Katokye // Obuhangwa bwa Banyankore na Bahororo LP

ウガンダの歌手Katokyeが、2025年9月に同国カンパラのレフトフィールド・ダンスレーベルNyege Nyegeからリリースしたレコードです。

ウガンダ西部バニャンコアとバホロロ地方の伝統声楽6曲を収録。

以下、レーベルによる解説です。

伝説のシンガーKatokyeは、初のスタジオアルバムで、ウガンダ西部のバニャンコアとバホロロの人々の豊かな声楽音楽にかつてない光を当て、100年以上続く牛飼いの習慣に密接に結びついた2つの歌唱スタイルを前面に押し出した。Katokyeはまだ幼い頃、家を飛び出してこの地域の伝統的な歌に没頭した。生計を立てるためにさまざまな牧場で牛を飼い、数十年にわたり故郷を放浪しながら歌い続け、1回1回のパフォーマンスで芸を磨いていった。60歳の誕生日を目前に控えた現在、Katokyeはこの地方で最も才能があり、人気のある伝統歌手となった。

エケションゴロというスタイルを得意とするKatokyeは、日本の俳句のような短い詩的な文章を即興で詠み、彼の土地や歴史、彼らの大切にしている家畜について、ひとくち大の印象を伝える。通常の公演では、1人か数人の歌手がリードヴォーカリストの蛇行をバックアップし、連続したヴォーカルの流れの中で詩を重ねる。川の流れのような演奏の大きな曲がり角を合図に、すべてのシンガーが一緒にピッチを上げ、観客を魅了する賛美の聖歌に沿って引っ張っていく流れの強さを着実に増していく。 "

レーベルその他作品はこちら /// Click here to see more Hakuna Kulala / Nyege Nyege Tapes / Heat Crimes releases available at Tobira. 

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RELEASE DATE : 5th September 2025

12" black vinyl.
Edition of 300. 

Tracklist:

1. Abera Bakyarusheshe 
2. Abanzira
3. Okugamba Ente
4. Omuhogo gwa Rujeru
5. Ekyevugo Kyabantu
6. Ekyeshongoro Kyabakazi

Nyege Nyege Tapes:

"In his first studio album, legendary singer John Katokye shines an unprecedented light on the rich vocal music of the Banyankore and Bahororo people of Western Uganda, bringing to the fore two singing styles intimately anchored in their century-long practice of cattle herding. When still a young boy, Katokye ran away from home to immerse himself in the traditional songs of his region. Herding cattle in different farms to earn a living, he roamed his homeland singing for several decades, refining his art form one performance at a time. Now approaching his 60th birthday, Katokye has become arguably the most talented and popular traditional singer alive in his region today.

Specializing in the style of ‘ekyeshongoro’, Katokye improvises short poetic sentences, like a long series of Japanese haiku, to convey morsel-sized impressions on the land and history of his people and their cherished cattle. On a regular performance, one or several singers usually back up the meandering of the lead vocalist, overlapping their verses in a continuous vocal flow – at times stretching well beyond ten minutes – transforming the moment into a long meditative experience. Marking the major twists and turns of their river-like performances, all the singers punctually raise their pitch together, steadily increasing the intensity of the current that pulls the audience along their mesmerizing praising chant.

Named after Katokye’s clan, ‘Abanzira’ pays tribute to the moral values and beauty of the women from his lineage, while ‘Ekyeshongoro Kyabakazi’ singles out the merits of the people of Karengo, a village at the heart of the Ankole region where Katokye settled with his loved ones. Throughout this song, Katokye peppers guttural breaths reminiscent of the mooing cows grazing in the hills surrounding his home. To say that the Banyankore and Bahororo people have a deep bond with their cattle might be an understatement in a culture where the generous eyelashes and quiet gaze of calves shape beauty standards, while the subtle taste of smoked milk flavours family reunions and friendly hang outs.

‘Okugamba Ente’ illustrates this intimacy well as Katokye salutes cows’ understanding of human nature, beating with his herding staff the pulse of another form of praise singing deeply rooted in the region, transporting listeners from the meditative river of ekyeshongoro to the dense and wordy waterfall of the ekyevugo style. Gluing words together to recite a dense series of sentences in one breath, ekyevugo singers draw on local myths and history while evoking cattle as signs of beauty and wealth to praise their audience and highlight the quality of the moments lived together at weddings, political rallies, or family gatherings. Acknowledging the praises, the audience usually concludes each flow with a short and vocal ‘eee’ during which the reciter quickly catches breath to draw strength and fire the next verse.

And the talent lives on in the younger generations as the album concludes with ‘Omuhogo gwa Rujeru’, foregrounding Katokye’s acolyte and longtime partner Samuel Rujeru who takes the lead in driving a song usually opening fire sessions, calmly warming up the audience and performers for an evening of storytelling. As they listen to the singers’ whirling melismas and passionate bursts, it’s not unusual for people to raise their arms in the air in imitation of the iconic long horns of their beloved cattle with which they share their lives in the bushy hills of the region. Rendered for the first time in an intimate studio recording session, listeners can now feel the warmth of these amazing vocal styles that for so many years accompanied the lives and dreams of the Banyankore and Bahororo people. "

Artist : Katokye

Label : Nyege Nyege Tapes

cat no : NNT077