James Makubuya
Encyclopedia
James K. Makubuya is a Uganda
n-born ethnomusicologist, instrumentalist, singer, dancer, and choreographer. He plays several traditional instruments from various parts of Uganda, including the endongo
(8-string bowl lyre) and adungu
(9-string bow harp), endingidi
(1-string tube fiddle), amadinda (12-slab log xylophone), akogo (lamellaphone), and engoma (drums).
Makubuya was born in the town of Gayaza (located 30 km from Kampala
, near Lake Victoria
, in the Buganda
region of Uganda), and is a member of the Baganda
ethnic group. He holds a B.A. in music and English literature from Makerere University
in Kampala, Uganda (1980); a Master of Music degree in Western music and music education from Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. (1988), and a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles
(1995).
His main research focuses on organological studies in which has written many scholarly papers, including a comparative study of East African bowl lyres, bow harps, and tube fiddles.
He has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(1996-2000), where he founded the ensemble MITCAN, and is currently an Associate Professor of Music at Wabash College
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
, where he directs the WAMIDAN ensemble.
Makubuya performs in a cross-cultural
duo with Chinese pipa
performer Wu Man
. His Abadongo, for endongo, mbuutu, and string quartet was performed at the University of California by the composer and the Kronos Quartet
.
He has recorded three solo CDs and appears as a guest artist on a fourth (Wu Man and Friends, 2005). His music has also been featured in several films, including Mississippi Masala
(1991).
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
n-born ethnomusicologist, instrumentalist, singer, dancer, and choreographer. He plays several traditional instruments from various parts of Uganda, including the endongo
Endongo
The endongo is a musical instrument, considered the national instrument of the Baganda people of Uganda. It is a bowl lyre with a face covered with the skin of a monitor lizard. Its strings are tied to a piece of wood inserted into two holes on two arms....
(8-string bowl lyre) and adungu
Adungu
The adungu is a 9-string arched harp of the Alur people of northwestern Uganda. The adungu may be played alone or in an ensemble. The adungu is but one of many arched harps found in sub-Saharan Africa...
(9-string bow harp), endingidi
Endingidi
The endingidi is a type of bowed string instrument native to Uganda. The endingidi has one string, extending from the neck to a cylindrical body made of wood or horn.A similar instrument called the akaghoboghobo is found in Banande.-Sources:*...
(1-string tube fiddle), amadinda (12-slab log xylophone), akogo (lamellaphone), and engoma (drums).
Makubuya was born in the town of Gayaza (located 30 km from Kampala
Kampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, near Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
, in the Buganda
Buganda
Buganda is a subnational kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Ganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day Uganda, comprising all of Uganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala, with the exception of the disputed eastern Kayunga District...
region of Uganda), and is a member of the Baganda
Baganda
The Ganda are an ethnic group native to Buganda, a subnational kingdom within Uganda. Traditionally comprising 52 tribes the Ganda have a rich history and culture...
ethnic group. He holds a B.A. in music and English literature from Makerere University
Makerere University
Makerere University , Uganda's largest and second-oldest higher institution of learning, , was first established as a technical school in 1922. In 1963 it became the University of East Africa, offering courses leading to general degrees from the University of London...
in Kampala, Uganda (1980); a Master of Music degree in Western music and music education from Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. (1988), and a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(1995).
His main research focuses on organological studies in which has written many scholarly papers, including a comparative study of East African bowl lyres, bow harps, and tube fiddles.
He has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(1996-2000), where he founded the ensemble MITCAN, and is currently an Associate Professor of Music at Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, where he directs the WAMIDAN ensemble.
Makubuya performs in a cross-cultural
Cross-cultural
cross-cultural may refer to*cross-cultural studies, a comparative tendency in various fields of cultural analysis*cross-cultural communication, a field of study that looks at how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate...
duo with Chinese pipa
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
performer Wu Man
Wu Man
Wu Man is a Chinese pipa virtuoso and composer. Described as "the artist most responsible for bring the pipa to the Western World" by the Los Angeles Times, US-based, Chinese-born musician Wu Man has carved out a career creating and fostering projects that give this ancient Chinese instrument a...
. His Abadongo, for endongo, mbuutu, and string quartet was performed at the University of California by the composer and the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
.
He has recorded three solo CDs and appears as a guest artist on a fourth (Wu Man and Friends, 2005). His music has also been featured in several films, including Mississippi Masala
Mississippi Masala
Mississippi Masala is a romantic drama film directed by Mira Nair, based upon a screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala, starring Denzel Washington, Sarita Choudhury, and Roshan Seth. Set primarily in rural Mississippi, the film explores interracial romance between African Americans and Indian Americans...
(1991).
Writings
- Makubuya, James (1995). "Endongo: The Role and Significance of the Baganda Bowl Lyre of Uganda." Los Angeles, California: University of California, Los Angeles. Ph.D. dissertation.
Discography
- 1993 - The Uganda Tropical Beat I
- 1998 - Taata Wange
- 2000 - Watik, Watik: Music from Uganda. Music of the WorldMusic of the WorldMusic of the World was a World music record label active during the 1990s. Nomad-World Jazz and Latitudes were imprint labels.Albums released on the label are available to purchase through the New York City organization .-Artists:*BeauSoleil...
- 2005 - Wu Man and Friends. Traditional Crossroads.