organized in Northern Uganda and it brings terror to the people there. Many people have been forced to fight with the Lord’s Resistance Army, including an estimated 20,000 children who have been kidnapped and made soldiers.

In spite of the challenging political history Uganda remains a fertile jewel of the planet, holding successful farms and coffee plantations. The AIDS epidemic is particularly virulent in Uganda, making this dreaded disease the biggest threat to that beautiful country, but also providing the inspiration for a unique and beautiful style in the music from Uganda texture.

As you listen to the music of Samite think of some of these things that influence the stories told and the emotions felt. You will find yourself wanting more and like those of us who bring you this blog, will become fans. Please be sure to order Samite’s latest CD, “My Music World.”

Traditional African music is as old as the human race, 150,000 years old. As such, it is not a kind of music with a written history. The intonations and melodies are difficult to note with the western staff.

One of the true legends in American folk music, Pete Seeger, supports Samite’s African Music and wants you to do so also. Here is Mr. Seeger talking about “My Music World” and the revolutionary aspect of the way Samite brings his music direct to you.




The closest western patterns that mimic African music are pentatonic, teratonic, hexatonic and heptatonic arrangements. Drums are the most popular musical instruments in Africa and these drums include almost anything such as hand clappers, sticks, bells, pots and friction sticks. Musicians in Africa also use wind instruments and like the percussion devices these instruments are made of gourds, wood, conch shells, horns and tusks.

The purpose of African music can be recreational, but it can also be ceremonial and ritualistic too. Closely intertwined with music is dance which amplifies the tonal quality of the sounds. Like the Asian languages, African dialects often hold different meaning when a particular word is “sung” with different tones. Dance is integral to the music as a way of enhancing its meaning.

Like music in the west, sub-Saharan African music is used for religion, battle, lullabies and work. Both cultures share instruments like wind instruments, strings and percussion.

The purpose of African music is to express the full extent of life through the sound. It’s an integral part of African culture and society. Children are taught the value of music and musical instruments at a very early age. By the age of three or four, African children are taught how to make their own instruments.

In this way art and Africa are intimately enmeshed, so much so, that some dialects lack a specific word for “music”. Music is so integral; there needn’t be a word for it, showing just how important African music is to its people.

You will help Samite immensely by ordering his new CD, “My Music World” and we thank Pete Seeger for his support.

We share with you another message from Samite on the African Music Blog, in answer to a question asked about the music that he personally listens to.

“I am often asked what kind of music I enjoy listening to and what music inspires me.  My taste is broad and varied because the music I listen to depends on the mood that I am in.

However, there is one group of musicians that I can listen to anytime – no matter where I am or what I am doing.  I met these musicians in Soroti, Uganda while visiting IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camps that house those who have been forcibly moved from their homes due to conflict. I will tell you  more  later about the work that I do in these places.

I call these musicians the “Soroti Boys” – they did not have a name for themselves and I knew they deserved one.  They made the most amazing music on the kalimba, and a traditional string instrument called an adungu – a nine-stringed arched harp that has the silhouette of a sail boat at sea, and of course their voices were beautiful instruments as well.

If I did not tell you my name for this musical group, the falsetto voices of some of the members would trick you into believing you hear women singing.  They played kalimbas of a few different sizes that represented the sounds of bass, solo, and rhythm guitars.

I was very fortunate that they allowed me to record them performing which is why I am able to share it with you today.  I think you will enjoy this taste of music from Uganda. -  Samite Mulondo”

“Wewe ndugu zangu”
(“For you my friends” – Swahiri)

You may listen to the Soroti Boys by using the built in mp3 player here:

You may also download the song here: Soroti Boys mp3
Enjoy.