What’s a kalimba?
If you said it’s one of the many names for an African thumb piano, you’d be right.
If you know the Everett-based band Kalimba, you not only answered correctly, you probably know what a great Earth, Wind &Fire group this is. (Kalimba, The Spirit of Earth, Wind &Fire performs Aug. 27 at the Historic Everett Theatre.)
In fact, longtime EWF guitarist Sheldon Reynolds says Kalimba is the best.
“Out of the 1,000 of other bands that try and play this music, Kalimba is the only one that gets it,” Reynolds has said.
Chazz Smith, 51, of Everett, is the lead singer of Kalimba, which he insists is not a tribute band. EWF is just their favorite material, he said. Earth, Wind &Fire had its start in the early 1970s in Chicago. And while its leader Maurice White died earlier this year, the band still tours, making the music — R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, rock, Latin and African — that made it famous.
And the kalimba thumb piano was played on all of the band’s albums.
“The kalimba is all about the rhythm and so are we. I grew up in Oakland listening to EWF,” Smith said. “From my first concert seeing them, I knew that was the kind of show I wanted to do. It was the way they carried themselves and put it out there.
“Their music is still relevant and the message is still uplifting. People from all kinds of backgrounds love it, and our band learns lessons every time we play the music. It’s still doin’ its job.”
Smith, who previously toured with Kool and the Gang, put Kalimba together about six years ago. The show at Historic Everett Theatre will be the band’s first performance there.
Also on stage with Smith will be a fine group of musicians, most from the Northwest. They include keyboardist Jeff Lund of Edmonds, trombonist Chris Attwood, Chris Siegmund and Darren Motamedy on saxophone, Jackson Rice on trumpet, drummers Jay Donald and Ivan Payne, guitarists (and Boeing employees) Michael Cole and Walter Finch, singer Tyriq Johnson and bassist Dereke James.
While Smith is reluctant to pick a favorite EWF tune, the band loves to play such hits as “That’s the Way of the World,” “Devotion” and “Serpentine Fire.”
People at the show Saturday can expect to hear their favorite songs, played with a lot of energy, Smith said.
“It will be nice to be at home for this show and my neighbors can all come and hear what I’ve been telling them,” Smith said.
If you go
Kalimba, The Spirit of Earth, Wind &Fire performs at 8 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Historic Everett Theatre, 2911 Colby Ave., Everett. Ticket prices range from $14 to $27. Call 425-258-6766.
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