Zimbe! Come, Sing The Songs Of Africa!: Come Sing the Songs of Africa!, Vocal Score (Alexander L'Estrange Community Works) - Tapa blanda

A profoundly moving work, Zimbe! consists of songs from all over Africa, arranged by UK composer L'Estrange, and performed by a mixed adult choir, children's choir and a jazz quintet featuring the deft Simon Allen (sax), Adam Riley (percussion) and Mike Bradley (drums). The combination of swing, gospel and a cappella has an immediate impact. From the opener, Njooni! Zimbe!, through to the original Song For The Soul, Alexander has captured the essence of the material and generated impassioned performances. An important release which will hopefully inspire school groups and choirs nation-wide to perform these pieces. The Musician Magazine, Autumn 2010 This 40-minute piece, which traditionally would have been called a cantata, qualifies for review in a church music magazine by virtue of the number of movements within it based on African gospel music, and its recent, successful performances in sacred venues, including Lichfield and Ely cathedrals where the cathedral choristers joined adult singers and children from local primary schools. The writing for the children is particularly skilful: the African melodies are easily learnt and then fit easily into the surrounding musical texture. The songs include the Methodist sacred song Singabahambayo Thina, wedding songs from Zimbabwe and South Africa, and among four other South African songs the ubiquitous Siyahamba, 'We are marching in the light of God', in an uplifting, spirit-stirring arrangement. If you have an opportunity to combine adult singers and local schools, do look at the whole work. Equally, I look forward to hearing individual movements enriching worship as I am sure will happen once singers experience this infectiously tuneful collection of pieces. Stephen Patterson, Church Music Quarterly

Zimbe! Come sing the songs of Africa! is the 40-minute choral fusion of African song and jazz for SATB chorus, children's choir and jazz quintet which established composer Alexander L'Estrange's name worldwide and spawned a hugely successful series of large-scale works for the same forces. The addition of the children's choir provides an opportunity for adult or secondary school SATB choirs to team up with local primary school or youth choirs, bringing communities together through singing, something for which L'Estrange has long been a passionate advocate. The work opens and closes with an attention-grabbing Njooni Zimbe*! Nyimbo za Africa! imploring us to "Come, sing the Songs of Africa!"; by the time you've heard the vibrant sequence of twelve songs, which includes playground, wedding, funeral, drinking, protest, worship songs and lullabies, you will want to do just that. Zimbe! is the ideal piece for choirs who have enjoyed performing L'Estrange's Songs of a Rainbow Nation, works by Karl Jenkins or David Fanshawe's African Sanctus. (* "Zimbe" is the anglicised version of the Swahili word "Ziimbe") Conductor's score and band parts available for hire (contact: hire@fabermusic.com); Children's rehearsal CD available on request; SATB part-learning CDs available here; Children's choral part available as sheet music download. Ideal for projecting or printing copies. Full CD also available.