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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