The Whole World In One band

Bhíos san Astráil ar cham chuairt timpeall na blianna 1990. Bhíomair bailithe le chéile in aon seomra amháin san óstán ag caint mar gheall ar chúrsaí raithinní ar fud an domhain. Thosaigh mo radharc ar a bheith ag druidim i dtreó na teilifise agus ceol de shaghas éigin ar siúl ann. Bhí Dave Stewart agus daoine eile ag cruthadh rud éigint. Thosaíomar ar a bheith ag féachaint agus ara a bheith ag éisteacht. Braithim agus bhraitheas i gcónaí go raibh cumhacht sa cheol. Draíocht éigin idir an guth, na huirlisí agus an éisteóir. Nílim ag caint ar cáill no mealtacht...ní hea...rud éigin níos doimhne. Rud a chloistear i gcoitinne i gceol na ndaoine.
Agus mé ag féachaint ar an gclár seo, bhraitheas cumhacht aoibhinn ag teacht fad is a sheinn ceoltóirí ó thír amháin le ceoltóirí ó thír eile, úrnaí an chine daonna a bhí á bhraiscint agam, úrnaí do gach ní beo. Thóg Kevin Godley agus Rupert Hine trealbh teafadta thart timpeall na cruinne agus chruthaíodar píosa ceoil il chumasach il daite mar ghaoth den domhain agus gach né a mhaireann innti. One Word One Voice a thug siad air. Maireann an píosa cheoil uair an chloig ar fhad agus i measc na ceoltóirí a sheinn bhí Yussou Ndour, Sting, guo Yue, Clannad, Dave Stewart, The Kodo Drummers, Ceolfhoireann Lenningrad, Nusrat Fateh Ali khan i measc go leor eile.
Bhíomair ar fad faoi dhraoíocht le linn an ama. Ina Dhiaidh d'eíríos agus chuas síos go bun an óstáin áit a raibh Disco ar bun. Chaitheas an chuid eile den oíche ag rince le fuinneamh agus áthas. Bhuaileas le ceathrar bundúchasach ón áit agus chaitheamar oíche beannaithe ag comhrá lenár gcosa is lenár súilibh.
Tá Kevin Godley fós ag obair leis san treo cheanna. Anois tá scéim nua faoi bhun aige....Le Whole World Band. Is féidir le ceoltóir ar bith píosa cheoil nua chumtha a chur ar an idirlíon agus cuireadh a thabhairt do cheoltóirí eile seinnt ina theannta. Teacht le chéile thar am agus farraige. Má thagann rian cheoil a thaitníonn leat ar an suíomh is féidir do chuid ceoil a chur leis agus é a sheoladh ar aghaidh. Tá an saol ag glaoch agus tá na freagraí ag teacht. Níl teorann leis an gceol agus ní fios cad atá romhainn amach.

I was on tour in Australia some years back when I found myself in a hotel room with various Hothouse Flowers crew and band. We were enjoying some on-the-road recreation. My attention and the attention of the others was gradually drawn to something on TV. It involved a Kenyan dance band, a Japanese composer, a Chinese flute player and an Irish folk trad outfit. We were witnessing the work of art that is One World One Voice, a piece by Kevin Godley and engineered and co-produced by Rupert Hine. It involved the duo travelling across the planet, recording percussion here and trumpet there, orchestra here and mbira there. Then it was mixed together to form a landscape of sound and song. So moved was I that I took myself down to the basement nightclub and danced with a newfound energy. My dance drew me into the company of five local aboriginal men and women and we conversed through our bodies ‘til the last song played. I believe music has no limit in its power and potential. Kevin Godley recognizes this too.
He continues working in this direction today with his new project, Whole World Band. It is an invitation to make our voices heard together as musicians, across time and place. With this new online initiative you are invited to jam. You create a seed track and then offer it out to the world where other musicians, if they like it, can download it and add their own instrumental ideas to build up a work of infinite possibility. Well-known musicians might take a shine to something from an unknown genius in Schull and add their talent to his tune. What I admire about this project is that, at a certain point, one must surrender control and see what comes.
We need to voice the truth that is deep within us collectively... this could be one way of doing that.

WholeWorldBand launches at the Music Show in the RDS, Dublin on February 25 and 26.