Title: Kothbiro
Performer: Ayub Ogada
Origin: Kenya
Orchestration: nyatiti (an 8 string lyre like instrument), vocals, guitar, piano, cello like sound (whether produced acoustically or electronically), bass guitar
I found this very intriguing. The plaintive solo voice captures your attention almost immediately. The ostinato type accompaniment pattern on the nyatitti definitely sets the mood and brings unity to the overall song, even as other instruments join in and thicken the texture.
According to the Sachs-Hornbostel classification of instruments, the nyatiti would be a plucked membranophone. Ogada's comments on the nature of his relationship to his instrument are particularly interesting:
Ayub's principle instrument, the nyatiti lyre, is considered to be a woman. "When you start to play this instrument, you practically get married," he once said. "She won't like you to play another instrument. You play, and you enter a contract, and you have to be serious. Suits me fine; I'm happily married." The nyatiti is used in spiritual practice and to sing historical praise songs.
This is a reflection of the spiritual nature of such music in the culture of the Luo people of Kenya, of whom Ogada is a member. He also expressed concern about the dilution of the spiritual impact of the nyatiti:
Ayub also expressed a certain ambivalence about introducing this ancient, venerable instrument into modern technological settings. "I can't stand sampling," he said. "I don't want someone to sample the sound and then start playing it on keyboards, though I wouldn't mind controlling the keyboards through my nyatiti!"
Sources:
https://realworldrecords.com/artist/352/ayub-ogada/
http://anyango.com/e/nyatiti/
This is an interesting example, Steve. I would not have anticipated the, as you say, plaintive vocal sound from an example of Kenyan music, but there are clearly fusion elements occurring here. If the nyatiti is considered to be a woman, are only men allowed to play the instrument? Or are they simply referring to the marriage-like dedication?
ReplyDeleteActually the second source link addresses that very issue with this comment: "Anyango is the first female nyatiti player in the world because the instrument has traditionally been played only by men in the tribe."
ReplyDelete