World Music Exploration - R n B Artist PROFF

We are wrapping up our exploration of Kenyan music with the R'n'B artist Proff. You can definitely hear its connection to soul and reggae (or ragga) music.

Unfortunately, I can't track down a lot of information about Proff, which leads me to believe that he's relatively new and is on the rise, judging from the YT views.

Here's "Data":

World Music Exporation - Rufftone

This week, we are exploring the music of Kenyan gospel artist Rufftone (Roughtone). His musical style has been described as "Reggae, Afro- Kapuka". He has been nominated for numerous awards, including Gospel of the Year at Africa's Kora Awards, International Artist of the Year at the 2004 America Gospel Music Awards and Album of the Year at the 2003 Kisima Awards.

He won Artist of the Year at the 2004 Groove Awards. He has performed throughout Africa, the USA and United Kingdom.According to KenyanGospel.com, the title song of his 2003 album, Mwikulu, Luhya for heaven "is about how people would like to go to heaven, and yet they forget the simple rules. It is a fusion of Zouk (party music) and African ragga.

Here's a clip:

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.

World Music Exploration - Grand Master Masese

This week, we're checking out an instrument that is unlike anything we have in North America, the obukano. It hails from the Gusii village.Playing the obukano and singing is Grand Master Masese. He plays the obokano and nyatiti (lyre). He is also a comedian, poet, dancer and writer. He introduces the song extremely well in this video:

World Music Exploration - Traditional Music of Kenya

This month, my students and I are exploring the music of Kenya. There are 13 tribes in Kenya, each with a distinct style of Kenyan traditional music:

1. Akamba: highly percussive music

2. Bajuni: mainly male singers

3. Borana: feature the chamonge guitar (cooking pot strung like a guitar)

4. Chuka: polyrhythmic percussion music

5. Gusii: features an obokano (lute-like instrument) and a ground bow

6. Kikuyu: features female singers and dancers, featuring music for initiations, courting, weddings, hunting, and working

7. Luhya: features drums

8. Luo: feature drums, clappers, metal rings, ongeng'o or gara, shakers, strings instruments such as the nyatiti, wind instruments such as tung' a horn,Asili, a flute, Abu-! and singing

9. Maasai: call and response vocal music

10. Mijikenda: percussion music

11. Samburu: vocals, pipes, guitar

12. Taraab: singing with accompaniment with Arabic and Indian influences

13. Turkana: call and response music mostly, some horn

This week's clip is an example of call and response music:

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(tm), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.