Lenox Mayes and the Kalimba

I met this guy at the Bally's on Oakland - Mr. Lenox Mayes.

He is one of the few great Kalimba players in North America.

What, you ask, is a Kalimba?
It's a metal instrument from South Africa. Some people call it a thumb piano.

For those of you playing along at home, this is how they are tuned:

You're kinda locked into the key of G, unles you buy another Kalimba in another key. 

Here's Mr. Mayes performing at a club in Chicago. 

And in case you're wondering, Mr. Mayes still has all the hair.  I see my balding noggin' in the mirrors at Bally's, and then I see Lenox Mayes working out, and I look upon him with envy and covetousness.  Lenox Mayes looks like a retired Lion King.

I've got his 2nd CD, and the music has a dreamlike quality that still demands that you pay attention.  Perhaps you're just wondering how he does all of this with just thumbs. 

If I've done this correctly, you should be able to go here and listen to a sample track from Lenox's latest CD:

BIG NIGHT available on iTunes by LEnoX mayes jr

Here's his MySpace page. 

And here's the Lenox Mayes home page. 

Enjoy ! 

Note to Mike Coyne and Dr. Ralph....Take out your guitars and improv over the iTunes tracks.  It's fun stuff.