Running With Cheese

Singing in the lake. Photo: Josie Kurukulie

OK, you all know I’ve been running vocal workshops at Summersong for 11 years, and after every camp I inevitably gush about camp like a gushing thing. You all think “singing at a camp, yeah whateva...’ —but what I want to make clear to you is that Summersong is a unique event embracing workshops, open mic nights, concerts, musical collaboration, dance parties and an atmosphere of inspiration, creativity, openness and fun. Every year I think I know what to expect, and every year I’m wrong. (Who could have foreseen the orgy of panty-throwing at the blokes’ choir singing Dark end of the street?) All I’m saying is whatever springs to mind when you hear the words ‘music camp’ is far from the whole picture.
    Not that I’m trying to sell it. I don’t need to. Anyway, this year was mellow with flashes of intensity, the most intensity coming from the African drumming and dancing: Elliott Orr is a remarkable drum teacher from Brisbane who got a thunderous, disciplined and utterly joyous groove out of 20 or so participants on djembes and donn-donns, and his partner, the sublime Josie Kurukulie got an amazing performance from her dancers. Joyous and infectious grooves, it doesn’t get any better than this. Mal Webb, who seems to have several brains operating in tandem, gave his typically jaw-dropping performances and inspired everyone with his loop-pedal workshop and everything else he did. My dear friend the lovely Fumi Yamamoto ran yoga classes that I actually turned up for, and more than that, actively enjoyed.
    And I loved my classes, two big choirs in the morning and the blokes’ choir at night. They made a great sound, especially during some of the more focussed and infectious impros (why were some of us suddenly running around the room?) and when we all came together with Elliot and his team (Piers and Josie) to sing Adjiman mo together— 60 singers twanging it out, a squad of African drums and a funky West African song about moving gravel— gave me a thrill.
  Jamming with Kristina Olsen, Alison Pearl, Marianne and Fumi at our cabin was another high point. And the perennial finale singing in the lake. And playing bass with Karl and Troy for the dance. And singing Sending up my timber with Marianne, Luciano Mesiti and Terri Rowe. And hearing fresh young talent like Jordan Leser come up with songs where I’d think ‘I wish I’d written that line.’ And seeing unlikely groupings of people create something funny or moving or inexplicable or all of the above. Thanks as always to Alison, Ellie, Kristina and Queen Catherine, to Karl, Troy, Pam and Evy, Marianne and Fumi, Terri and Luciano.