Albert Ssempeke

Albert Ssempeke is a musician known for Baganda Music. He was also a royal musician to the Kabaka of Buganda, presumably this was Mutesa II of Buganda, and Albert's album Ssempeke! is of the pre-independence music of Buganda.

At 11 he began on the endere flute. He was tutored by the royal flautists and rose as a court musician. He also added the lyre, drums, and the eight-stringed kiganda harp to his repertoire. After the kingdom of Buganda was dissolved by Milton Obote the royal music declined with many refusing to play it. The reign of Idi Amin led to further declines as many fled. By the 1980s most had forgotten royal music or died off leaving Albert to become one of the last royal musicians. This made him of interest to ethnomusicologists and in 1987 he was invited by Peter Cooke to be "Musician in Residence" at Edinburgh University.

External links

* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hp841v08zzba All music]
* [http://womad.org/?artist_id=1024 WOMAD biography]
* [http://www.amadinda.co.uk/ssempeke.do A tribute to Albert Ssempeke] Also, you can listen here to samples from his album.