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MARIMBA INVASION
 LIVELY RHYTHMS: From left, some of the 11-member Kupenga Marimba band rehearse. From left, are Caitlin O'Brien, Ken Watson, Louise Squire and Maureen O'Brien. (). By Jeff Petersen Observer Staff Writer So your kid wants to run off and join the middle-school band to play marimba. Better encourage him or her also to take wood shop. Perhaps you've heard the rhythms of Zimbabwe coursing through Grande Ronde Valley at the small town Cove Cherry Festival each August. Now that sound is going big time, as Kupenga Marimba, an 11-person band, plays for the First Friday Concert at The Olde Meeting House, 901 M. Ave. The evening begins with an open mike at 7, with the featured entertainment running from 7:45 to 9 p.m. Admission is $5 general, $3 Northeast Oregon Folklore Society members, free for children under age 12. "Listening to a marimba band is an experience not soon forgotten," says local music instructor Carla Arnold. "The sound is as much felt as heard, and the lively and complex rhythms will have you wanting to jump up and dance, which the band encourages." Kupenga Marimba got its start at the Cove Arts Festival several years ago when Michael Breez, then of White Salmon, Wash., and now of Hawaii, taught a series of workshops for community members. Eleven Grande Ronde Valley residents joined the band, which has attracted interest from Oregon Public TV's "Art Beat" program. Something like "Zimbabwe in the Ronde." Turns out the Northwest is a hotbed for marimba music, with the annual Zimfest drawing enthusiasts from around the Northwest and teachers from around the world. But the 11 band members didn't become marimba players for notoriety. They did it because they fell in love with the sound. It's not easy, however, to form a marimba band. You just don't run down to the mall and get an instrument. You build your own. "You tune them with a table saw and a belt sander," said band leader Mark Lewis. The more physically dexterous band members spent about the next six months building instruments and now play four types, soprano, tenor, baritone and bass. "Basically, you grind or cut from under the middle of the key to lower tone, grind or cut off the ends of the key to raise the tone," Lewis said. The biggest of the creations the 6-feet-long, 5-feet-high bass marimba requires the player to stand on a bench. Besides that little bit of circus act, it's an easy instrument to play at an acceptable level. "Physically it's very simple to learn the basics," said band leader Mark Lewis. "At the workshops within 10 to 15 minutes we were all playing something that sounded good. You can play together with a wide range of skill levels, from very simple parts to very complex parts." When the band travels say to Zimfest, the Cove festival or concerts instruments are not easy to transport. But all can be folded up and carried in the full-length bed of a pickup. The band has played at the festival and for folklore society events, but it has one invitation it would dearly love, Lewis said, laughing. Members would really like to play for a wedding. |
