Song #78 Changing Islands

(LISTEN HERE)

IF YOU’VE EVER WALKED IN A DESERT

YOU’LL KNOW THE DANGERS THERE

WHEN YOU WALK ALONG THE SEASIDE

YOU ENJOY THE SUNSETS FAIR

HAVE YOU EVER CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN?

AND BREATHED THAT PURE AIR

 

HAVE YOU EVER CHANGED YOUR ISLAND?

WANTING SOMETHING NEW?

LOOKING FOR A DIFFERENT PICTURE

MAYBE EVEN A NEW YOU

IT DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK

SOMETIMES YOU MUST RETURN

 

WE GATHER YEARS ALONG THE WAYSIDE

FRIENDS AND FAMILY COME AND GO

MAYBE WE SHOULD TELL THEM

WHILE WE STILL HAVE THEM HERE

THAT WE’RE GLAD THEY’RE BESIDE US

TOGETHER FACING FEARS

EVERYTHING RETURNS

AND NOTHING STAYS THE SAME

LIFE ROLLS ON AND ON

IN A NEVER ENDING GAME

 

THERE BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD WE SAY - AT LEAST FOR NOW UP TILL TODAY

I CAN CHANGE MY MIND - I CAN CHANGE MY PLACE

I CAN TRY AND ENTER A DIFFERENT SPACE

I CAN STAY RIGHT HERE OR GO BACK THERE

I CAN STAY RIGHT HERE OR GO BACK THERE

                                                                THINK I’LL STAY RIGHT HERE


                                                                          (Copyright 2021)

COMMENTARY: Sean Mangan and I were practising for a gig and we needed a name for it. We had both previously been in groups called Changing Hats and Dark Island. So for the gig we chose Changing Islands! And I thought the gig deserved a new song in its name ;)

San Ureshi and Friends - Review

This is not San Ureshi but an old man playing the
erhu in a park in Beijing.

 Nexus Arts at West Village, Sat 26 Feb.

Sometimes listening to great music induces a feeling of total serenity. And when that occurs listening to music from cultures other than your own the experience can border on mystical. The San Ureshi ensemble’s concert at Nexus Arts offered such moments. Listening to this beautifully arranged music from East Asia was like enjoying your own intimate WOMADelaide festival. This collaboration of Chinese and Japanese musical traditions seemed all the more poignant in the current geopolitical climate.

The core ensemble consists of Zhao Lieng (originally from Singapore) on guzheng or Chinese harp; David Dai (Taiwan) on erhu or Chinese violin; and Satomi Ohnishi (Japan) on percussion. One of the early pieces drew inspiration from 12^th century Japan with what sounded like the drums of battle underpinning the beautiful contrasts of the plucked harp against the bowed notes of the erhu. A cello joined the ensemble and the interplay between cello and erhu was at times exquisite. Chinese traditional singer, Cindy Fan, delivered songs in the distinctive high pitched vocal style characteristic of much Chinese folk music and transported us into the mountains of northern China.

Extra violins in the second half of the program added depth and texture to the arrangements. Behind all of these wonderful pieces was a variety of percussion sounds that were sometimes quite forceful and at other times quietly delicate: I heard horses racing across the plains, and the falling of a gentle rain. At other times rhythms were subtle and implied – quite masterful! And watching the elegant hands of Zhao Lieng pluck the strings of her harp was akin to watching the hands of a Balinese dancer.

Satomi Ohnishi’s lighthearted and often humorous introductions to each piece was the perfect counterpoint to some seriously beautiful music. It’s hard not to imagine that this group are headed for bigger and better things. Being at this concert just felt like a very special privilege.

(This review also published in The Clothesline)