Laura Barrett and the kalimba
Dear readers, whoever you may be:
I want to share music with you. I want to hear new things, and I want you to hear the wonderful things I've come across. To start, I'd like to recommend to you the music of Laura Barrett. You can listen at New Music Canada or MySpace. She was also on Radio 3 Sessions back in November and on Let's Get Baked in February (they made Lemongrass Coconut Curry, if that entices you), both of which you should be able to get as podcasts in iTunes.
I started reading The Magician's Nephew this morning, many years after all those times I read it as a child. The third chapter is called "The Wood Between the Worlds," which I immediately recognized as also being the title of a Laura Barrett song. Well, actually, the song is called "Wood Between Worlds," but you get the idea. Her music has a dreamy, minimalist quality that fits with the chapter.
I like finding music with unusual instrumentation, and Laura Barrett is certainly in that category. Her primary instrument (she also plays the piano and other keyboard instruments) is the kalimba, an African pitched percussion instrument also known as the thumb piano or mbira. It sounds a bit like a vibraphone, but it's much, much smaller - small enough to be held in the lap when playing. Here's a picture:
So, go listen, then tell me what you think.
I want to share music with you. I want to hear new things, and I want you to hear the wonderful things I've come across. To start, I'd like to recommend to you the music of Laura Barrett. You can listen at New Music Canada or MySpace. She was also on Radio 3 Sessions back in November and on Let's Get Baked in February (they made Lemongrass Coconut Curry, if that entices you), both of which you should be able to get as podcasts in iTunes.
I started reading The Magician's Nephew this morning, many years after all those times I read it as a child. The third chapter is called "The Wood Between the Worlds," which I immediately recognized as also being the title of a Laura Barrett song. Well, actually, the song is called "Wood Between Worlds," but you get the idea. Her music has a dreamy, minimalist quality that fits with the chapter.
I like finding music with unusual instrumentation, and Laura Barrett is certainly in that category. Her primary instrument (she also plays the piano and other keyboard instruments) is the kalimba, an African pitched percussion instrument also known as the thumb piano or mbira. It sounds a bit like a vibraphone, but it's much, much smaller - small enough to be held in the lap when playing. Here's a picture:
So, go listen, then tell me what you think.