How to Shop for Musicians Nov 3, 2008
Mbira -- These African instruments, called thumb pianos, are made of metal tines attached to a soundboard and gourd chamber. Musicians can get fairly complex melodies from mbiras. (Suite101.com)
Zimbabwe choir performs at local church Sep 4, 2008
Musical interludes made use of instruments such as guitar, piano, and drums, as well as indigenous instruments such as the marimba (a African xylophone) and the mbira (a thumb piano). During the concert, many parishioners could be seen clapping their hands, tapping their feet or bobbing their heads to the music. (Acton Beacon, MA)
Free concert in Ralston Park Aug 28, 2008
Zimbabwean music, much of which is based on the mbira, will be played. In addition to the concert, crafts from some of the organization's 35 villages will be available for purchase, as well as children's toys, T-shirts, CDs, and food. (Lebanon Express, OR)
Go & Do: Things you can do on Sunday, July 27 Jul 27, 2008
With a collection of more than 200 instruments from around the world, including acoustic-synth and nylon string guitars, sitar, balofon, djembe, koto, charango, mbira and a wide variety of percussion and stringed instruments, he has amazed audiences throughout the United States, Canada, Alaska, Croatia, South Africa and India. Armstrong performs this afternoon at 4 p.m. (Sunday, July 27) as part of the Sundays in the Garden Concert series at Hamilton House, Vaughan's Lane, off Route 236, South... (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Briefs (April 24) Apr 22, 2008
Bongo Love plays Afrocoustic music using traditional Zimbabwean instruments such as marimba and mbira. While in Needham, Bongo Love taught workshops to local young musicians, educating them about Zimbabwean music and culture. (Needham Tab, MA)
Thomas Mapfumo & Blacks Unlimited Apr 18, 2008
He pioneered a rich, infectious style known as "chimurenga" (struggle) music, melding African rhythms and bobbing Zimbabwean mbira (thumb piano) with Western elements alongside his affecting voice. "I'm always standing by the poor," he says. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Aphrodesia returns to Afrobeat roots Jan 8, 2008
As a front woman, Maykovich seems absolutely fearless, whether telling the audience "in our hearts, we are free/ in our minds, we are free" or plucking traditional melodies on an mbira (African thumb piano). No one seemed to mind her taped-up boots, maybe because they were too busy dancing. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Mtukudzi sings a song of survival Oct 19, 2007
Mtukudzi, who is 55 and whose voice is a blend of honey and gravel reminiscent of the greatest R&B singers, has a new album - his 45th - titled "Tsimba itsoka." It finds him bringing the acoustic mbira (the so-called "thumb piano" of southern Africa) and marimba back to the fore of the music, after many years adapting their sound and texture into a more electric, guitar-driven Afropop. Touring behind the new album, Mtukudzi and the eight-person lineup of his band, Black Spirits, are at the... (Boston Globe)
Oliver Mtukudzi & Black Spirits Oct 18, 2007
But his songs display a wealth of musical heritage as well - mbira (thumb piano) music, dandanda village music, South African mbaqanga, bouncing jiti township pop, and the traditional drumming of katekwe. The lilting mbira style will be highlighted for Tuku's Somerville Theater show. (Boston Globe)
Seaside hostel spotlighted after 25 years Sep 6, 2007
The band, named for a traditional Zimbabwean staple of stiff cornmeal porridge, performs on instruments including marimba, mbira, karimba and hosho (gourd shakers), and leads sing-long selections. Also due to provide a different kind of musical energy is the 10-piece San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers, led by musical director Alasdair Fraser. (Half Moon Bay Review, CA)
Nawal's musical journey to liberation Jun 22, 2007
It was at a jam-session party in Oakland that Nawal connected with Melissa Cara Rigoli, an American player of the mbira, the "thumb piano" of traditional Zimbabwean music. "I was playing the mbira in the mellow area, outdoors under the sky," Rigoli says ... Rigoli found herself traveling to Paris to play with Nawal and eventually decided to move there, playing mbira and percussion in the trio, which is rounded out by Nawal's brother Idriss Mlanao on bass. (Boston Globe)
What's Up This Weekend Apr 14, 2007
WHAT'S UP By JACQUELINE BURT WANG - Entertainment - New York Post Online Edition. SIMPLY SYMPHONIC: Showtime at the Apollo goes classical with a concert by the Harlem Symphony Orchestra. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Vagabond Opera delivers a an evening of Eastern European cabaret Mar 16, 2007
Robin Jackson plays saxophone, marimba, mbira, percussion, didgeridoo and sings. Cellist Skip vonKuske is classically trained and has played bass and guitar as well as cello in several bands. (Mail Tribune, OR)
Likeable mix of old, new (Adam Mazmanian) Mar 8, 2007
It's a pity, because the songs, from his recent album, "Love and Other Planets," featured an unusual array of instruments as well as Adem's gift for extracting both rhythm and melody from the acoustic guitar (by using a deft and difficult slapping technique), and a rare ability to play the instrument with one hand while plucking a tiny mbira or "thumb piano" in the other. Perhaps not the stuff of sold-out rock gigs, but worth a listen nonetheless. (Washington Times)
