in the non-idiomatic idiom in Norway (part 2, 2014)

978-1-877448-59-1

A few years ago I wrote a chapter of Jazz Aotearoa, a book about New Zealand jazz music history, discussing the free improvisation and avant-garde jazz scene in Wellington at the turn of the millennium.

in the non-idiomatic idiom in Norway is a collection of improvised instrumental music with some of the musicians in that scene, from the point of view of my own attempts as an untrained outsider to fit in with these advanced jazz players.

The title is a reference to Simon’s house on Norway Street, where the recordings took place. The ‘non idiomatic idiom’ suggests the paradox that improvising non-idiomatically (eg in an original personal style without reference to any genre – playing neither jazz, nor rock, blues, reggae, classical etc) is an idiom in itself.

Confluence Quintet: (l-r) Julie Bevan, Michael Hall, Simon O’Rorke, Chris Prosser, Dave Edwards

with

Simon O’Rorke – synthesisers

Blair Latham – bass clarinet
Julie Bevan – acoustic guitar
Michael Hall – alto sax
Chris Prosser – violin
Dave Edwards – bass, electronics, tenor sax (8)

These sessions were recorded in 2014. I’d just returned from living overseas, 15 years after my first exposure to Wellington free jazz.

The first volume was recorded in Wellington in 1999

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Live 2019

An acoustic solo set, live at Wairarapa TV in Masterton, New Zealand

– which took place live on the internet. This was simulcast on Freeview CH41, ArrowFM 89.7FM and YouTube. The set was part of the Property Law Service May Music Marathon – 12 straight hours of live Music to Television screens during NZ Music Month on May the 4th 2019.

Tracklist

1.Cafes in Conversation 01:19
2.Seafriends 03:09
3.Summer Skin 05:08
4.Eastern 03:00
5.아리랑 (Arirang) 01:11
6.The Blast of a Wintry Day (by John Collie, 1856) 03:55
7.The Land of My Youth (by John Collie, 1856) 02:49
8.Here’s a Health to My Cronies (by John Collie, 1856) 02:19
9.The Marion Flow 03:33
10.fiffdimension interview by Nikki King 16:12

About

Living in a small town I don’t get to as many gigs as I used to… so here using 21st century technology to play ‘virtually’ everywhere.

On the other hand, musically this was closer to a traditional folk/singer-songwriter set than I’d done for quite a while, eschewing dissonant improv, multitracking, live backing musicians or electronic trickery.

I kept my half hour minimal and acoustic (the discord and electric noise I’m saving for another time soon) and updated my past – with

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logistical torrents

31 July 2019

electric guitar and video by Dave Black,

Featherston, NZ.

One in a series of quickfire improvisations with video effects. Rather than finish an album before releasing anything in 2019, I’m opening a curtain on some of my demo ideas in progress.

11 through the viewer 7

11th July 2019

Improvised acoustic guitar and video effects by Dave Black,

Featherston, NZ.

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Solstice Shards 19

I spent the longest night of the year at home and improvised this:

.

As I’d been doing mainly solo acoustic songs recently this was a palette cleansing electric improvisation from the other side of my coin.

I think of acoustic as yin and electric as yang forces.

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2018

The main project for 2018 was Other Islands: 2012-2018;

 

The last five (of the 20) tracks were recorded in 2018 – each in a different genre:

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The Blast of a Wintry Day (by John Collie, 1856)

A song written by my great-great-grandfather John Collie, in Banffshire, Scotland, in 1856.

It also appeared on

Other Islands: 2012​-​2018

Where it marked a return to my solo acoustic approach of early years.

lyrics

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Isa Lei, and the Yasawa islands, Fiji

This rearrangement of a traditional Fijian folk song was inspired by hearing the song sung there.

In May I visited the Yasawa Islands, to the northwest of Nadi and the main Fijian island Viti Levu.

The boat ride took 3 hours, and enjoyably scenic. Each of the many small islands we passed was different in some way but all stunning

The marine life included

Part of Other Islands: 2012-2018

– recent highlights recorded in New Zealand, Western Australia, Fiji, Indonesia and Okinawa

Campbell Kneale & Dave Black

A Ton of Feathers is the first collaboration

by Campbell Kneale (guitar, analogue synthesiser)

& Dave Black (bass, electric toothbrush, video).

Made in Featherston, Wairarapa NZ in 2018.

New Zealand folk music, in the tradition of Birchville Cat Motel, the Dead C, and Len Lye.

This excerpt appears on the compilation Other Islands: 2012-2018, and is part of a longer piece, due for release in 2020.

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2012

2012

part of

Other Islands: 2012-2018 – a compilation of recent highlights, recorded in New Zealand, Western Australia, Fiji, Indonesia and Okinawa

In 2012 I was home in New Zealand for a total of seven days, in July/August. Oherwise it was very much a year of two halves.

Until the end of June I lived in 沖縄 (Okinawa).

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Nat da Hatt and I recorded a track for our duo album ネオン列車の風景 Neon Train Landscapes – our version of a traditional shima uta (island song)

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