Changes In Rhythm
Volume 1Chiivane
Every afternoon, come rain or (more often) shine, you will find the Chiivane group practicing their traditional music and dance by the bar on the beach, within the campus of the famous art college in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Comprised of local youths, their dedication to their art has paid off, and despite their youth, these are highly proficient and well-rehearsed musicians and dancers, producing a highly polished performance. So much so that rehearsals usually attract a respectably sized crowd of onlookers (possibly, it has to be said, lured as much by the breathtaking good looks of the female dancers, as much as by the irrefutable quality of the music).
The sound of the group is dominated by the 3 marimbas, traditional wooden xylophones of varying sizes, which create a complex rhymic structure of repeated interweaving patterns along with a battery of traditional drums, over which a kind of home made hi-hat spells out the rhythm for the dancers. A single piece typically lasts around 7 minutes, and consists of an initial sung section, followed by a dance.
