open record : new music south africa

cat #: open 05
artist: derek gripper
title: blomdoorns

TRACKS:
1. blomdoorns - mp3 - just a few minutes before recording, in
the sun of the garden of blomdoorns.
2. southfield - a request for silence in the suburbs of
cape town.
3. dr mac - mp3 - a goema for the son of the "goema king."
4. aloe - mp3 - in appreciation of a performace by aloe april,
cape jazz's guitar great.
5. boeta kaatjie - with alex in sweden, remembering the
choir master.
6. wonderbaar - "die here is so wonderbaar, kom ons prys
sy naam" - on a boland church chorus.
7. clinton's seven - mp3 - for the spirit of the percussionist
as we played together.
8. st. eriks vastrap - a vastrap for a european suburb.
9. bebe - mp3 - listening to news of war.
10. blomdoorns reprive - let us remember where we come from.

the material on this recording reflects the time i have spent investigating the music of the cape. most of the music was, however, written far from the cape, in the north of sweden; as recollections of home, evocations of the intimate. i went to europe to escape what at the time i saw to be the creative reality of south africa. i left with a small repertoire of classical guitar music, but ended up in sweden performing original compositions based on vastrap. vastrap: a dance, a rhythm, a way of making music, comfortably embraces jazz, church music, ecstatic trance and popular song. once you have experienced the spirit of this music in the land of its birth, and once you have embraced this spirit, it begins to permeate and enthuse all of your music making. in this sense vastrap is a kind of musical dye: it stains everything with a new colour. it was while writing this music that i resolved to return to south africa immediately, without delay, to make this recording. and now for this music to reach the ears of those who share the history of vastrap, however remotely: this is a great privilege. - derek gripper, mysore, india, september 2003

the 8-string guitar

thanks must be extended to collin cleveland for realising the instrument for this music, and for concluding a three-year process of designing the 8-string guitar, the concept for which originated with scottish guitarist paul galbraith. in performance this instrument is played upright, like a cello, with a metal endpin that balances on a wooden resonator box. in this position the arms are held free from the guitar, bringing the whole body into the expressive gestures of the music. on this recording, however, completed with no edits in 1 hour and 40 minutes, all postural innovations were discarded so as to record the guitarist at home, at ease, and at leisure. the title track is a product of this simplicity, composed just ten minutes before the tape rolled, in the sun, in the garden of blomdoorns.

all compositions by derek gripper except dr mac and boeta kaatjie by alex van heerden and derek gripper
guitar by collin cleveland
recorded by dion du biel in the suburban lounge at blomdoorns
design by jacqueline stecher
mastered by dave maclean at maclean mastering
conceptual and editorial assistance by james webb

sincere thanks to beth and ernest, james, ross, neefa, anton, karen, brian and daphne, justin, charlotte, sara, magnus, niklas and deborah, croc-e, adrienne, maureen, derek, camilla, anna and doug, and ellie for support in numerous forms.

PRESS QUOTES: "listening to 'blomdoorns' is being granted a moment of very intimate discourse, a glimpse of secret audio-emotional imagery. fittingly the entire album follows this sincere hush of tone - the songs are simple, modest and touching, a gifted artist incorporating his multiplicity of influences into the spotlit dialect, distilling all into the fitting frame of a single acoustic guitar. recorded in under two hours the songs spill into each other, a meditation coloured by interweaving tales and recollections, emotions. a beauty of understatement, 'blomdoorns' is a soundtrack for all lovers of jazz, folk, acoustic guitar and scenic afternoons." - mick raubenheimer