MASAI YOUTHS, as they tend thei cattle, extemporize with warrior dreams and ancient battles. LUO TROUBADOUR, representative of Kenya’s second larges ethnic group, sings to his “nyatiti” harp accompaniement. CONCH-SHELL HORN, played in this strange style, can be heard at the Kenya coast as ferry-boats are hauled across the wide creeks. FROM THE KIKUYU PEOPLE, a song in praise of their leaders is sung by a gaily-attired group of women, in typical style after harvesting. ABALUYIA GROUP, with Africa’s one-stringed fiddle, and a song hummed by a contented villager at nightfall. AKAMBA, of south-eastern Kenya, sing the “ng’eta” and stomp out the strond rhythm of a traditional dance. KAMBA DRUMMER-some of Africa’s most accomplished-are urged on by dance leaders eager to call villagers into the moonlight. ABOARD A DHOW, sailors celebrate a home-coming with happy rhythms. CHUKA DRUMMERS, from Embu District, Kenya, perform precise and measured dance movements, carrying their tall drums between their legs. Side Two UGANDA DRUMS, in a banana grove outside Kampala, capital city of one of Africa’s most beautiful countries.
GAY GIRIAMA, of the Kenya coastland, play their drums under the palms when the hot African sun makes work a burden. SPIRIT-EXORCISM, a rhythm of Kenya’s Teita people, in a rare, secret ceremony called “upepo” 4. TYPICAL OF BORDER DISTRICTS of Uganda and the eastern Congo is this enchanting beat, played by two leisurely drummers as evening falls. KILUME DANCE, of the fun-loving Akamba people, is sedately energetic and traditionally restricted to elders-of both sexes-of this large Kenya ethnic group. e) GIRIAMA FINALE: A sensational beat erupts with bursts of the ‘Bungo’ horn, then dies away into the wilderness. d) KAYAMBA FANTASTIQUE: A larger horn bellows forth in brilliant improvisation. c) EARLY HOURS SPIRIT DANCE: The spirit of the drums gather momentum, hotter and hotter, as the night becomes day. b) MWANZELE: The strange, eerie sounds, often used at funerals, created by metallic percussion. Side 2 a) KAYAMBA: The most famous of all Giriama dances, featuring the weird, wonderful ‘Bungo’ horn. d) SPIRIT DANCE: In the middle of the night, a witch doctor encourages a patient to shake to the medicine of the drum.
c) MUCHECHEMEKO: Calabashes, flutes, tins, rattles and drums combine to create an erotic atmosphere on the shores of the Indian Ocean. In this song the singer praises his skills as a player in an almost-forgotten-melody. b) LUMBOMBOMBO: The ‘Lumbombombo’ is a very rare one-stringed violin. Others wall as drums pound out rhythms in dramatic bursts of energetic ferocity. Girls don ostrich-feather Head-plumes and enticing skirts. Side 1 a) GONDA: A bewitching dance for young adults.