La Danza Poetica #55 Suspension

A meditative, contemplative edition of the global dance poetic. Dedicated to guitarist Mayara Amaral who was murdered in Brazil last month. #NiUnaMenos #NemUmaAMenos #NotAWomanLess 

Suspension, in music, creates tension through prolonging a consonant note while the underlying harmony changes. In making this mix, I was considering this musical method in an abstract way. In many ways, I'm always utilising this method in mixes. Preparation, suspension, and resolution. Holding an initial 'note' whilst moving the elements of the mix forward, then using harmonies to step up. I was also thinking of the word suspension, in its many applications. The "particles" of the mix – elements that I've held onto from a song or word – are suspended throughout, and resolve together in ending. In reading Piers' poetry, I tried to suspend my own voice inside his music. I think that the best spoken word / music fusions work this way. It is a concept recognisable also to grief. Our conversations with loved ones are suspended, when they go. Our lives are suspended, when we travel. When we join with another in love, our individuality is suspended, combined with new harmonies, resolved into something else. I don't think of suspension as something that has ended, more that its essential note lingers as it merges with something new, in dissonance or in harmony.

This show is a special feature on some works of composer Piers Faccini – his 2016 book/CD poetry, painting and music project No One’s Here, plus his collaborations with Francesca Beard in the band Charley Marlowe, and recent album of songs I Dreamed An Island. I also feature the poetry/music project out of Portugal, deixei de sentir, Lucas Santtana’s new audio film/album Modo Avião, the Italian/American collaboration of Lisa Marie Simmons and Marco Cremaschini (NoteSpeak) plus Hiatus’ healing track Father, and Lutz Krajenski celebrating 10 years of Agogo Records with a soulful reinterpretation of I Got Hope.

Tracklist

d e i x e i . d e . s e n t i r . - tu não és um monstro
NoteSpeak - Gnawing On that Bone
Piers Faccini - No One's Here VI + poem #6
d e i x e i . d e . s e n t i r . - como desenhar uma árvore perfeita
Piers Faccini - Oiseau
Piers Faccini - No One's Here IX + poem #9
d e i x e i . d e . s e n t i r . - qual foi a última vez que escrevi
Charley Marlowe - Six
Lucas Santtana - Um enorme rabo de baleia
Mayara Amaral - Estudo Nº10 H Villa Lobos
Lucas Santtana - Modo avião (Full Story) [English Version]
Lutz Krajenski - I Got Hope feat. Alana Alexander
NoteSpeak - Samia
Hiatus - Father
Piers Faccini - No One's Here VII + poem #24

Notes on the show

I first heard of Mayara Amaral, sadly, through tributes flowing from female musicians around the world on hearing of her death. In July, the talented guitarist, teacher and researcher was murdered in Campo Grande, Brazil, by a fellow musician. This tragic event has united women around the world, yet again, in determination to focus attention on violence against women. Something that here in Australia, as in so many parts of the world, is an urgent problem. The activist collective Destroy The Joint has an initiative called "Counting Dead Women Australia". As of August 6th, 2017, 28 women have been killed through violence in Australia. According to UK statistics, globally one in three women have experienced sexual or physical violence – in most cases from a partner or family member. (reference) 

With thanks to musician Camila Durães Zerbinatti for the following information:
The #NotAWomanLess campaign is a global campaign to mobilise against gender violence and femicide, or the murders of women. #NotAWomanLess is a rough English translation of the original #NiUnaMenos, in Spanish,  #NemUmaAMenos in Portuguese. The original hashtag emerged in Latin America - Argentina, Chile and Uruguay after the multiple women´s marches against gender violence that happened simultaneously in these three countries on 3rd July 2015. In 3rd June 2016 the hashtag was used again in Argentina among marches against femicide. The hashtags came into use in Brazil in the context of brutal femicides that are also happening in that country. This expression, "Ni una Menos", was inspired by the feminist Mexican poet and activist Susana Chávez Castillo's phrase “not one more woman.” Susana Chávez was also killed, in January 2007, by three young men in her hometown of  Ciudad Juárez.

The piece played by Mayara Amaral in this show is taken from this live video recording:

Hiatus' track Father appears on his latest album All The Troubled Hearts. Cyrus collaborated with filmmaker and cinematographer Karim Kassem on an extraordinary short film for the track. I call this a short film rather than a music video because I feel that there is so much more going on here than a visual expression of a track. And because I have always felt that Hiatus' music is cinematic (it has provided the soundtrack to more than one novel across the years) and I guess I am in hope that these two might collaborate on a full length film sometime in future. Putting that out there ... 

To get your hands on the book/CD by Piers Faccini that forms the centrepiece of this show, click on the link below. The book is beautifully bound, with poems in both English and French, and illustrations by Faccini. There are only 400 copies, so if like me, you love books as beautiful objects, don't sleep on this one ... 

I'd like to focus more on the collaboration that is NoteSpeak in the near future, so stay tuned. For now, here is a recording from the Sofar sessions in Milan, Lisa pulling no punches, full of grace.

Until the next time, pace e bene from LAPKAT. 

Main image: from Piers Faccini's album 'I Dreamed An Island'

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