Bata Mbira seamlessly fuses sacred music from Cuba and Zimbabwe, creating a compelling whole that is far greater than the sum of its parts. The batá drums, played by Michael Spiro, are a family of three double-headed hourglass-shaped drums brought to Cuba by the Yoruba people of Nigeria in the 19th century and used to accompany ceremonies to call the ancestral deities down to earth. The mbira (or thumb piano), played by Michael Williams, is an instrument of the Shona people of Zimbabwe, consisting of 22-28 metal keys affixed to a wooden soundboard and used as a sacred medium for communicating with ancestral spirits. With a very rootsy, yet contemporary sound, Bata Mbira draws you into a magical world of drums, mbira, voices, flutes and other exotic acoustic sounds. Bata Mbira is an original fusion of traditional songs to the spirits that guide the people of Zimbabwe and Cuba. - Bembe Records 2007 (bembe.com)
BataMbira Live at PASIC 2007
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BataMbira Live at PASIC 2007
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