I'll hum the first few bars

David Long

The title track for this album, I’ll Hum the First Few Bars, is a piece for chamber orchestra, electric guitar and mechatronics. Commissioned by Orchestra Wellington, the work was recorded with Stroma under the ever-reliable baton of Hamish McKeich. The remaining pieces on the album were composed for Douglas Wright’s dance work, Rapt, and are performed by David Long and Jeff Henderson. See below for details.



Released: 27 March 2023
Catalogue: RAT-D134



I’LL HUM THE FIRST FEW BARS

Featuring Vesa-Mati Leppänen (violin), Anna Van De Zee (violin), Andrew Thomson (viola), Andrew Joyce (cello), Matt Cave (double bass), Bridget Douglas (flute), Robert Orr (oboe), Pat Barry (clarinet), Rachel Vernon (bass clarinet), Robert Weeks (bassoon), Samuel Jacobs (horn), Mark Carter (trumpet), Dave Bremner (trombone), and Andrew Jarvis (tuba), conducted by Hamish McKeich, with David Long (guitar), mr sterile (drums), Riki Gooch (dumbek, timpani), and Jim Murphy (kinetic sound structure). 

‘I’ve always been interested in combining orchestral instruments with other timbres, such as odd-sounding guitars, punk drums, and, in this instance, Jim Murphy’s beautiful sounding mechatronic sculpture, which brought a lovely randomness to proceedings that always appeals to me.’ — DL

 

MUSIC FROM DOUGLAS WRIGHT’S “RAPT”

1. Leg Dance
2. The Bird
3. Rapt 
4. Annunciation (from Biber)
5. Gasmask

Performed by David Long (feedback, banjos, toy percussion, accordion) and Jeff Henderson (hulusi), these works were all composed by David Long except The Bird, co-composed with Jeff Henderson. Annunciation is an arrangement by David based on a work by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber.

‘I always intended to release some of the music from Rapt, partly because I’m very proud of it, but also to salute an extraordinary dancer and choreographer’ — DL

Recorded at Massey University, Wellington, NZ
Recorded and mixed by Graham Kennedy
Cover image by David Downes
Design by UnkleFranc
Printing by Studio Q

This album was made with support from Creative NZ