Except for a handful of titles, the Nonesuch Explorer imprint has languished in undeserved oblivion for more than 20 years, so the gradual reissue of the entire series on CD constitutes an event of unparalleled importance. The present album was recorded by Paul Berliner and reveals the mbira, a simple thumb piano made of metal keys attached to a board, as an instrument capable of infinite possibilities. In the hands of a master player, it creates hypnotic, repetitive webs of melody, usually accompanied by shifting vocal patterns and hissing hosho shakers. The late Dr. Dumisani Abraham Maraire, a world-renowned performer and educator, is heard with his brother Nkosana Arthur Maraire on voice and percussion, plus Sukutai Laura Choira, a huge-voiced powerhouse of a female singer. Their energized austerity and interwoven triple rhythms often recall the works of Philip Glass and other classical minimalists, but in a more primal, outwardly directed incarnation. --Christina Roden
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