[Interview] Three musicians One sound 'Hand to Earth'... Korean Jazz vocal "Sunny Kim"

One of Korea’s most sought after jazz vocalists Sunny Kim, Yolngu song-man Daniel Wilfred and multidisciplinary musician and trumpeter Peter Knight return for their third collaboration, Hand to Earth.

Vocalist composer and improviser, Prof. Sunny Kim (University of Melbourne) Source: SBS Korean

Arts Centre Melbourne and Australian Art Orchestra present

Meeting Points Series: Hand to Earth

Presented as part of Asia TOPA  

23 February 2020 | The Pavilion

Together they sing of the stars, of fire, and of the cooling rain, against Knight’s floating trumpet notes and electronic crackles. Their effortless collaboration spans continents and cultures, expressing a deeply human commonality.

Meeting Points Series: 'Hand to Earth' Source: AAO

Wilfred sings in language and is the keeper of Yolngu manikay (songs) from North East Arnhem Land. These songs can be traced back over 40,000 years and is the oldest continuously practised music tradition in the world. Kim sings in English and Korean and intones wordless gestures that invoke raw elemental forces.

Their voices meld into the electronic atmosphere created by Knight (Artistic Director, Australian Art Orchestra) who draws on the minimalism of Brian Eno and Jon Hassell to create a bed for these beautifully contrasting voices.

Following the overwhelming success of The Hearkening (2017) and Hand to Earth (2018), the trio’s latest collaboration represents contemporary Australia at its best; sophisticated, inclusive, diverse, and forward looking.

The full interview story is available on the podcast above.