“A profoundly moving work. Alexander has captured the essence of the material and generated impassioned performances”
Zimbe! Come, sing the songs of Africa!
What is Zimbe?
Zimbe! is a sequence of choral arrangements of traditional songs from all over Africa in a jazz style. This is a work which forges links between adult choirs and massed children’s choirs, placing singing at the heart of the community as it always has been in Africa. And, since jazz grew out of blues which itself sprang from the mouths of African people, what better accompaniment for these songs than a jazz quintet? Zimbe! is at times touching and moving, at other times funky and grooving and all of the time incredibly uplifting both for performers and audiences alike.
What is it scored for?
SATB choir, unison children’s choir, jazz quintet (piano, bass, drums, saxophone & percussion).
Do I need to have a jazz quintet to perform it?
Yes but you don’t need to find the musicians yourself. You can hire Alexander L’Estrange’s Call Me Al Quintet. For more information, send us a message via the Contact page.
I’m interested, show me the music!
You can view the vocal score in full here.
What does my choir need and how much does it cost?
You need a set of vocal scores and a set of band parts to perform Zimbe! which are published by Faber Music. If your performance is taking place in the UK, please see the information below. If you're outside the UK, please email marketing@fabermusic.com who will be able to able to assist you.
Vocal Scores may be hired from Faber Music at a cost of £2.75 per copy, per month. This includes a licence for one performance. The fee for each additional month of hire is £1 per copy. Copies for use in a workshop (singing day) can be hired for £1.30 per copy. Vocal scores are also available for purchase from Faber Music or your local music retailer. The RRP for buying individual scores is currently £11.99 per copy but please ask your retailer about bulk discounts. Why not start by emailing sales@fabermusic.com
The Instrumental Score & Parts are only available for hire at a cost of £240 per month. This includes a licence for one performance. The fee for each additional month of hire is £45. An additional performance is £90.
A Children's Choir Part, complete with rehearsal audio is available to download - see button below.
If you need to take any of this information away to discuss with your choir or committee, simply download the organiser's pack below.
Is there anything to help my choir learn the piece?
Yes, part-learning tracks for the SATB choir are available from the CD/Download Store.
Workshop Opportunities
Why not book Alexander L’Estrange to come and work with your SATB choir and/or children’s choir prior to your performance? For more information see the Workshop Leader page.