Craig Farr

Maasai Masala

Maasai Masala is a virtuoso band piece based on "Ol Doinyo Lengai", a duet for vibraphone and marimba. The music draws inspiration from the rhythms and tonalities from both African and Indian music and has chamber music qualities in the slower middle section.

The piece has optional extra percussion parts in prioritised order in case enough percussionists are available or in occasion of including young aspiring talents.

Ol Doinyo Lengai is the name of an active volcano in Tanzania, the name meaning The Mountain of God. The piece depicts the volcano in its physical form and also describes the underlying tension in the expectation og future eruptions. The characteristic vertical jumping-dance is represented in the repetitive 9/8 pattern.