African Music – The Blog of Samite

Posts Tagged ‘Samite’

An assortment of east African music mp3 has transformed the way devotees can listen to the music from this ancient land.

Like all recorded music, African sounds are available in digital format to a global audience for a small fee.

Our dear friend Samite offers his music to fans in an MP3 downloadable format.  Even as far back as 1992, his Pearl of Africa Reborn is available in digital format.  There are 10 tracks on this album.  The 5 minute track Munomumo requires 5.15 MB, but most of his songs need less than that, in the 3 to 4 MB range, with the soulful Kasambajiro running 3:01 and 2.76 MB.

Samite’s Stars to Share has 12 tracks for download.  Some examples are Tindiba, Esawayo, Bring Back the Music, Old Man’s Wisdom, Sala Endongo, Stars to Share and Cradle with Love.  These songs demonstrate beautifully Samite’s command of both ethnic and New Age genres and they make him a popular artist among a growing legion of fans.

There are CDs offering a compilation of artists too, for those who want to sample a range of East African musical styles.  The Great East African Trip CD features some of the top modern and classic artists from Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.  You can sample the sounds of Samba Mapangala of Kenya, Kidum from Burundi, Super Mazembe from the Congo and Priscilla and Qute Kaye from Uganda.

East African artists keep it real with their fans and they encourage interaction.  Samite offers a free download mp3 on this blog.  You are encouraged to try it and contact us to let us know what you think of Samite’s latest efforts.

Of course, like many other popular artists of today, there are Samite ring tunes also available for downloading to your cellphone so that those around you can hear the beautiful strains of east African music mp3 whenever you take a phone call.

The definition of Kadongo Kamu is “single guitar” and it is the first type of music played in Uganda.

Though Africa has an ancient history with a music culture handed down through the generations, the music of Uganda is very much a story of the tumultuous 1980s.  There was another CD in the 90s featuring a group of Ugandan musicians referred to as the supergroup.   One of the Ugandan performers, Geoffrey Oryema, was involved in Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios/Real World record label.

One of the most exciting developments is the blending of styles between the West and East Africa.  America with its hip hop element, is ripe for influence from the rhythms of World Music from Africa.

The home of Kadongo Kamu is the Wandegeya area of Uganda and it is more popular with the older population.  Some of the original artists are deceased but the symbol of this style of music is Bernard Kabanda.

Among the other premiere performers of Kadongo Kamu are Samite, Jose Chameleon, Bebe Cool, Radda Dee, Bobi Wine, Madoxx Ssematimba and Babaluku.  Some of the younger artists are merging traditional Ugandan sounds with rap in the mother tongue.

An article on Kadongo Kamu would not be complete without a mention of the passing of a great African musician, Fred Hannington Masagazi Muwonge.  Muwonge died in 2009 in hospital, he was considered the grandfather of Kadongo Kamu music.

He sang, played guitar and acted his music on stage in the 1960s and 70s.  Perhaps most significant, he achieved success tying Kadongo Kamu to the western version of country music.   Muwonge’s first hit was Atanawa Musolo which was released one year before Independence.

Masagazi Muwonge is survived by his wife, eight children and nine grandchildren, leaving a void in the hearts in all who were inspired by his groundbreaking music of Kadongo Kamu.

If you never heard east Africa music, it is closer to your ears than ever before.  Some talented musicians are bypassing traditional avenues to bring their sound directly to the audience.

For example, there used to be dozens of recording studios in Manhattan including the famed Hit Factory on West 54th Street.  The biggest names in American music all got their records produced there, names like Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen.  Today that building is a condominium complex.

This is a story repeated on block after block.  Sony, Media Recording and the Hit Factory are all gone now in this digital age.

The reason is because technology has evolved so that musicians can invest in home studios that produce terrific sound quality right from a laptop computer.  Real estate prices are also exorbitant and they rose at a time when aspiring musicians stopped hiring studios to record demos which were the bread and butter of the industry.

The major record labels have cut their budgets, so the recording studios cut hours of operation until they could no longer survive.

One critic of the home studio trend is Tino Passante, general manager of Avatar studios, one of the last thriving operations in New York City.   He says it’s impossible to get quality sound from a home, so even if you are able to do it, it doesn’t mean you should.

Another trend in the music world is artists appealing directly to their fans for the money needed to produce a recording in a professional studio.  This is what Samite is doing.  He believes his resources can be best spent creating the unique sound for which he is known, bringing east Africa music to the masses and a personal connection to the music he loves and knows you will too.

Order Samite’s latest CD: “My Music World“.

The story of Uganda music is much like the tumultuous history of the country itself for the last 100 years.

The center of Ugandan music is the city of Kampala and the area of Wandegeya.  The musical icon of this region is Bernard Kabanda who played a form of music called Kadongo Kamu, meaning “one guitar”.   This style of sound is revered by the older people of the villages, though it is a hard sell to the younger generations who enjoy more complex sound involving more instruments.

The newest form of music in East Africa is called takeu.  It is borrowed from the first letters of Tanzania and includes sounds from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

In the central area of Uganda are the people of Baganda who constitute one of the largest tribes there.  The King of Buganda is Kabaka and he is the customary patron of the music.  In this region music includes drums and expressive dances called the Nankasa, Amaggunju and Bakisimba.

Unlike other tribes in Uganda which rely heavily on percussive elements, the Baganda incorporate melody with instruments like the entongoli lyre, the ennanga harp, aerophonnes, idiophones and lamellophones.   One of the largest xylophones in the world comes from this area and it is called the madinda.

In central Uganda are the Langi tribe and they create music with a reliance on the thumb piano, or okeme.   This instrument was introduced to the region 100 years ago by the Congolese.  Their lyrics also closely resemble the rap music of America.  The dancing that accompanies this tradition of music is particularly lively and features much jumping and marching.

The uganda music industry is growing quickly and as much as 40 % of the sounds you hear on Ugandan radio stations are from local musicians, showing there is widespread support for this authentic music niche that is spreading worldwide.

Our friend Samite brings you a true authentic form of Ugandan music instilled in his childhood and delivered with all the passion that is the true Soul of Africa.  Watch the video on Samite’s main website and you will be moved by his description of his mother playing a stringed instrument stretched between a bent tree sapling and a tin cover.

You will help the cause and spread the joy of African Music by pre-ordering Samite’s forthcoming CD.

The bond between Africa music and its people is so tight that it is enjoyed by all senses including touch and sight and it spans lifestyles and cultures too.

Cattle are the central theme of music originating in East Africa.  In the South the predominant subject is food because societies are nomadic and in constant search of sustenance.  North-western Africa has very little cattle so the music there is reflective of the politics involving European domination.

The West coast of Africa, between the Khoi-San region and the northwest, combines  East African and Northwest characteristics.   There remain various Pygmy tribes in that area which gives rise to ancient rhythmic drumming music and dance.  Lastly, the far north is influenced by Islamic culture and there is little diversity within the north versus the style of music to neighboring areas.

For its European characteristics, the west coast of Africa has “hot rhythm” and metronome timing.  There are many meters and a form of singing that overlaps with a leader and chorus.

Vast numbers of instruments and styles are what typify the music of central Africa.  And in the east, Islamic textures bleed in, but they are not as dominant as in the north.   The music in the east includes vertical fifths with an uncomplicated rhythmic build.  Drums and other percussion instruments are less apparent.

The music of the center of Africa, or the Khoi-San, is much like that of the east, however it more simple in form and in instrument.  It includes the hocket structure, like the Pygmy region which incorporates a vocal quality that sounds a bit like yodeling.

For all its diversity African music has spread around the world and is currently enjoying a renaissance right at home again.  Assaulted by colonialism and slavery Africa music has remained true, an authentic art form finding popularity across the globe.

You are all invited to visit the main website of Samite and hear his delightful African music renditions.  Help the cause of world music by pre-ordering Samite’s latest CD album.

Click this link to read a more recent article on African Music and “My Music World”

A close look at traditional African music reveals a spectrum of influences; from the Arabic seeds of the north and its contribution to Egypt and Carthage, there are dominant strains that evoke sounds of the Middle East.  Specific locales to be included in this realm are Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania.

It’s not exactly what one thinks about with Africa, however the Continent is vast and includes many ancient cultures.  Not to be forgotten are the Sudan and Ethiopia, all clustered in this unique area of northern Africa.

Southern, West and Central Africa are solidly sub-Saharan and lure influences from North America and Western Europe.   This is the music most often associated with “Africa”.  There is an emphasis on rhythm and dance.  Various work songs evoke the early history of music in antebellum America.  There are different songs to accompany marriage, childbirth and hunting.  Some songs repel evil spirits, some honor good spirits and much of it is political.

Sub-Saharan music incorporates four regions:  The eastern section of Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi and Mozambique,  the South including Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Angola; Central, Chad, Congo, Zambia and music of the Pygmies, and the west which houses Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria.

African music uses various techniques not associated with this continent, like yodeling and melisma.  A broad spectrum of instruments are used.  Drums, rattles and bells create memorable melody and rhythm.

There are several kinds of xylophone and lamellophone, trumpets and flutes, but the most distinctive is the drum and it comes in many shapes and sizes.

English is the common language of Africa however specific local dialects lend themselves to the music.  A native singer adds an authentic component to a song whereas other songs are automatic for a western ear.    That’s because cross-pollination of music across the globe has brought a new dimension to traditional African music.

We invite you to listen to Samite as he pleasures your senses with the sounds and culture of Uganda and Kenya where he learned his style and crafted his unique skill.  There is an order form on his main website for you to pre-order his latest CD.  We are all excited about its release.

The Soul of Africa music is unique to the African continent but which everyone can enjoy.  Prepare yourself for a different experience that is grounded in folklore, mythology, Gods and legends.

The first thing you will notice about African music is the predominant rhythm.  It is based on tens of thousands of years of cultural evolution and it will make you want to dance.  In fact, dance is very much a part of the African musical experience.  African music is intended to link the things you can see, with the unseen and dance brings these unseen visions some clarity.

African music has strong percussive elements and these can be produced with various instruments reflective of their societies; friction sticks, clappers, cymbals and rattles, commonly used to create a beat.

Some populations rely on xylophones and the mbira, a musical instrument from sub-Saharan Africa that has been a part of African musical culture for 800 years.  Often referred to as a thumb-piano, its metal strips are plucked or depressed to create both rhythm and melody and to accompany a singer and provide a rhythmic component.

Of course, conventional drums create rhythm too, as well as, bells and even clay pots.  African music has always capitalized on what was available.   You will enjoy the beauty of this instrument as played by Samite on several of his recordings.

Some African societies emphasis percussion more than melody, but others rely on the melody instead.  For these cultures, the mbira is seen primarily as a melodic instrument.  Interestingly, in some societies the use of the mbira is restricted to Chiefs or other traditional hierarchical figures, particularly if the instrument is being used for a religious purpose.

There is much to enjoy about African music; an art form born of ancient mystery and wonder, and one which is readily shared with the world.  Thanks to modern technology, the Soul of Africa can be a part of your music library too.

Welcome to our new African Music Blog, a feature designed to bring you the latest news about the world of African music currently enjoying a worldwide following.

Thanks to our dear friend Samite, Soul of Africa sounds are available to a global audience.  The New York Times describes Samite’s music as “serenity” that “seemed almost miraculous”.  If you know about Samite’s extraordinary outlook on life, you will understand why his music is so transformative.

From his early years in Uganda where his grandfather taught Samite how to play a traditional African flute, to his escape from a political dictator to Nairobi, to the peaceful enclave of Ithaca, New York, Samite says music unites the world.  He blends African traditions with challenge, fear and ultimate rebirth.

Our African music blog will provide you with some of this history and perspective and update you on Samite’s latest project, an 8th CD focusing on Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Mathai of Kenya.  Samite is proud that the winner of this prestigious honor hails from his native Africa and he will strive for music that is worthy of the occasion.

Like Samite’s extraordinary life, music with African roots continues to evolve.  Historically African music has been difficult to record in writing; it is passed down in an oral tradition and that makes it very different from western music and even from the music of Northern Africa which has Arabic influences.

Sub-Saharan music involves dance as an extension of the expression of music.  Since African dialects involve tone languages, that is, the pitch of the delivery changes the meaning of essentially the same word, rhythm; melody and dance follow the tone of the voice to assist in the “translation” of the song.

We will provide a lot of exciting information for you to peruse, both traditional and modern.  So check back frequently with our African Music Blog and learn a little something new with every click of the mouse.