Kevin Spears

Kevin Spears (born 28 August 1990; Atlanta, Georgia), known professionally as "KalimbaMan," is an American jazz kalimba artist, instrument builder and one-man ensemble performer. Spears gained notoriety for bringing the kalimba, or mbira, an ancient African instrument played on the continent for thousands of years, into contemporary jazz and electronic music.

Early Life

Spears has been rooted in jazz, Latin, flamenco, world and gospel music since the age of ten, drawing on a broad range of influences that include Maurice White, Marcus Miller, Zakir Hussein, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Yolanda Adams, Paco de Lucía, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Toumani Diabaté, George Benson, Jean-Luc Ponty, James Brown, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin. A background in engineering, combined with a lifelong fascination with electronics and science fiction, would later shape his distinctive, technology-driven approach to performance.

Career

Spears built his reputation as one of the most inventive kalimba players working today, reimagining the instrument's possibilities through the use of modern electronics, guitar effects and custom-built equipment. Drawing on his engineering background and his interest in Afrofuturism, he designed and built what he calls his "Tone Table," a custom-built system combining percussion controllers, synthesisers, iPads and switch boxes that allows him to function as a one-man band and orchestra, weaving horns, bass, violins, synths, drums and world percussion into a single live performance.

As an instrument builder, lecturer and performer, Spears has appeared at prestigious events including TEDx, The NAMM Show, Music China, Musikmesse in Frankfurt, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention's 50th anniversary, the National Black Arts Festival, the Asheville Percussion Festival, the Jazz Funk Africa Festival in Yokohama, Japan, DrumStrong Festival, the Goombay Cultural Festival, and an Earth, Wind & Fire Legacy Reunion, and has toured internationally, including a tour of Japan.

He has performed with and opened for artists including Victor Wooten, Col. Bruce Hampton, Rising Appalachia, Arrested Development, De La Soul, Eric Benét, Karen Briggs, India.Arie, Tom Browne, Pieces of a Dream, Bobby Lyle, Toubab Krewe, Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Roy "Futureman" Wooten.

He has also teamed up with Grammy-winning percussionist Count M'Butu of the Derek Trucks Band to form the world fusion duo Rhythm Nomadic. His work has been featured on the international music programme AfroPop Worldwide, which noted that his tweaks to the kalimba produce a soulful, funky sound reminiscent of Stevie Wonder.

Known within the music world as "KalimbaMan," he is widely regarded as one of the finest kalimba players of his generation, with a body of work that has helped introduce the ancient instrument to new audiences across jazz, world and electronic music.