The Kasambwe Brothers From Malawi to MASS MoCA

While long regarded as mainstays in their community,The Kasambwe Brothers’ music is deeply rooted in universal themes has much to offer an aching world. Luc Deschamps of Malawi's Jacaranda Foundation recognized this power, inviting the band to perform regularly at the Jacaranda Cultural Center, where their sound caught the ear of Harlan Steinberger of Hen House Studios. Upon an invitation for a residency at MASS MoCA, Hen House and Jacaranda brought the band to the US with their handmade instruments carefully packed as they journeyed from Ndirande to Massachusetts to rehearse, perform and then record their debut at Studio 9. Because the calfskin used for their drums and babatone couldn’t be imported, the instruments were broken down and rebuilt on site — a ritual of renewal that re-contextualized their sound for a global audience. The result is an album reborn from the same materials that have always sustained them, now carrying the sound of home across continents.

Director and editor Jeremy Steinberger
Director of photography Joe Aidonidis
Additional footage Ryan Harper
Malawi footage Handsome Masimba and Collins Kammawamba
Malawi drone footage Slim Pilot
Video sound design and mix Louis McGuire
Produced by Harlan and Randi Malkin Steinberger

Music Credits:
Produced by Harlan Steinberger
Executive Producers Luc Deschamps and Harlan Steinberger
Recording Engineer Dave Dennison
Mixing Sören Smedvig and Harlan Steinberger at Windswept Sound and Hen House Studios
Mastering Emily Lazar at The Lodge, assisted by Bob DeMaa
Recorded at Studio 9 at the FreshGrass Institute, North Adams, Massachusetts
Creative development and artist support through MASS MoCA

Special thanks:
Kristy Edmunds
Chris Wadsworth
Sue Killam
The Jacaranda Foundation
Marie Da Silva
Randi Malkin Steinberger

MASS MoCA Records is a collaboration of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and Hen House Studios

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