Blandiver wrote:-
"Just on re-reading Paul Berliner's Soul of Mbira - & listening to his recordings issued by Nonesuch Explorer. Worth looking out in both cases (the book's still in print - try Amazon).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyp1KbY6R7E"

Again lovely, the whole style is reminiscent of the many recordings made by the superb Stella Chiweshe. And, of course, that lovely rolling mbira sound was mimicked on the electric guitar by people like Biggie Tembo with The Bhundu Boys (the first modern Zimbabwean band that I saw live - unforgettable), The Four Brothers, Thomas Mapfumo & The Blacks Unlimited and all those other Chimurenga bands.

Of course, we have got a great mbira player living in this country, in the West Country, Chartwell Dutiro. I believe he is booked at the Sidmouth Festival again this year.

I was talking to Chartwell once and there was a gap in the conversation and then he said, "Do you know how I got my name?"
I thought about it and replied, "Well, Churchill's property in Kent is called Chartwell....."
He laughed and said, "That's it! My mother took me to church to have me christened. She gave the White Rhodesian pastor my African name. He said, 'Oh! I cannot pronounce that, I'll christen him Chartwell' and then he told he that it was the name of a big house in England."

Can you imagine that?