Martin travelled, on his own this time, to record a C.D. with Jo Vogels. Martin has played on and produced an album for Jo before, and they’ve been friends for a number of years. (In August Jo flew over from Australia and spent a week with us at our home, doing pre-production work. We had a lot of fun with Jo playing his songs and Martin making suggestions about style, timing, dynamics etc..) Whilst out in the States we even had time for some paddling …… Read More
In a world such as ours ... it is necessary to understand why a madrigal by Gesualdo or a Back Passion, a sitar melody from India or a song from Africa, berg's Wozzeck or Britten's War Requiem, a balinese gamelan or a Cantonese opera, or a symphony by Mozart, Beethoven, or Mahler, may be profoundly necessary for human survival ..."
22nd April/30th May
Reflections from the Garden Isle.
He wai ua, ua ka ua
(Indeed, it rains. It rains upon the land.)
For six weeks the island of Kaua’i, one of the oldest Hawaiian islands became our home. Known as the garden isle for its amazing plants and stunning fauna, and also renowned for being the wettest place in the world. An extinct volcano stands high in the middle of the island and is nearly always topped with rain clouds. Because of its beautiful beaches, rugged terrain and tropical climate, the island has become a tourist haven, famous for the number of films that have been set within its shores. Read More
11/20th April Canada.
Our time in Canada was again a time of catching up with friends and helping with music for a conference in Abbotsford. We had a wonderful opportunity to go and observe a Native American pow-wow with our friends Jerry and Leslie Chapman from the Sto’:lo people. www.jerrychapman.org Here’s a (badly recorded) clip of their powerful drumming and singing.
With some nerves and trepidation we entered the imposing 9 foot high green school gates. “Who the f*** are you?” queried a young child ….. we had arrived at Vernon House! Read More
So what of our last trip ……well this was an amazing trip with many connections with people of a similar heart, a time of real encouragement, lots of laughter and generous hospitality. Thanks to Mark Riley who put this trip together and was a great comrade in mischief!!!! www.markrileymusic.com Read More
Visited Claire and Graham Wilson who are now based in Stockholm, and worked on a Swedish recording project with Viola Grafstrom.
This will be Viola’s first recording in her heart language, Swedish. She has recorded a number of albums in English. Only a few gospel albums are recorded in Swedish. Check out a song from the project below.
Vår Herre vår Konung
On my travels in 2000 I picked up this instrument called an Inanga. To be quite honest I call it a “canoe with strings” …. but really it is a lyre like instrument known as a trough zither.
Interested in more traditional Rwandese music? Then check out Cecile Kayirebwa’s album called Rwanda.
2/3rd Feb Malmesbury, UK, Rwanda recording
I had a great couple of days recording the latest CD project for Rwanda with Dave Bankhead. This is the 3rd recording that I have been involved in for Rwanda. The recordings have helped build reconciliatory steps between the Hutu’s and Tutsi’s since the genocide over 10 years ago.
Dave has now been out in Africa to record the vocals and got a great response from the people. They are looking forward to using the songs in a celebration of 10 years of peace in July in Kigali. You can check out these projects at www.weareone.org.uk
Ikinimba
Read Martin’s report of travels in Rwanda, July 2000 here. ♥
In the Czech Republic my wife and I were invited to a refugee camp. This camp had many people from many different cultures and backgrounds. Through the long process of governmental bureaucracy, it had left the people incarcerated with very little hope, losing their individuality and uniqueness to becoming a number in the system. I collect instruments from all over the world and as I played these different instruments people starting re-connecting with their own stories. A lady from Ghana heard an African rhythm and she found herself not able to keep still and with encouragement she was soon dancing before us all with all her might. Next 2 Indian men asked if they could sing a song from their village. The dancing and singing brought life to the other people watching and slowly, one by one, others emerged from the shadows to share songs, dances, verse and music. A mundane day had been changed into an amazing pageant of the stories and colours of the world in which we live in. A bridge of hope and belonging had encouraged the people and we later heard that that day had been a talking point for many days in the future.
Our involvement with a storytelling initiative called “The Telling Place” has encouraged us that the art of storytelling is still a profound way of passing on knowledge, wisdom, customs and inheritance (something indigenous peoples still retain). This wonderful creative art form is making a significant resurgence in the west not only in performance but in education, business and marketing.
With the sound of beating drums and chanting voices all around, the small African compound had come to life, illuminated by the light of a new moon. As the heat of the day subsided, the cool breeze of the evening brought renewed energy into Mnase village life. Scraping, sliding sounds of dancing feet against the red ochre coloured earth floor, swished in time with the hourglass shaped percussive instruments, enticing everyone into the intoxicating rhythm. No one could keep still, even a feeding mother sitting cross-legged swayed in time, picking out vocal harmonies or answering sung phrases, seemingly oblivious to the clinging child at her breast.
As we sat entranced by the spontaneous nature of this musical explosion the day to day survival of these Tanzanian’s had been forgotten. Patiently waiting for the rains, their crops were slowly but surely withering under the brutal heat of an East African sun. Yet, there was hope in the air, and this evening it had come, as it often did, through the sound of the drum, coaxing us to dream of a new day. Read More
