Global Groovers
Mundi Trio are heading to town this week, bringing with them a blend of Brazilian and African drums, an array of flutes and voice, dancing, electric guitar and bass. The group are touring as part of Arts on Tour NZ, who bring outstanding Kiwi performers to rural and smaller centres around New Zealand.
The Christchurch-based band will be transporting the audience through their joyful music to ancient times and places where the beat of the drum and haunting flute rang out across a star-studded sky. Their music makes people want to get up, dance and move along to their sweet sounds.
“The music is joyful, groovy, with lots of beautiful melodies, lots of different instrumentation, lots of different woodwind we play and different drums – sort of Brazilian Afro drums, and guitar and flute – and I sing,” Smith, one of the members says. “It’s a wide range of different styles that have infused into original compositions. It’s quite unique, activating and I think there’s something in there for everybody.”
The trio comprises Brazilian percussionist Ricardo Stuani, guitarist and dancer Chris Dabinett and flautist, vocalist, percussionist, dancer and composer Tamara Smith. Smith has travelled the world compiling inspiration for her compositions along the way. Her adventures include performing in jazz clubs in Paris, recording an album in Sri Lanka and learning traditional Indian flute by the Ganges. She’s the driving force behind the band with her compositions and loves bringing joy to audiences around Aotearoa.
“I was living in Paris and there was this band called Mundi, which was some friends of mine, and they were just playing around Christchurch. They were playing flamenco music and well-known flamenco songs, and different world music, and my friend invited me – he said ‘when you get back from France, come and join this group’. I’d been writing a lot of music in France and we ended up getting together and touring in Sri Lanka.”
It was on this tour that the band’s first album was recorded, mainly in Columbo. Over the years different people came and went with their travels, but Smith found it a beautiful vehicle for exploring her own compositional skills. She says she likes what they have morphed into now – they’ve been distilled down and despite being a trio, “We can really cover quite a lot. I love it.”
While interaction is encouraged at the live shows, it’s not compulsory, and audiences react differently. Sometimes they dance, other times they clap and sing along, but there aren’t any rules and “no pressure ... it’s have a great night”. Smith has been teaching dance for 10 years and loves the way dancing and music is intertwined, so she incorporates choreography into their performance. You can sit or stand and move along as much or as little as you’d like. Children are also welcome at the event – Smith reminisces on going to shows as a child being a really beautiful thing.
“I always thing back to me being a wee girl in a rural community and how special it was to be exposed to music and how that changed my life, and I think many other people had that experience too. A small thing like coming to a concert can be a great change and we can all be here together in a community for an evening.”
In this tour the Mundi Trio will perform a new series of compositions that weave together the two oldest instruments in human history into a sizzling array of duelling Brazilian/African percussion with hypnotic guitar and vocal melodies. It will also interlace stories through music of our interaction with nature and ourselves.
“The flutes and the drums are the oldest instruments we have, and these are the instruments, I think, that still connect people to this day – as people are constantly tapping their feet. I think there will be something in there for everybody, so don’t be shy because it’ll be really fun and a really beautiful evening.”
The tour is coming to our region as part of Arts on Tour NZ, a trust that receives funding from Creative New Zealand as well as support from a range of different trusts and charities. They liaise with local arts councils to bring the best of musical and theatrical talent to country districts and Mundi Trio are very excited to be a part of it.
“There’s a discovery there of a whole blend of sounds that may be really unique, and it’s uplifting music,” Smith says.
Mundi Trio will perform at Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall this Thursday, 20 February, as well as in Roxburgh on 21 February and Cromwell on 22 February. For more information you can head to aotnz.co.nz
