A performance by Kutandara Marimba Experience illustrates the well-known Shona proverb, "If you can talk, you can sing; if you can walk, you can dance." Inspiring audiences to sing, dance, and join in rhythm accompaniment, the high-energy group creates all-ages participatory performances guaranteed to delight the eyes, ears, feet and heart.

Founded by Randy McIntosh and Amy Stewart in Boulder, Colorado in 1999, Kutandara is built around the warm, percussive sounds of up to seven marimbas—large wooden cousins of the xylophone. The ensemble adds to these a vibrant combination of hand-held mbira (thumb pianos), hosho rattles, hand drums, saxophones, and vocalists, creating an exuberant, complex dance beats and infectiously intertwining melodies that propels listeners from their seats and set them dancing in the aisles! As heard on their CDs, like the recent Kutandara Live!, ensemble members fuse the ancient African music traditions of the Shona peoples with Latin, jazz, gospel, classical, and world folk influences.