Abayudaya: Music From the Jewa

Jews in Uganda! Yes, we are everywhere. This is mostly very basic material. Interesting how the Uganda Jewish music borrows from different sources: traditional Jewish tunes, African beats and a lot of Christian church music. Often, tough, the influences do NOT mix in a single track – there are some “African” tracks, some “Jewish” tracks and some “Christian” tracks on this album. Most tracks are a-cappella; otherwise they are often supported by cheap organ sounds, and guitar. Lyrics in mostly in Luganda, Hebrew and English. Play 1, 3, 11, 20, 23, 24.

1. Starts a cappella - male lead vocals, female chorus; fades mid track into an instrumented version (simple organ and organ-produced rhythms). **
2. Very basic tribal rhythm and melody. Traditional drums. Mid/high tempo.
3. Quick string picking, single male vocal, African bluegrass. **
4-6. Lullabies. Female vocals, interesting tunes, no backdrop.
7. Kids chanting “I’m a soldier in the army of the Lord”.
8. In Hebrew; kids chanting a prayer.
9-10. Again single vocalist and chorus chanting; a cappella. Some Hebrew on 10.
11. Guitar and electric organ, mid tempo halleluiah song. *
12-13. Chorus singing Hebrew prayers. Slow, nice.
14-15. Same but not in Hebrew.
16. Sabbath blessing in Hebrew. Boy, this sounds the same pretty much everywhere.
17. Kids choir.
18. Like 2, African-tribal sound. Choir chanting for the Maimuna holiday.
19. Choir singing a peculiar version of the second-most-famous Hebrew song ever (after Hava Nagila, of course).
20. Basic instrumentation on this track, mid/high tempo, *
21. Very crude organ and organ beats accompanies choir on this one.
22. Male voice, short prayer.
23-24. Choir, slow and quiet, nice tunes. **