Bifröst

Available to DOWNLOAD or as a PRINT-ON-DEMAND CD

“The whole world is a very narrow bridge. The important thing is not to be afraid.” - Rabbi Nachman of Breslov

Bifröst is an album of songs featuring the poetry of Bill Manhire, with music by Norman Meehan, Hannah Griffin, Andrew Laking, Blair Latham, Lance Philip, Neil Aldridge, and Michael Sutherland. Drawing from Old Norse tales and poems including the medieval Norwegian ‘Draumkvæde’ (‘Dreamsong’) and supplementing these with his own texts, New Zealand poet Bill Manhire composed a suite of poems that together form an episodic narrative that traces a variety of “crossings-over”, journeys – from place to place, from forgetfulness to remembering – that comprise the heart of Bifröst.

Bill Manhire (poetry)
Hannah Griffin (voice)
Norman Meehan (piano, organ, synthesisers, vibraphone, backing vocals)
Blair Latham (acoustic and electric guitars, flute, clarinets, saxophones)
Andrew Laking (bass, backing vocals)
Lance Philip (drums, percussion)
Neil Aldridge (singing bowl on ‘A Return’)
Michael Sutherland (guitar solos on ‘The Building of the Bridge’ and ‘Four Bridges’)

Produced by Neil Aldridge
Recorded by Neil Aldridge with assistance from Lars Vandrey and Michael Sutherland at Massey University, Wellington, and Studio Squidsquad
Mixed by Neil Aldridge
Mastered by Mike Gibson at Munki Studios
Words by Bill Manhire, except ‘I stepped from plank to plank’ by Emily Dickinson
Designed by UnkleFranc
Printing by Studio Q

The music for Heimdall’s Song was composed by Hannah Griffin, with Neil Aldridge, Andrew Laking, Blair Latham, Norman Meehan, and Lance Philip
The music for the remaining songs was composed by Norman Meehan, with Neil Aldridge, Hannah Griffin, Andrew Laking, Blair Latham, and Lance Philip
‘Gjeddar Bridge’ is Bill’s translation of portions of the Norwegian poem ‘Draumkvæde’. The banalities of ‘City to Sea’ were sourced from TripAdvisor
Bifröst was composed for and premiered at the 2017 ‘Performing | Writing’ conference convened by Professor Julieanna Preston at Massey University, Wellington (NZ)