Zimbabwean Mbira Master in Rare Company

Zimbabwe musician Stella Chiweshe is one of the few women in the world to master the mbira, or, as it is sometimes described, the thumb piano. And she has done so despite a traditional refusal to allow women to play the instrument, which performs a vital role in spiritual ceremonies of the Shona people.

But Chiweshe--who performs at Veterans Wadsworth Theater on Sunday in a concert titled “Global Divas” that also features Peruvian Susana Baca and Mexican American Tish Hinojosa--has emerged in the last two decades as the mbira’s most prominent player. She believes that she was destined to connect with the instrument, which includes 22 flattened metal prongs, usually placed inside a resonating chamber and plucked primarily with the thumbs.

“When I was 8 years old,” she recalls, “I could always feel this rhythm, and I would play it on everything. Then, one day, four mbira players were invited to my parents’ home for a ceremony. And I played the mbira. I just started to play. I didn’t know that I could become one of them, but I did.

“And from that ceremony, the sound of the mbira did not leave me for two years. It was as though I was in a closed room and couldn’t hear anything else until I actually started to play the instrument myself.”

Chiweshe recorded her first hit song, “Kasahwa,” in 1974 with a borrowed mbira. Numerous other singles followed, and in the early ‘90s she placed the instrument in an electric setting, backed by Western instruments. She shrugs off the criticism that accompanied her mixing of spiritual music with pop rhythms, and emphasizes the importance of community in all musical forms.

“Mbira can be played anywhere--even alone just to enjoy yourself,” she says. “But what is important to remember is that what you hear when I perform is not me. It’s mbira. Which is why I sort of keep my eyes covered when I play--sometimes with a hat, sometimes with my hair. I’m only the player, and not the doer. It’s not me who is playing the mbira. Because we are all listening to the mbira, we are all in the same boat.”

Chiweshe, who has performed around the world, is particularly pleased about the “Global Divas” tour, which takes the three to 28 cities across the U.S., focusing on Women’s History Month in March. In addition to the Wadsworth performance, Chiweshe, Baca and Hinojosa will appear at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall on Monday at 10 a.m., for a discussion on international women’s issues.

Chiweshe’s only regret is that theater-style performances diminish the community aspects of her music.

“When we are at home, nobody is coming just to watch the mbira player,” she says. “People are dancing, everybody has a part to do. And that I cannot find here, when people are just sitting and watching, not reacting. When I’m playing, I would be happy to see people come on the stage, but this is not allowed. But the circle is open and it’s for the audience to dance, even if they can only dance in their spirits.”

* Global Divas, with Stella Chiweshe, Susana Baca and Tish Hinojosa, Sunday at Veterans Wadsworth Theater, Veterans Administration grounds, Brentwood, 7 p.m. $25-$22. (310) 825-2101.

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Sounds for St. Pat’s: St. Patrick’s Day always heralds the arrival of a rush of new Irish recordings, and this year is no exception. For listeners seeking Celtic music that reaches beyond the ever-present “Titanic” soundtrack, here are a few attractive highlights:

Cherish the Ladies, a superb female ensemble, celebrates its 10th anniversary with the melodically elegant, rhythmically irresistible “Threads of Time,” their debut recording for RCA.

Harpist-singer Aine Minogue blends traditional sounds with a cross-cultural blend of live and studio textures in “Circle of the Sun” (RCA)--a musically compelling album that bears some resemblance to the recent work of another Irish artist, Enya.

Clannad, a celebrated ensemble whose recordings consistently hit the top of the world music charts, has a new release, “Landmarks” (Atlantic). The engaging singing of Maire Brennan and the band’s colorful diversity of sounds once again confirm their unique capacity to blend traditional music with a contemporary point of view.

The songs of the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem have been symbols of Irish music for decades --for many casual listeners, the essence of Irish music. Rykodisc has now released “The Rising of the Moon” and “Come Fill Your Glass With Us,” two vigorous sets of performances originally released in the late ‘50s on the Tradition label.

Three of Celtic music’s most gifted fiddlers--Kevin Burke, Johnny Cunningham and Christian LeMaitre (the last from Brittany, the Celtic region of France)--romp through a surging collection of traditional solos, duets and trios in “Encore” (Green Linnet), recorded live last fall during a tour of England.

Accordionist John Whelan, who performed in the original production of “Riverdance,” takes Irish music into an energetically eclectic direction on the aptly titled “Flirting With the Edge” (Narada). Guest performers include Bernadette Peters, Latin guitarist Oscar Lopez, Ugandan singer and kalimba player Samite and Irish multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan, in a program that finds magical associations between Celtic sounds and many of the world’s other musics.