Kalimba Magic NEWS

When I got to the UNICEF store, I was not really sure what I was supposed to do. When I saw the kalimbas that were there, they were not at all like the cheap kalimbas I was expecting to see. In fact, one of the instruments looked like the Hugh Tracey trademark shape, a traditional kalimba shape. I could tell from the lengths of the tines that it was trying to be a primal karimba, but it was hopelessly out of tune....

This month we call attention to a modern version of the instrument which is thought to be the most ancient note layout of all the metal-tined African thumb pianos - the the 8-note Primal Karimba, a doorway to the minds of African musicians some 1300 years ago. This is a great tool for Black History Month.

This month, I explain to Scott the history of Hugh Tracey's role in the origination and development of AMI and ILAM, and I point Bethel to a number of educational resources for the traditional mbira.