Kalimba Magic NEWS

Catalog of the Sanza Exhibit
from the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, AZ

Last month on February 25, I traveled north to Phoenix, AZ for a special event at the Musical Instrument Museum (The MIM): the opening of an exhibit with 125 African sanzas and kalimbas collected over the 20th century. This unique collection will be at The MIM through October 1, 2012, so if you are in the Phoenix area, you really should stop in and see these beautiful traditional kalimbas first hand.

I know that most people won't be in the Phoeniz area before October 1, but fortunately there is another way you can experience the beauty of these instruments: for $18 you can purchase a glossy 64-page catalog with photos of all 125 kalimbas on display at the MIM's Sanza Exhibit. This is a great resource for the serious student of the African kalimba.

Cover of the MIM Sanza Catalog.

A sample spread from the MIM Sanza Catalog.

In addition to this special Sanza Exhibit, The MIM has musical instruments and video showing you how they are played, from every country on earth. It is instructive to spend hours in the African room and see all the different kalimbas, bows, lyres, horns, and drums that are played across Africa. You begin to get a sense of the amazing diversity of human musical activity across the African continent. If you go, I recommend you plan to spend at least four hours at The MIM.

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