Sergio and I were just over at the Farmers Market (this place), a great spot for lunch in Los Angeles. We were finishing our meals in the upper patio when we suddenly heard interesting, energetic music from below and wandered down to see what it was. Turns out it was a group called the Masanga Marimba Ensemble…a troupe of young folks who bang away on seven Guatemalan and Zimbabwean marimbas while one of them plays rather traditional drums. The Market had engaged them to play for a few hours this afternoon and they were quite wonderful, attracting a large crowd that stood there, clapping along and occasionally dancing to their infectious rhythms. During their break, I bought a CD that they had for sale. That's how much I liked them.
You can hear a few samples of them if you prowl around on their website and even order the same CD if you like what you hear. I'm going to keep an eye on that site to see where and when they're performing again.