Mbirafon Story

The idea for the mbirafon CD series and web site started when I wondered what the blues really was. In the afternoon of December 18, 1972, I went to “Sleepy” John Estes home in Brownsville, Tennessee. Estes’, a legendary harmonica player and long time friend, Hammie Nixon, was there. With their help, using a portable Uher 4200 Report-Stereo, I had the chance to start recording blues in Memphis. The research continued in 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1980, ending in June 1982. A series of informal sessions were held in the course of five trips through Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, featuring little known as well as totally unknown artists. An extensive collection of tapes and photographs was created and kept in my private archive.


The experience of the fieldwork brought me to search into the African-American and African traditional music discography, resulting, at the same time, in the development of expressive, creative, activities (drawing, sculpture, electronic music). The web site, built in 2001, was named after the 8-note musical instrument projected in the late 1980s on the model of the African sanza: the mbirafon was born. Using a professional equipment, I transferred to digital the best of the tapes and photographs. In 2007, I was able to produce the first CD audio of the blues at home series.

— Giambattista Marcucci

By: giambattista marcucci

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