Otto and The Mutapa Calling
Otto & The Mutapa Calling is a colourful London-based marimba band playing energetic, joyful music from Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana - including traditional songs, original songs and popular southern African covers. The band's set-up includes soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas, with drumming and singing. The marimba band’s sound is full of energy and pulsating rhythms - and the band’s music shares the rich cultures, histories and stories of the people of southern Africa.
The marimba band was officially formed in 2017 by band leader, Otto Gumaelius, who started playing African music on the marimba in the late 1990s in primary school in Botswana. The band is currently comprised of musicians from Botswana, Zimbabwe and the UK. The marimba band performs regularly at weddings, private parties, corporate events, community festivities and more.
Band leader, Otto Gumaelius, and band drummer, Tomson Chauke, also lead regular southern African music workshops covering drumming, marimba, mbira, song and dance. They teach at community events, schools, festivals, corporate days, and more. Read more about our workshops here.
For more information on the band including upcoming gigs, visit www.ottoandthemutapacalling.com.
You can also follow the band online on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify.