Hear mbira music from Zimbabwe, Nov. 2

Posted October 25, 2000

PORTLAND—The mbira, the traditional instrument of the Shona people, will be performed in concert by two mbira virtuosos, Forward Kwenda of Zimbabwe and Erica Azim of California, Thursday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m., at Lewis & Clark College. The concert will be in Evans Auditorium, 0615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road. Admission is $10 for the general public at the door.

Kwenda and Azim performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., in February this year. Lewis & Clark is one of their final stops on their fall tour of North America, which concludes Nov. 6.

Kwenda, 31, is one of the most respected mbira performers in Zimbabwe. His style is characterized as soulful, bluesy and spacious. Internationally, he is known as "the Coltrane of mbira.

This is Kwenda’s second tour of the United States; he last toured the states in 1997.

"Mbira music combines sound and vibration that has the power to change the state of performers and listeners," says Azim. "The music’s influence is similar to ancient chants and sacred music.

"When I pick up my mbria," says Kwenda, "the music just goes by itself, taking me higher and higher until I can end up crying because the music is so much greater than a human can understand."

The mbira consists of 22 to 28 metal keys mounted on a hardwood soundboard that is placed inside a resonating object, usually a large gourd. Mbira musicians use both thumbs to pluck the keys in a downward motion and their right forefingers to pluck the keys in an upward motion.

A musical prodigy, Kwenda taught himself to play the mbira at age 14, forming his own band and recording while still a teenager. Kwenda frequently performs solo in situations that normally require two or three musicians.

Azim has played mbira more than 25 years. She lived and studied in Zimbabwe. Devoted to educating the public about Shona mbira music and supporting its development in Zimbabwe, Azim is director of the nonprofit organization, MBIRA.

Kwenda’s and Azim’s recording, "Svikiro: Meditations of an Mbira Master" (Shanachie), was hailed by National Public Radio’s "All Things Considered" as "the best mbira compact disk to date."

The recently released recording, "Trance 3" (Ellipsis Arts), includes a recording of Kwenda playing mbira on a mountaintop at sunset.

Mbira songs consist of a basic cyclical pattern that includes numerous intertwined melodies and, often, contrasting rhythms. The extensive possibilities for rhythmic and melodic variation make each performance unique. When two mbiras are played in concert, rich polyphony and polyrhythms result.

The Shona people have played the mbira for more than 1,000 years at royal court, religious rituals, social occasions, personal meditations and healings. Hundreds of songs are passed from generation to generation. Songs performed today are known to have been played more than 500 years ago.

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For more information, please contact:
Kris McIvor
Assistant Director of Public Relations
503-768-7960
mcivor@lclark.edu