Makadem Opening for Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

Ketebul Music artist Makadem, travels to Europe today for his autumn One World-Scandinavian tour that will see him perform at venues in Denmark & Sweden. The highlight of this extensive one month tour will be opening for Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 in Copenhagen, Denmark on the 28th of October.

Seun Kuti is the youngest son of legendary Nigerian afro beat pioneer Fela Kuti. Seun is backed by his father’s former band, Egypt 80, which consists of musicians that not only played with Fela, but were often arrested and harassed alongside the founder of the Afrobeat movement.

Makadem, renowned for his electrifying performances and high energy on stage, is also set to perform at the 2011 edition of Word Music Expo (WOMEX), backed by his 4 piece band.

Makadem who plays the guitar, kayamba, and kalimba, will perform songs such as Kisumu Bound Bus and Nyar Nairobi City from his debut CD ‘Ohanglaman.’

For information on this tour follow Makadem on: Makadem on Tour

Gargar on Tour – Day 04: Sat 17 Sep 2011

Courtney Hotel, Harare
In the morning at breakfast Luli told me Amina’s tooth had gotten worse, she was in pain and couldn’t even eat. When I saw how swollen her gums were I decided it would be best to take her to see a dentist.

Alliance Française, Harare
Toby and I made a quick dash to AF Harare to get Maarufu and the car. He had some chores to finish first, so I took the time to check out a few things online.

We had travel insurance from Jubilee Insurance Nairobi and I called the emergency number they gave us with regards to Amina’s tooth. This proved to be a total waste of time and money. All I can say is thank God we were not in an emergency situation: their response was anything but rapid. They even put me on hold thrice before I gave up and called the Nairobi office that also turned out to be a useless bunch.

Maarufu was finally through with his chores. He picked up Amina, Luli and Anab from the hotel then came back to AF Harare for Toby and I. We were running out of time because most offices in Harare (clinics and hospitals included) closed by 12.30pm on Saturdays.

Harare
We went by two hospitals only to find them already closed. I was starting to get worried that we might not find a doctor, when on our third stop on Fife Avenue, we found one dentist open. He was almost closing so we dashed in and I filled in the medical history form.

The consultation fee was USD 40..! That got me worried on what the dentist might finally charge for treatment.

Amina and I were ushered straight in to see the dentist. He checked her teeth and found out that the roots to 3 of them were rotten and had caused an infection that was causing the abscess and swelling on her gums. He recommended pulling out one that was very far-gone. Amina was clearly scared of having her tooth pulled out, but I told her it was for the better. She braved the pain of the anesthesia shot and in no time her tooth had been pulled out.

Then I received the shocker that was the medical bill: USD 200 for having a tooth pulled out!!! At that moment I felt like chocking the life out of Maarufu for bringing us to such an expensive dentist, especially after the sales lady at the pharmacy next door (where we got the prescription filled) told us it would have cost us between USD 25 to USD 40 at a nearby hospital.

Courtney Hotel, Harare
Back at the hotel, we had only an hour left to have lunch, pack our bags, and make it to the bus station in time to catch our bus to Bulawayo. I skipped lunch so I could take a much-needed shower after all the running around I had done that morning.

By the time Maarufu picked up the last of us for the 3rd and final trip to the bus station, we were 20min late for checking in to the bus that was to depart at 2.00pm. Lucky for us Harare did not have the crazy traffic we were accustomed to in Nairobi and Maarufu was able to push the pedal to the metal and drive as fast as he could.

Harare
We made to the station just in time to find the bus driving out of the station. We could see Mathew standing by the driver trying to convince him to stop. Maarufu cleverly packed his car in front of the bus forcing the driver to stop and we quickly boarded amid disapproving stares from the driver and some of the passengers.

City bus was a very luxurious bus, and the 7hour drive to Bulawayo was a breeze. Erico kept us entertained with his usual funny stories and antidotes.

Bulawayo
We arrived in Bulawayo at 2min past nine. Gilmore (AF Bulawayo’s cultural coordinator) was there to meet us and transfer us to the hotel.

St. Patrick’s Hotel, Bulawayo
Fabien (AF Bulawayo Director) showed up at the St. Patrick’s Hotel as we were checking in, with food and drinks for everyone. He made sure we were all checked in and comfortable before he left. He even opened up a tab for us to have drinks at the hotel..! Fabien won everyone’s votes as the best host so far.

Erico, Shady and I took up Fabien on his offer and had drinks as we watched TV before we finally retired for the night.

Gargar on Tour – Day 03: Fri 16 Sep 2011

Courtney Hotel, Harare
Because I had woken up pretty early the day before, coupling that with the fact that it had turned out to be a busy day, I was particularly tired the following morning. I was in no hurry to get out of bed, and only did so to make it in time for breakfast before the restaurant was closed. We were all taking it easy this morning and we all made it to the dining room for breakfast at the same time.

This was going to be an easy day in a sense because we did not have to go for sound check. Since we were the only band playing again tonight, the sound set up would be left the same as the previous night’s set up. The only addition would be a deejay set which only requires 2 channels on the sound desk.

Luli and the ladies retired back to their room to rest some more, while the rest of us went over to laze by the pool (again miraculously discovered by Toby). The sun was out and the stories were in plenty. Before we knew it, it was already half past one in the afternoon!

I took some time to update this report as I waited for the guys to dash back to the rooms and freshen up before we all headed out for lunch.

Alliance Française, Harare
After Lunch, Toby, Mathew (the drummer) and I headed off to AF Harare. Charles introduced as to Kid Fonque (South African deejay) who was going to play his set after Gargar at the Funkalicious show later that evening.

We ended up browsing for the better part of the afternoon.

Courtney Hotel, Harare
We went back to the hotel to have a few hours rest before the show. Showtime for us was 10.30pm, so we had quite a bit of time to ourselves.

Amina was developing a toothache and I had to get her painkillers to try ease the pain. I hoped it wont develop into a problem and keep her from singing that night.

Maarufu, time conscious as always, was there at 9.00pm to start the 3 trips to transfer us to AF Harare for the show.

Alliance Française, Harare – Funkalicious
The AF Harare grounds were busier than the previous night. The turn out was much higher, and there were food stands that were not there the night before. The dressing rooms were pretty much the same as the previous night: fruits water and wine. Charles kept popping in and out just to make sure we were okay.

There was a local deejay on set playing an interesting fusion of South African dance music accompanied by a live saxophonist. When he was done, we had a few minutes to plug in the instruments and do a quick line check. There was no need for a sound check since we were using the same set as we did the night before, and again we were the only band for the night.

Comrade Fatso (renown Zimbabwean artist and MC for the night) did a good job of introducing Gargar. You could feel the anticipation in the audience. And when the ladies stepped on stage dressed in their black hijabs, everyone moved closer to the stage, already applauding them.

When the ladies began to sing, it was obvious that this was going to be a special night. The audience was in high spirits dancing and cheering Gargar from the first note they sang. The ladies and the band picked the energy off the crowd and it seemed to feed their psyche. They in turn gave the audience all they had, and the snowball effect kept growing and growing into one big avalanche of an exciting performance.

Vusa had also done his homework, and the sound was crystal clear this evening. You could hear a pin drop on stage. I had given him a copy of Garissa Express after the previous show, and he told me later that listening to it had given him get a sense of what Gargar’s sound was supposed to be.

Once again the ladies took to the dance floor at the climax of their final number. The audience went crazy with everyone jostling for a chance to dance with the ladies.

Afterwards, we all went to chill out at the VIP backstage area. Maarufu plied us with drinks for the rest of the night. Luli, Amina and Anab were pretty happy and I was surprised to see them on and off the dance floor, dancing the night away. Asha on the other hand was tired and preferred to sit in the VIP area.

We all later retired back to the hotel at different intervals. All in all, this was definitely one of the most memorable performances by Gargar that I have seen yet.

Gargar Southern Africa Tour: Harare, Bulawayo, Johannesburg

Good things abound for the ladies of Gargar. The female quartet will embark on a tour of Southern Africa starting on the 14th of September. The two week tour which is facilitated by Alliance Francaise de Harare, will see them performing at venues in Harare, Bulawayo, Johannesburg and yet to be confirmed, Pretoria.

In Harare, they will perform during the 60th anniversary celebration of Alliance Franccaise de Harare and later at the second edition of Funkalicous, a monthly party held at Alliance Francasie Harare on the 15 and 16th of September respectively.

The 18th of September will find the ladies at the Hillside Dam in Bulawayo. The following day the 19th of September, Gargar will perform at the opening concert for the Intwasa Festival in Bulawayo.

On the 24th of September, Gargar will wind up their Southern Africa Tour with a performance at the Arts Alive Festival in Johannesburg South Africa.

Gargar who were in Zanzibar in February this year for Sauti za Busara Festival, are best known for their song AIDS Wadilla that earned them an East African Music Awards nomination in August of 2011.

Ketebul Music would also like to thank Alliance FRancaise de Nairobi for supporting Gargar in preparation for this tour.

Vote For Winyo: RFI Discoveries 2011

The voting lines for RFI Discoveries Award 2011 are finally open! We are calling on all fans and friends of winyo to visit his profile on the RFI website (CLICK HERE TO VIEW PROFILE) and cast your vote for Winyo.

The competition is very stiff with a list of ten very talented musicians from Africa and the Caribbean, thus we need all the votes and supportwe can get. Please vote and share the link with your friends.

Voting is simple: CLICK HERE to go to the voting page, select Winyo from the list, fill in a few details on the form given and then click on send to cast your vote!

Winyo was a top ten finalist for the same award in 2010, and managed to be voted the first runners up. With your support and votes, we can push this gifted and talented artist to get the top prize.

Kindly follow the links below to view Winyo’s profile on RFI website and to cast your vote;

Winyo on RFI Discoveries 2011

Vote for Winyo

Makadem @ Sunfest, Ontario Canada.

Makadem played his first of 3 shows at Canada’s premier world music festival, Sunfest, in Ontario, Canada on Friday. The Ohanglaman is set to do 2 more shows on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th.
Makadem will then travel to Montreal where he will play at the Nuits D´Afrique festival on the 12th of July 2011.
To keep up with Makadem on his tour, click on the link below for all his upcoming tour dates;
Makadem Tour Dates

Winyo Top 10 Finalist for RFi Discoveries 2011

For a second time in as many years, Ketebul Music artist Winyo has been shortlisted as a top 10 finalist for the RFi Discoveries award. Last year, Winyo was a finalist and went on to be selected as the first runners up in a tightly contested competition that saw entries from Africa, the Caribbean, and Indian Ocean Islands.

Voting will soon be open and we would like to appeal to all friends and fans of Winyo and Ketebul Music to come out in large numbers in support of this talented artist.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Winyo Releases Benga Blues in Europe

During his just concluded tour of Europe, Winyo released a special edition of his CD titled Benga Blues in 4 European countries. The Equation Musique tour that saw im perform in Italy, Germany, Romania and France was a unique opportunity for an international release of the CD which is set for it’s official release in August of this year.

Ketebul Music and our partner Abubilla Music are currently mastering the CD that will be released both online and as hard copies.

Stay posted onto our website, facebook page and Winyo’s facebook page for updates and details of the release date.

Ogoya Nengo (The priced one) Featured in The Standard

The Standard newspaper recently featured a story on Ogoya Nengo in their Eve Woman magaazine.
To read more of this feature, please visit the link below.Ogoya Nengo: A music star at 70

Kenny Young in Kenya

Award winning American producer, songwriter, musician and environmentalist Kenny Young spent the better half of last week at Ketebul Music recording material for his Africa project, assisted by Ketebul Music engineers.

Kenny Young is most famous as the co author of the song “Under the Boardwalk,” co-written with Arthur Resnick and recorded by The Drifters in 1964 and for the Grammy Award winning song, “Ai No Corrida”, among many other chart topping recordings. The list of artists he has worked with reads like a who is who list of the best there is: from The Rolling Stones to The Beach Boys, from Lenny Kravitz to Jay Z, from Quincy jones to the Jungle Brothers, just to mention but a few.

His Africa project will feature vocals by Wendy of Tusker Project Fame 1 and Christine Apondi among other Kenyan based artists. It will also feature performances by Kenyan traditional dance troupe, Zakale.