Forward Kwenda at Caffe Lena - 06/30/2011

Forward Kwenda - Authentic African Music

Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius and HEARD opening Tonight Caffè Lena audiences will experience authentic African music with mbira master Forward Kwenda of Zimbabwe. Often called a thumb piano in the West, the mbira consists of a board or gourd fitted with small metal keys that are plucked with the thumbs. It sounds sweet no matter who touches it, but in the hands of this master, it brings powerful, ancient spirits to earth. Forward was born in an area known for its fierce resistance to colonial rulers and adherence to Shona tradition. As a young boy he excelled in traditional dance and recitation of ancient poetry. At the age of ten he was given the name "Forward" because of his curious and lively personality, and his singing for liberation war freedom fighters. At an early age Forward borrowed an mbira and, with no teacher other than occasional radio program, began to play on his own. He formed his own mbira group in the mid '80s and began making records and performing on national radio. During this period, he was informed by powerful rain-making spirits that he was to devote his life to playing mbira for their ceremonies. Much to the amazement of master mbira players two and three generations his senior, Forward adopted a uniquely complex playing style considered in Shona culture to be "more ancient" because spirits prefer it. Dubbed the "the Coltrane of mbira," Forward Kwenda has received international acclaim for his virtuosity, soulfulness, and unprecedented range of melodic and rhythmic improvisation. He is in great demand in Zimbabwe, where the most ancient spirits, the makombwe, believed to be the ancestors of all mankind, prefer Kwenda's ancient style and come to earth as soon as he begins playing his mbira. Kwenda claims "It's not me, my spirits just play through me," and takes no credit whatsoever for his virtuosity. Jazzy world music ensemble HEARD, led by renowned capital district pianist and composer Elizabeth Woodbury Kasius, will open tonight's concert.