Music Is My Weapon

Walter came to me today while i was at work and handed me a card of the Carl Winters a.k.a The Kalimba King. He came to Walter Black History class today and played for the class.So you asking yourself what the hell is a Kalimba, well i didn't know a thing about so i had to come home and read up on it to find out for my self what it is.

The kalimba, known as a thumb-piano in the West, is a lamellaphone of Eastern Central and South West Africa. There are a variety of other similar instruments by other names (eg. mbira) in other regions of Africa. The kalimba is made from a board box or calabash, that wooden or metal keys are attached to the top of. Often the metal keys were made from old spoon handles, bicycle spokes or spring wire that were cut and hammered to the desired shape. The keys are plucked with the thumbs, or with combinations of thumbs and fingers.

Traditionally used to accompany singing in Africa, the kalimba was relatively easy to play, and became popular in the West for instrumental music. However, the sound of the kalimba is now found on most digital samplers and as such the instrument is starting to disappear.

Well after visiting the site of the Kalimba King Carl winters i finally got hear what one sounds like and it pretty kick ass.Its something different to listen to but i do see there is alot of talent in him, it seems to be a dying art form as well andWinters conducts clinics and performances at universities, festivals, public schools, churches, corporate functions, libraries and clubs. His clinics address how the kalimba is used in the context of African society, particularly Zimbabwe. In addition, emphasis is placed on its political, cultural, medicinal and spiritual significance. Winters is also a credentialed teacher which makes the process of "teaching" the mechanics and dynamics of the kalimba both natural and fun. His membership in the International Association for Jazz Education affords him the opportunity to administer workshops and performances to a wide range of institutions throughout the world.

This info was found at Carl Winters website which can be found along with some samples of his beatiful music and many other thing about him. The site address can be found by clicking here
http://www.blogger.com/www.kalimbaking.com

The 70's and 80's Band Earth wind and Fire were also a huge fan of the Kalimba as well and use it on many of there albums. There is a small object that helps illustrate the complexity of Earth, Wind & Fire's achievement - an African thumb piano called a kalimba. The kalimba is clearly close to Maurice White's heart, he introduced it to millions of listeners by making it a centerpiece of Earth, Wind & Fire's spectacular concerts. It was a staple of the group's albums. White even named his production company Kalimba Productions. "The kalimba represented my link to Africa," he explains. "It was my way of taking part of that culture and spreading it all over the world.