New CD now available!!
Click HERE to order online!
The CD is also available on CD Baby , and in stores at End of an Ear, Waterloo, and Yoga Yoga.
"...Mesmarizing debut CD." -Austin Powell, Austin Chronicle
Member Since: 12/01/2007
Band Website: http://www.rattletree.com
Sounds Like:
The mbira is over 1000 years old. It is the sacred musical instrument of the Shona people of Zimbabwe-who have taken the "thumb-piano" (a misnomer) and developed it to its full potential. The music is a highly structured tapestry of several melodies overlapping. It is not uncommon for one mbira player to be playing four or more melodies simultaneously. There is a very specific repertoire of several hundred songs for the many types of mbira. To the uninitiated listener, the music comes across as a "beautiful wash of notes", or "musical rain". The more consciously the listener travels into the music, the more the layers separate themselves into distinct voices. This music is combined with the voice of the musician. The voice is simply one of the many melodies going on and is not considered "on top" of the rest of the music as is often the case in Western music. The singer is often weaving his/her melody in a call and response to the mbira itself.
In a spirit-possession ceremony, the contrasting rhythm and melody of these voices creates a sort of "mental overload" in the medium (homwe). Dancers may dance to several different rhythms at once-each appendage seemingly independent of the whole. This all helps break down the ego and the "I-ness" in the participants-bringing about spirit possession quicker.