About the Catalog

Welcome to MBIRA's searchable catalog! Find that special mbira CD you are longing for - search by group format (ex. two mbiras no vocals), tuning (ex. nyamaropa tuning), musician(s), and/or any word in the mbira piece name or album title. The catalog now also includes MBIRA t-shirts and ebony sculpture of mbira players, as well as recordings.

You have the choice of paying by check or US$ money order (as before), or by credit card via a direct Paypal connection from the order form.

The MBIRA Recordings Library includes field recordings in Zimbabwe spanning several decades, many of which are very high quality recordings (some not). Starting in 2002, MBIRA began making digital field recordings, which are available on CD. Most of the older recordings are available on 90-minute cassette tapes, but these cassettes are being gradually converted to CD format, and several are already available on CD.

***All proceeds over costs go to the Zimbabwean musicians on the recordings, so PLEASE do not copy them for others. The proceeds of CD sales are contributing to the support of extended families of over 135 traditional musicians throughout Zimbabwe. Trust us that the musicians on these recordings are poorer than your poorest friend - one musician was homeless and living under a truck when we paid him. When you pay for one CD, that money provides food for a rural Zimbabwean musician's family for a month!

Mbira Piece Intensives for mbira students include many performances of the same mbira piece, gathered from the entire MBIRA Recordings Library. Listening to these collections helps the non-Shona mbira student to compensate for not having heard the mbira piece for many years, before learning it.