Didgeplanet

Randy Graves writes from Yirrkala, Australia:

It is my extremely sad duty to report that the artist of ‘Hard Tongue Didgeridoo‘ passed away today (Sunday). Cause of death is uncertain at this time but someone who was at the scene said it looked like he had passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was out fishing this morning and everyone said he seemed happy.

Sad news, indeed. His CD is a great contribution to understanding Yolngu playing and a great cultural gift to the world at large.

Although I never met him, repeated practicing to the CD has made his voice and his exquisite playing forever tied to my experience of the yirdaki. My condolences to his family and friends.

I am currently in Melbourne, Australia, visiting my wife’s relatives. We are here for a wedding and spent the past few days on Phillip Island. More soon.

Didge players in the Great Northwest of the US have an exciting opportunity to get lessons from Ben Hicks of Hicks Sticks. Ben will be giving two, three-hour training sessions; one in the Seattle and one in Portland area. Both are happening next week. Ben was featured in Didgeplanet Podcast #6 and is an extremely talented player as well as a didge maker.

This is an opportunity for intermediate to advanced players to get help stepping to the next level. The Seattle class will be held Saturday, February 10, at the Lake City Community Center. The Portland class will be on the following day (that’s a long drive!) at a private residence in Portland’s South East.

For directions and more information, go to the Hicks Sticks schedule page. ($45 in advance, $50 at the door.)

Photo: Richard Millott

I ran across this notice today and thought I’d pass it along. The excellent Stephen Kent is appearing as part of a World Music Festival series at Sacramento State University, Sacramento, California, on March 18.

Stephen Kent will be joined by Moroccan musicians Yassir Chadly and Bouchaib Abdelhadi on Sunday, March 18 at 6 p.m. while playing traditional Moroccan instruments including the oud, guimbri, karkabas, darbuka and fretless banjo. Kent is considered a pioneer in bringing the ancient Aboriginal sound on the didjeridu into a contemporary context.

The whole series is very appealing with Indonesian Gamelan (February 24) and the only professional all-female Tuvan throat singers, Tyva Kyzy (translated as “Daughters of Tuva”) on February 8. All performances will be in the Recital Hall in Capistrano Hall.

As many Didgeplanet readers know, Ash Dargan is a super-terrific didgeridoo player. You may not know, however, that he plays the Native American flute with equal skill and ability. [Ash was the subject of Didgeplanet Podcast #4 if you haven’t had a chance to hear his story or his music.]

I heard from a reader that Ash will be headlining the Potomac Flute Festival, February 23-25, at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. Tickets are available at potomacflutecircle.net. If you’re in the area, be sure to check out this great performer.

[Thanks, Carl.]

Heads up, everybody. Ididj’s Guan Lim is posting some great short videos on YouTube. He’s also selling some of the yirdaki’s being played although it appears they are being snapped up within minutes of the videos being posted. These are some terrific vids from the likes of Milkayngu Mununggurr, Darryl Dikarrna, Djalu Gurruwiwi, Alfred Gurritjiri, Sylvester Liyakindirr, Larry Winiwini, Tom Dhakaliny and the Warumpi Band. Very cool! Thanks, Guan!

Technorati tags: [didgeridoo] [YouTube] [music] [Ididj] [Aborigine] [Yirdaki]

Found this interesting account of one fella’s trip to Garma this year. His name is Richard Madden and he had the chance to experience some Aboriginal living as few others ever will. It’s what makes Garma such a unique opportunity for the balanda.

This is more scary than I had bargained for. I am wading up to my belly through the clear, turquoise water of a coastal lagoon in a remote corner of the Northern Territory of Australia. High over one shoulder I am clutching a spear armed with a cluster of sharpened spikes, and I am scanning the water for the slightest movement. Accompanied by aboriginal rangers, I am hunting for stingrays, some of which - I have just been informed - are capable of stopping a man’s heart with a single strike. Not only that, but these are crocodile-infested waters. This particular hunter is beginning to feel hunted.

The author also mentions the attendance of “a dance troupe from Sulawesi, the descendants of the Macassan people who traded with the Aborigines of Arnhem Land from well before the arrival of Captain Cook until the early years of the last century, when the trade was outlawed by the Australian government.” I understand that the Macassan people traded with the Yolgnu for over 400 years.

There’s a lot more about specific activities that go on at Garma. Sounds like it was an awesome event. Worth a read.

I can’t admit that I’ve followed the jam band scene much but recently I was tipped to Xavier Rudd by a Didgeplanet reader. He’s a young Aussie who plays guitar and yidaki and sings. His voice reminds me of Paul Simon (who he admits was a seminal influence in his youth). He’s got serious didgeridoo chops and has recorded some great solos.

Over at Archive.org there is a decent number of downloadable live recordings of Xavier’s concerts and they’re really good. (You can also find recordings of a lot of other great bands including concert recordings of the Grateful Dead; all legit from what I can tell.)

He starts touring Europe in October and the US and Canada in November. He’s got an original sound and I would really like to check his act out in person.

Thanks to John B.

Fans of didge player Stephen Kent may know that Stephen and his brother Martin (along with Cass Davies and Dominic Weeks) were members of the 80s British punk band, Furious Pig. Their vinyl recordings (on Rough Trade Records) have faded into the remainder bins of memory. Being a great fan of Stephen’s work, I am pleased to see that he has written a short page about the group at the UbuWeb site. Best of all, it has three mp3s of Furious Pig music posted there.

In his description of the band, Stephen relates the story of how Bob Geldoff told him that they “Gotta lotta bottle” (a lot of nerve) to perform the stuff they did. After listening to these performances, I’ve got to agree with Sir Bob; they defy categorization. Check them out for some startling a capella fun and a new insight into Stephen’s sonic origins.

Jeremy Donovan is a remarkable young man who has led a fascinating life for someone only 26 years old. Currently, he plays didgeridoo and tells stories regularly in a show called Sounds of the Outback at the Outback Centre of Darling Harbor (Sydney, Australia). He has traveled around the world playing, dancing and entertaining ever-increasing audiences.

Jeremy is also a talented and successful painter and has shown and sold his works in both Australia and the United States.

I interviewed Jeremy at Jammin’ Tree 2005. Music featured in the podcast is from Jeremy’s CD, Yalangi (available from LA Outback).

Painting by Jeremy Donovan

Jeremy Donovan’s website
Contact him at didgeridooboy at hotmail.com

The Outback Centre of Darling Harbor, Sydney, Australia, where Jeremy regularly performs

Video Podcasts made by Gene Bias of Jeremy’s Sounds of the Outback show

mp3 file 31.9 MB, 46:32 minutes

Podcast feed link

Technorati tags: [didgeridoo] [podcast] [music] [Jeremy Donovan] [Aborigine] [Yidaki]