Richard Crandell

Richard Crandell: Mbira Magic

by Eyal Hareuveni
May 27, 2005

The mbira, or thumb piano, is the classic instrument of Zimbabwe. It consists of approximately 20 to 24 flattened metal prongs which are fastened at one end to a wooden resonator body and has a chiming, cyclical sound. Many jazz musicians have explored the possibilities of the mbira, from bassist William Parker to Israeli saxophonist Assif Tsahar and multi-instrumentalist Peck Allmond, but nobody had turned the mbira into their main instrument like self-taught West Coast musician Richard Crandell. ...