|


|
"Their passion and playing blew me away"
--Joseph Blake, Victoria Times Colonist
|
Hearing marimba
music for the first time at a folk festival inspired Marimba
Muzuva's founding members to research and build their own marimbas,
becoming the first Canadian group to play this music. They quickly
sought out teachers and were fortunate to learn from musicians
from Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United States, including
Dumisani Maraire (the man responsible for introducing Zimbabwean
music to the Pacific Northwest). Not content to stop there,
the group travelled to Zimbabwe to gain a deeper understanding
ot the music and culture. Today, the origins of the music are
palpable in every performance.
Marimba Muzuva features soprano, tenor, baritone and
bass marimbas (wooden xylophones); mbira (thumb piano);
hosho (gourd shakers); ngoma (hand drum); and drum kit.
The band also composes original music and performs maghavu
(leg shaker) dances and South African gumboot dances.
|
|
Why do eager North American crowds gather to experience
marimba music? What possible link could a group of musicians
from Canada's wet and windy coast have with the exotic, sun-dappled
music of Zimbabwe? The answer can be found in the music itself.
It makes the world smaller, there becomes here, and everyone
connects - with each other, with the rhythm of the earth and
with the nurturing energy of the sun. In fact, it is impossible
to hear the sound of the marimbas and NOT be transplanted to
the sun and colour of distant land.
Marimba Muzuva means "Wooden Voices in the Sun", the title
of their first CD.
Performance Highlights
|
Edge of the World Festival
(Haida Gwaii/ Queen Charlotte Is.)
South Country Fair (Fort
Macleod, AB)
World Next Door Festival
(Winnipeg)
Islands Folk Festival (Duncan)
Vancouver Island MusicFest
(Courtenay)
Victoria Folk Fest
Victoria Jazz Fest
Brandon Folk Festival
Harrison Festival of the
Arts
|
Zimbabwean
Music Festivals (Canada and US)
International Buskers Festival
(Victoria)
Fringe Festival (Victoria)
Hermann's Jazz Club (Victoria)
Community dances and nightclubs
(throughout BC)
Art Starts in Schools (tours
of more than 1000 schools throughout BC)
1994 Commonwealth Games
(Victoria) |
References
|
Doug Cox,
Artistic Director
Vancouver Island MusicFest
Box 338
Cumberland, BC, V0R 1S0
250-336-7981
dougcox@shaw.ca
|
Brent Hutchinson,
Artistic Co-ordinator
The Islands Folk Festival
PO Box 802
Duncan, BC, V9L 3Y1
250-748-4330
artists@folkfest.bc.ca
|
Tracy Summers,
Artistic Director
Victoria Folk Festival
World Next Door Festival (Winnipeg)
930 Balmoral Road
Victoria, BC, V8T 1A8
250-414-0006
tracy@tnt-productions.com
|
Reviews
"Marimba Muzuva stole the show at last year's
festival with their lively and infectious melodies
and beats."
-Vancouver Island MusicFest
"By far the best show I've ever seen . .
. They held the audience in the palm of their hand."
-Glen McKinnon, Murrayville Elementary School
"A band that has always exploded with
life on the stage"
-Paul Novitski, Dandemutande Magazine
|
Muzuva
Members
|
|
|
|
|