FILE: primativemarimba.jpg

TITLE: Firewood Marimba

DESCRIPTION: We were camping in UtahÕs Canyonlands. As Tom built our fire he sounded out the cut planks of wood, and as he found tones he liked he set them aside. After the fire was blazing he turned back to his planks, buried flat stones upright in the ground, and laid the planks over them, creating a marimba -- the wooden xylophone of Zimbabwe. And then he played. He played for us and for the night and for the stars. And then he took out his mÕbiras and we played some more. He got up and stoked the fire and that time he came back to his seat and he played until our lids grew heavy and we fell asleep.

CREDITS: Dayna Bateman