Marimba & Mbira Music From Southern Africa
Otto Gumaelius is a London based, Botswana raised, performing artist & teacher of southern African folk music on the marimba.
Last year our marimba duo had the honour of being part of the world premier of Shabnam Shabazi's performance installation, Terra Nullius, commissioned by Spill for The Spill Festival of Performance - an international festival of live art, activism and performance presenting the work of exceptional artists from around the globe.
Here's a lovely video by the Pacitti Company showing highlights from the evening.
I'm teaching African marimba and mbira music classes every Wednesday at Saint Peter's North Community Centre in Hackney.
The African marimba builds on the percussive element of the African drum by adding harmonious melodic expression. Using soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas to build an ensemble, participants get the wonderful opportunity to learn, play and create wonderful rhythms and melodies as a marimba band, and have a great time whilst doing so.
Come along and shake off the midweek winter blues to the warm sounds of southern Africa!
Marimba: 6-7:30pm
Mbira: 7:30-8:30pm
Text 07515508934 to book your place. Advance booking required. Classes cost £10.
See you on Wednesday!
Address:
1st Floor
Saint Peter's North Community Centre
1 Marian Place, E2 9AX
More info:
CHIMOIO is a lively, upbeat London based southern African fusion band playing original music with distinct cultural roots in Botswana and Zimbabwe.
We sing in English, Setswana and Chishona.
Using the marimba and mbira at the core of our music, we link our cultural past with the present, and project our hopes and aspirations for a greater world. We aim to spread joy and make people think, smile and dance.
Contact us today to make a booking.
I've spent the past two days up in Ipswich doing final preparations for, and performing in, this year's Spill Festival.
Our marimba duo formed one of several elements in the performance installation, Terra Nullius, curated by Shabnam Shabazi and presented inside the beautiful Ipswich museum.
We performed a non-stop 2 hour set which included marimba and mbira music - with both traditional songs as well as original compositions.
Fully kitted with our Terra Nullius red shirts in the incredibly cool room we got to play our African marimba music in.
We have just returned from a lovely couple of days in the Netherlands where we performed at the opening of Biennale Gelderland in the beautiful cultural centre, Rozet, in the heart of Arnhem.
We packed our marimbas in the back of a 9-seater mini bus on Thursday afternoon and headed for the Euro tunnel. 8 hours later we arrived in Arnhem with great thanks to our chauffeur for the journey, Paul Noels - who was also in the line up of performers for the following day.
We checked into our lovely bed and breakfast, and got what sleep we could before breakfast that morning. Later that afternoon we were picked up and headed to Rozet, to soundcheck and await the big opening that evening.
We went on at 7pm, and delivered an energetic set of Zimbabwean traditional songs - including Mugara Ndega, Manhanga Kutapira, Chemutengure and Zvichapera, as well as popular South African song, Pata Pata, by Miriam Makeba.
After the show, we were invited to a jam session in the restaurant in Rozet alongside all the other acts that had been invited to perform at the opening. This was great fun! We were joined by Vimbai Zimuto, a fantastic Zimbabwean musician who is based in the Netherlands.
Here's one of the songs we performed - Chemutengure - featuring Vimbai Zimuto.
Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a lively London based marimba band playing energetic, joyful music from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, including folk songs, original songs and popular southern African covers. The band's set-up includes soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas, mbira, hosho, drumming and singing, with both traditional and contemporary dances. The marimba band’s sound is full of energy and pulsating rhythms - and their music shares the rich cultures, histories and stories of the people of southern Africa. Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a unique and colourful experience and is the only active professional marimba band of its kind in the United Kingdom.
www.ottogumaelius.com
Like on Facebook here
Follow on Instagram here
Listen on Spotify here
Watch on YouTube here
2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Nottinghill Carnival - Europe's largest street party - and what an honour it was to be part of the celebrations, performing with Flame Lily Arts on the World Music Stage, hosted and sponsored by the legendary Levi Roots.
The acts on stage were mostly Caribbean, so it was extra special getting to represent southern Africa at such a huge gathering. We performed several southern African classics, through acapella singing in Mbube style, as well as with instrumental accompaniment on Zimbabwean marimbas and djembes.
Below are a few pics from the day.
Flame Lily Arts in full swing, performing popular Zimbabwean song Ndiani Waronga
Backstage with Beatrice & Nqobile
Some of the friends that came out to support us.
We hope to be back at the carnival again next year!
Flame Lily Arts is a UK-based African performing arts company. The group specialises in Ndebele and Zulu dances, accompanied by harmonious Mbube style singing, with drumming and marimba accompaniment. The group's members come primarily from Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana, and are proud cultural ambassadors of southern Africa.
www.flamelilyarts.com
Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a lively London based marimba band playing energetic, joyful music from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, including folk songs, original songs and popular southern African covers. The band's set-up includes soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas, mbira, hosho, drumming and singing, with both traditional and contemporary dances. The marimba band’s sound is full of energy and pulsating rhythms - and their music shares the rich cultures, histories and stories of the people of southern Africa. Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a unique and colourful experience and is the only active professional marimba band of its kind in the United Kingdom.
www.ottogumaelius.com
Like on Facebook here
Follow on Instagram here
Listen on Spotify here
Watch on YouTube here
Our marimba band was invited to provide some southern African marimba entertainment at Fego Caffe in aid of a Save The Rhino fundraising initiative. We put together a repertoire of South African songs to cover with vocals and drumming.
Our set list ended up including songs by the late Miriam Makeba (Pata Pata / Click Song), the late Brenda Fassie (Weekend Special), Mahotella Queens (Thoko) and Solomon Linda (Mbube / The Lion Sleeps Tonight), as well as some of the more traditional Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu repertoire, including the wedding song uMakoti Ngowethu, a song celebrating the new bride and announcing her acceptance into the family; Mancube, a song about a woman who is using witchcraft; and Majola, a song used in traditional rituals imploring the ancestors to reveal themselves to help resolve matters within the family.
Here's a little showreel from the evening at Fego Caffe:
Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a lively London based marimba band playing energetic, joyful music from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, including folk songs, original songs and popular southern African covers. The band's set-up includes soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas, mbira, hosho, drumming and singing, with both traditional and contemporary dances. The marimba band’s sound is full of energy and pulsating rhythms - and their music shares the rich cultures, histories and stories of the people of southern Africa. Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a unique and colourful experience and is the only active professional marimba band of its kind in the United Kingdom.
www.ottogumaelius.com
Like on Facebook here
Follow on Instagram here
Listen on Spotify here
Watch on YouTube here
We had a great bank holiday Monday at Spitalfields performing some of our tunes at Pop Up Africa's market event - Africa at Spitalfields. Here are some pictures from the event. They're not the best quality - but I thought I'd share them anyways!
