Marimba fest celebrates life
Meg Dedolph
(Mily (.I’Witm
This slorv is about putting
things together - the layered
rhythms and melodies of
Shone music, people with little
in common but their urge to
play the marimba anil a week
end festival that combines the
two with performances and
workshops.
“One of the things that's
always struck me is that people
come from all walks of life to
play." said Michael Broez, a
teacher and performer from the
San Juan Islands.
"It touches people on a really
common level. It’s not like
musicians are turned on. or
hippies or yuppies. It touches a
universal note in all people."
he said.
Joel Lindstrom, director of
Eugene's Kutsinhira Marimba
Center, agrees.
li s it rtrai lumiiy. na*x
people) drawn from all walks of
life - a geologist, teacher, piano
tuner, even a naturopathic
physician."
Community aside, many
players find the music possess
es some quality that makes it
more appealing than other
kinds of music, to listeners,
dancers and players.
“The music really touches
something inside me," said
Claire Jones, an ethnomusicolo
gy student at the University of
Washington.
■•I've played classical flute
and folk guitar, but this touch
es me in a deeper way. physi
cally and emotionally It seems
like a butter fit." Jones said.
"Shona music is such joyful
music." said Lora Chiorah-Dye.
who taught dance at last week
end’s Northwest Marimba
Festival. "You can never sit
down. You have to move."
"The first thing 1 was really
blown away by is the physicali
ty of it," Breez said. "It looks
like fun. People are often
touched by the harmonies and
the voices. The way the instru
ments are sot up. some people
hear voices. "
Breez said he believes the
music has some healing quali
ties as well,
“For mo, it's like using the
muscles in your body in a very
clearing way. I've gone into
performances and been sick,
and been dear on the way out
The music moves the energy
through you. It s very healing
for me.”
Many agree Shona music
possesses some quality that
makes it more appealing than
other kinds of music to listen
ers. dancers and players.
Beyond the music, many
players find community among
other players and teachers.
jtrr PASUivf >*>•»««
Soofa Kelsey Instructs participants In the Northwest Marimba Festival
In Tsaba Hosho, a typo of dried squash used as an InstumenL
More than making friends
the sense of community is also
considered necessary to play
well, said Breez and (ones.
"You need to cooperate for
the music to be tight." (ones
said, adding that many classes
are structured so that the same
people study together for
months.
"The music won't work if
everyone doesn't have an
awareness of everyone else in
the room." Breez said.
The marimbas used in bands
like Shumba and Kudana are
not strictly African in origin or
native to Zimbabwe. The
instruments were created in the
lflfiOs at a college in Zimbabwe
and wore designed with fea
tures from both African and
South American marimbas
In addition to marimbas,
some bonds use mbiras, which
are tuned tongues of metal
attached to a hollow box or
gourd. The mbiru is played
with the ringers and has a soft
metallic: sound.
Rhythmic: accompaniment is
provided by drums, sometimes
drum set and hoshos, which are
dried gourd rattles
Because the marimba is not
an authentic Zimbabwean
instrument, the music played
in marimba ensembles is most
ly arrangement of traditional
mbira tunes.
Whereas a mbira player
might play four or five different
rhythmic; lines at the same time
to make up a piece, marimba
bands split up the different
rhythms and melodies between
players
"The music is all about call
and response,” said Breez.
"The lead, leads the group and
the group follows the lead all
around. The lead checks back
to see if everyone's following "
Bands include a lead player
and any number of other play
ers. playing marimbas of differ
ent ranges, from bass marimbas
with bars made from 2-by-6
pieces of wood to smaller and
higher-pitched instruments
With more players, there are
more kinds of responses, some
occurring nt the same time,
some happening shortly after
the call.
But whatever the response.
Brae/ said each part has to still
fit in with everyone olse’s
"It's about being able to
move your part and move your
lines around and still under
stand the piece," Breez said
This marimba music. which
is representative of lilt' Shorn)
culture — about two-thirds of
the Zimbabwean population —
first came to this country in the
19(U)s through Dumisani
Maraire at the University of
Washington.
I lit IH H T n
larit\ in the United States has
not always reflected its status
in Zimbabwe.
Chiorah-Dye said apartheid
and Christianity dampened
support for native music.
"Christianit\ said you could
not do anything African,"
Chiorah-Dye said. "You did not
feel you could be a Christian
and play African music or the
demons would come It was
something you played at
home."
But in the ltffiOs, Zimbabwe
reached a time of cultural pride
and cultural nationalism, and
universities began playing and
teaching Shona music, (ones a
player and teacher, said
Since then, Shona music, has
been taught in grade schools,
and several American marimba
groups have toured Zimbabwe
"The people were happy,
thankful, amazed, positive,"
said (ones of her performances
in Zimbabwe. "All the mes
sages they'd gotten from white
people in the past was stop
that, it's pagan,' but here was a
Western person taking the time
to learn about their music and
do it reasonably well."
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UO School of Music's World Music Series presents
Gamelan Sekar Jaya
Described by a national news magazine as “clearly the
finest Balinese gamelan outside of Bali,’ Sekar Jaya will
perform a variety of Balinese music and dance, including
a special appearance by two dancers from Indonesia.
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Friday, Oct. 8
8 p.m.
Beall Concert Hall
$10 Gen Admission,
$8 Sludenls / Seniors,
available at the door
For more into, call 346-2852
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FREE Lecture
Demonstration
Friday, Oct 8 2 p.m
Beall Concert Hall
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Co-sponsors: UO Office of
International Affairs, Oregon
Humanities Center, Center
tor Asian & Pacific Studies