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| Healing Tree - The Best Of |  | | Genre: | Mbira | | Catalogue Number: | | | Availability: | Yes | | Price: | £16.99 |
| Format: | CD | | Release Date: | 1998-01-20 |
| Review: | Stella Rambisai Chiweshe Nekati is a woman warrior who defied the traditional gender roles of her native Zimbabwe by learning to play the mbira, a thumb piano whose ritual connection to the ancestral spirits dates back to the 15th century. More than two decades of international recording and concert performances have earned Chiweshe the title "Queen of Mbira," a distinction which led to this "best of" compilation, her first CD on a stateside label. Split between lulling unplugged tracks (for dual mbiras, vocals, and percussion) and lively worldbeat pieces (with that curious Afro-pop mix of upbeat rhythm, buoyant melody, and trenchant lyrics), the disc proffers multi-leveled music for enthusiasts of both contemporary and folkloric song forms. Cyclical motifs combine earthy singing and translucent instrumental syncopation to create a hypnotic sound of power and ancientness. |
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