Zimdiana

Member Bios

Aaron Spalding
Aaron Spalding began to playing bass at the age of 8 years old. In his teens he started playing percussion and played with many bands in high school. When he was 22 he discovered Zimbabwean music and started studying it intensely. In 1998 he was one of the founding members of Bliss Gypsys a band that toured and performed all over the USA and Canada for four years. Aaron has recorded CDs with Bliss Gypsys and Rumba Caribe and has been a session musician on many world music CDs over the years.

Adam Rice
Adam Rice began playing the djembe in 2005. A couple years later, he began providing percussion at local solo artists’ shows. In 2008 he played with Laugh At Linus, a folk-funk-rock band. He also played for two years with The Bailout Revival, a rusty-rock cover band. In 2009 Adam joined CircAfrique, and has had the privilege of learning traditional West African rhythms on a variety of drums. During this time he was introduced to music from Zimbabwe. For the past year Adam has been learning Shona music on the marimba and jumped at the opportunity to be a part of Zimdiana.

Jim Harney
When invited into Jim's personal space, one can easily see his love of music in the sheer number of instruments with which he surrounds himself and in the way he constantly and reverently holds one in his hands. The music of the Shona people of Zimbabwe spoke loudly to him when he first heard it performed. His initial and continued enthusiasm were shadowed only by his resolve towards learning. Since then, he has studied and played with masters. He has devoted himself to both the preservation and the evolution of this music. With one foot rooted in the history and tradition of the music, the other will walk the path yet seen by the ancestral spirits.

Taylor Davis
Music has always been a huge influence in Taylor's life. He was given his first drum in 4th grade and within a few months was rocking his school talent show with "Louie, Louie". He was forever changed. With music tastes ranging from Del McCoury to the Antibalas, he is always looking for new music to freshen the soul. This was definitely the case when introduced to the mbira and shona music. Taylor has been active in the local music scene since 2005 and is excited to continue his journey with Zimdiana.