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View(s):The latest instalment of the Musicmatters Festival will kick off on July 13
When 700 people turned up at the first Musicmatters Festival, organisers were in equal parts surprised and pleased. “With no real established audience base, staging it felt like a massive challenge and a financial risk,” says Sumudi Suraweera, a teacher at Musicmatters, the school which he founded together with pianist Eshantha Joseph Peiris.
Pix by Sachini Perera
Now, as they’re getting ready to step into the ring for about two on July 13, they’re at least confident people are going to turn up. The trick will be to do better than they did last year. They’re kicking off an exciting and eclectic programme with a piano recital by Eshantha, highlights of which will include Sri Lankan pianist/composer Dinuk Wijeratne’s ‘Colour Study in Rupaktaal’, Joshua Uzoigwe’s ‘Abigbo’, and a new Sri Lankan composition. The school’s young students, all aged between 6 and 13, will take the stage next, playing from their repertoires that include old jazz standards, funk music as well as original compositions.
‘Game of Patience’ will play. The band which creates improvised music combining elements of free jazz, electronic music and free improvisation features Yong Yandsen (Malaysia) on saxophone, Brian O’Reilly (US/Singapore) on contrabass with electronics and Darren Moore (Australia/Singapore) on drum and percussion.Sumudi himself will team up with American saxophonist Derek Beckvoldfor what promises to be a unique and exciting collaboration.
The Brahminy Kites promise to bring a diverse range of influences to their performance, drawing on Alternative Contemporary American folk music, folk music from North India, Eastern European Gypsy music, folk music from the Arab World and Western Contemporary endeavours in Sonic Art and Composition. Using the banjo, percussion, voice, viola, double bass and electronics, they generate a sound that is hard to define, but is steeped in melancholy and mystery.
Baliphonics will present the music of the Low-Country bali ritual tradition of Sri Lanka in a sublime collaboration with contemporary jazz and improvisation. The performance will bring together SusanthaRupathilaka (voice), PrasanthaRupathilaka (voice) with EshanthaPeiris (piano), Isaac Smith (double bass), SumudiSuraweera (drums).
Mix Master Blong is expected to push the envelope with an ‘experimental improvisational exploration into textural, psychedelic, drone music,’ and will feature IsuruKumarasinghe (keyboards and electronics), SaraniPerera (guitar), UvinduPerera (electric bass) andHarshanGallage (drums).
Guitarist/singer/songwriter, Tyson Smith will draw from years spent travelling in the Caribbean, Central America, USA, Southeast Asia and Europe for his performance. Having produced one album, Tyson is at work on a second which boasts a variety of influences including folk, blues, rock and world music. The band Amoral Compass, who describe themselves as ‘Sri Lanka’s own two bit, spazz step, go wave outfit’ are likely to inspire wild dancing with their hip hop beats ‘so hard and ragadocious rhymes so killing the soul of every shoe will, twist, turn, slide and step in unprecedented harmony, dancing their way into a lotus leaf of hip hop ecstasy!’
All this genre hopping promises to keep the audience at the festival well entertained.
Tickets for the Musicmatters Festival on July 13 go on sale at Musicmatters, Goethe Institute and Park Street Mews from July 5 and are priced at Rs.1000. The event begins at 5pm.
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