We are back on Kaua’i, getting ready for an event in San Diego with good friend Mark Riley. It’s been great to meet Leilani Rivera Low, a wonderful hula dancer and singer who will be joining us. And I always look forward to meeting up with Tepairu Manea to learn more about the world of Tahitian drumming. If you are in Kapa’a on Saturday listen out for some beats
The beautiful Jingle dance regalia is adorned with metal cones that cause a unique sound as they shake together. These are made from 365 snuff or chewing tobacco lids! The origins of the dance are from a dream that an Ojibwe man had, which instructed him in a style of dress and dance that would heal a young girl. I have also heard it called a Prayer dance. More powwow pictures.
Rumble – anyone seen this movie? Looks very interesting – thanks Martin Myers for alerting me to it.
WOW – more amazing news – The album Carry Me On we produced has been named a finalist for the 41st Annual Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards for Religious Album of the Year category in Hawai’i. Read More
This year will be quite a year for the Czech people – 100 years as an independent nation, 50 years since the Prague Spring and 25 years since the Czech Republic was founded. Music played a part in this story with Marta Kunišová’s song ‘A Prayer for Marta’ becoming an anthem of the resistance in 1968. Will be thinking of our friends as they remember these significant times during this year of 2018.
Rob May from Community Albums invited myself and Phil Barker (bass player) to join him on a trip to Burundi to help train young musicians. Staying with the Salesians, a Catholic order whose focus is on schooling for children, Rob has been building a studio. One of the priests (a passionate guitarist) has been encouraging young musicians and then finding them work in the local bars and clubs. Over the years he has become a father to many, many musicians – in fact every night we visited a different club and he seemed to know all the musicians!
It is said that history books are written by those who win wars! This short video tells the story of the pilgrims from a Wampanoag perspective. Ships had been trading with Native Americans for fish, furs and people for 100 years before the pilgrims arrived to set up camp. Squanto, a Wampanoag, amongst many others was kidnapped and taken into slavery 6 years before the pilgrims arrived. He was taken to Spain and then became an interpreter on an English boat, eventually escaping back to his people – sadly, returning to his people, he found his village Patuxet, and everyone he knew, dead, from a plague and he ended up becoming a type of servant with another tribe. When the pilgrims arrived he became their interpreter and guide, and helped negotiate a treaty with the most powerful local Native American confederation, a peace that lasted more than 50 years.
After a morning of recording in San Diego we went to my favourite Mexican restaurant to find a wonderful group of six girls and one guy playing wonderful mariachi music. The group is called Mariachi Divinas worth checking out if you are in the area.
Whilst on the island of Kaua’i, a friend Kaplan Bunce invited me to the Powwow in Paradise, a cultural event and a traditional Native American powwow for the community . Many tribes and Pacific nations were represented and much dancing and drumming – this exert is the amazing hoop dancing.
Romana Kročilová grew up wanting to sing, dance and act but as a young girl she was told she wasn’t slim enough to dance and not able to pitch high notes. She decided to go to the doctor for help and he told her that she had a vocal chord disease and shouldn’t shout, whisper or sing! Her faith and her perseverance kept her childhood dreams alive and she eventually got a place in a music conservatory and she now sings in many bands and has sung in the Opera Carmen. Listen to her performing 2 Czech folk songs. Read More
You won’t find it on a map and its not recognised by the UN! Yet this slither of land between the Dniester river and the Ukraine is home to 500,000, has a government, army and passport (that is not recognised outside of the territory). Transnistria proclaimed independence from Moldova in 1990 to remain part of the Soviet Union (who also don’t recognise the country). Sadly this has given rise to it being “a major haven for smuggling weapons and women” (Wall Street Journal). The good news – the only place I have come across that doesn’t have a McDonalds!
Sometimes an unexpected moment happens that says much about a people. Whilst in Moldova last year we took a boat trip up the river – a fun time where pop music blared out from the Captains playlist. Now and again youngsters would dance to the DJ type music but as soon as this piece of music was played; dance exploded amongst the old and young – it seemed to be deep within their souls. Always interesting when a ‘sound from the land’ moves people to express themselves. I have heard that Moldovan weddings are a spectacle of dance and people singing very loudly.
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