Hand to Earth Blends Ancient and Modern Songlines at Vancouver Jazz Fest (June 26)
Music Track of the Day: Australian Art Orchestra – “Hand to Earth“
The Australian Art Orchestra draws on a combination of ancient and modern sounds in developing the Hand to Earth ensemble. The group features the vocal layers of Yolgnu songman Daniel Wilfred and South Korean vocalist Sunny Kim with trumpeter/electronic musician Peter Knight, David Wilfred on didgeridoo and clarinetist Aviva Endean. Polish violinist Amalia Umeda is joining them for their North American tour, including their performance of The Crow at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival on Wednesday, June 26, at 5 p.m. at Revue Stage, Granville Island, 1601 Johnston St. Admission: Pay what you can.
David Wilfred is the keeper of Indigenous Yolgnu manikay (song cycles), from Northeast Arnhem Land in Australia. The oral tradition can be traced back more than 40,000 years and is considered the oldest continuous music tradition still in existence. Based in Australia, Kim sings in English and Korean and has primarily worked with contemporary jazz musicians. After Hand to Earth released their recording Mokuy in November 2023, they issued a group statement about their collaborative work: “The process of making music together in Hand to Earth is unlike any other we have experienced. It is not free improvisation but it is not composed either. It is somewhere in between, and it feels like ‘weaving.’ Through Hand to Earth, we weave the threads of our different histories, different lives, and different perspectives together, and become family.”
David Wilfred, Daniel Wilfred and Peter Knight will also give an artist talk with musician/composer/educator Meredith Bates at Western Front today at 3 p.m. Free admission.
On Thursday, June 27 at 5 p.m. Amalia Umeda returns to Revue Stage for a special performance in the Innovation Series featuring a group made up of Norwegian saxophonist/clarinetist Eirik Hegdal, Swedish guitarist David Stackenäs, Vancouver-born, Berlin-based keyboardist Tyson Naylor and drummer Kenton Loewen.
