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OT: Chiwoniso North American tour


     I'll be on tour for the month of September with Chiwoniso, a 
Zimbabwean woman of great talent and a marvelous voice.  There will be no 
looping content in the show unless you count the very nature of African 
music, which is loop after loop after loop, each time varied and fresh.

     If anyone on LD is interested in making any of these shows, shoot me 
a note and I'll see if I can get you on the guest list.

10th  NYC, NY           Joe's Pub (downtown)
11th  Burlington, VT    Higher Ground
12th  Montreal, QC      Kola Note
16th  Troy, NY          The Sanctuary for Independent Media
18th  Toronto, ON       Small World Music Festival
19th  Chicago, IL       World Music Festival
20th  Madison, WI       Madison World Music Festival
21st  Chicago, IL       World Music Festival
23rd  Cedar Rapids, IA  Legion Arts
25th  Santa Cruz, CA    Kuumbwa Jazz Center
26th  Berkeley, CA      Ashkenaz
28th  Eugene, OR        Cozmic Pizza
29th  Seattle, WA       Jazz Alley

     Check out her music at:
     MySpace.com/Chiwoniso or 
     http://www.cumbancha.com/albums/rebel_woman

     A bit about my relationship to Chiwoniso:

     Back when I was at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, I was 
studying instrument construction and microtonal music.  I was really into 
the music and ideas of Harry Partch.  In fact, I was reading his book one 
afternoon, the part about how he built his diamond marimba, when I heard a 
marimba ensemble warming up outside in the dorm courtyard.  I put the book 
down, went outside, and dancing my heart out for 4 hours like I'd never 
done before.  This was my introduction to Dumi Maraire and his Zimbabwean 
marimba ensemble.  I told myself that day that I was going to move to 
Seattle as soon as I finished college so that I could immerse myself in 
this music.

     So it was a year later, back in 1980 that I moved up to Seattle and 
started working with Dumi.  It wasn't long before I was performing with 
him.  His eldest daughter Chiwoniso was 4 years old at the time, her 
sister Tawona was 3.  Along with Tawona, another brother Tendai will be 
joining us on this tour.

     I was very close with Dumi and his family for many years.  This tour 
is like a family reunion of sorts.  The fact that I'm still playing 
Zimbabwean marimba 28 years later is a testament to the power that the 
music still holds for me.  Nowadays I have my own band, and teach in local 
Middle and High schools, both performance classes and marimba building 
classes.

     MySpace.com/NyamuziwaMarimba

     The work that Chiwoniso is doing is a mix of contemporary and 
traditional Shona mbira-based music.  This tour marks her recent return to 
the US to live, and her first US appearance since she was performing with 
her father back in the early 90's.  We are an 8 piece electric band, 
guitar, bass, keys, drums, with Tendai and I both playing mbira, hosho, 
and percussion.

     If you are able to make any of these shows, be sure to come by and 
say hi.

     Stephen