Meaning inbengamusic of western Kenya

Continuities and innovation in Luo song style: creating the Benga Beat in Kenya 1960 to 1995

“…One of the fi rst to weigh in, John Storm Roberts, wrote of 1960s guitarist Dick Ngoye's music that this relationship was "mysterious, " yet "the melodies are recognizably Luo, and Dick Ngoye's confi dence and panache surely stem from long experience with strings" (1988). Th e position is reiterated in the most recent edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, with both Barz (2013) and Umbima (2013) highlighting the nyatiti as an infl uential source. Based on his work with nyatiti player Andericus Apondi, Barz suggests that "the interaction of bass and treble lines in traditional nyatiti are mirrored in the playful and omnipresent interaction of bass and lead guitars in benga " (2001:113).…”

“…See Barz (2001Barz ( , 2013, Paterson (1999), Roberts (1988), Stapleton and May (1987), and Umbima (2013). relation to this beat (creating contrast between on-and off -beat accents) has provided a unifying link in diff erent Luo song genres, and was codifi ed in the development of benga with the establishment of a standard rhythmic motif. As Luo musicians have worked with the possibilities off ered by novel instruments and musical paradigms, they have experimented with this basic relationship, creating new formal arrangements and textures.…”