Concertina And Mbira Album - Mbira Korositina

[mikep1]

The recently released album Mbira Korositina has just had an excellent review in fRoots April 2015 edition, shown below. The album features Mike Parnell on concertina and congas, with Chartwell Dutiro on mbira, vocals, ngoma and hosho.

 

Further details can be found on the website along with purchasing options:

 

http://mbirakorositina.madefreshly.com/

 

Mbira Korositina – Review from fRoots April 2015

 

CHARTWELL DUTIRO & MIKE PARNELL

 

Mbira Korositina (Ingoma 0634041631895)

 

This is just lovely!

 

Inspired by the music of ZImbabwe and reviving the Shona concertina tradition, Zimbabwean Chartwell and English Mike have created a captivating modern combination of mbira, voice, concertina and percussion here which celebrates a diversity of musical and dance styles – from Shona songs to mbende dances and complex, polyrhythmic interlocking vocals as well as an Irish jig (with extra mbira and satire!).

 

This is a complementary blend, rather than a forced fusion, with two musicians who feel like kindred spirits. Chartwell Dutiro is a musician, teacher and artistic director of Mhararano Mbira Academy at Dartington Trust, Totnes, where Mike has been learning mbira for the last five years (though was inspired by the Irish tradition to play concertina back in the 70s.)

 

The concertina of course played a part in Shona traditions (with the arrival of missionaries and colonists in the region). Its sweet toned repetitive melodic lines provide a brightness to the loping, trancelike mbira lines. Together they interweave Shona vocal harmonies as well as instrumental strands, and it is a sympathetic and spirit-lifting combination.

 

Highly recommended.

 

Available at:

 

www.mbirakorositina.madefreshly.com

 

Sarah Coxson