Cameron Undy’s Ghost Frequency II - Resonance
“Few musicians would possess more depth of talent than Sydney’s Cameron Undy” ★★★★★ The Australian
Melbourne bassist Jordan Tarento’s debut, Lattices, showcases his evolving compositions with intricate interlocking patterns of percussive instruments, championing the enchanting sounds of marimba and glockenspiel. Featuring Australian stalwart musicians, Darryn Farrugia (drums), Darrin Archer (piano) and Hugh Stuckey (guitars), whilst representing Melbourne’s younger generation in Harry TinnSydney-based Cameron Undy presents the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Ghost Frequency solo guitar project, Ghost Frequency II - Resonance. Born from a fascination with rhythms of the African diaspora, the series elegantly captures the echoes of the ancestral dances, ceremonies, and rituals that have enriched the world of contemporary music. Like ghostly artefacts, these rhythms serve as both ancient relics and sources of inspiration, connecting the present to distant civilizations.
“Few musicians would possess more depth of talent than Sydney’s Cameron Undy.. this thoroughly intriguing and unprecedented album is a major achievement.” ★★★★★ The Australian
"Much like the light from a star that burnt out millions of years ago, these rhythms are as real and present as a footprint in the sand," says Undy. "My music doesn't replicate specific African rhythms; instead, they are reflections or shadows of these 'ghosts'." The resulting sounds are geometric distortions of original archetypes, generated using principles of natural sequence and analog transformation opening pathways to new connections in the mind and body.
The new album features nine original pieces, each with its own unique resonance. Tracks like Running Stream and Running Stream II take listeners to a place of retreat and natural energy, while The Heart is a dedicated homage to the 'Uluru Statement of the Heart' by Australia's First Nations People and embodies the spirit of 'makarrata' - coming together after a struggle, acknowledging wrongs, and living in peace. Embers explores the rhythms of a crackling fire bed and Earth Moves expresses the wonder of how we dance even as our planet speeds across the universe.
“subtly crafted…etched with exquisite restraint…clean lines and deep insistent grooves…a compelling and satisfying brew.” Rhythms Magazine
Cameron Undy's prolific career spans jazz, funk, avant-garde, and dance music. His previous release, 'Ghost Frequency' (Earshift, 2022), garnered critical acclaim. He has been recognized as one of Sydney Morning Herald's 100 'Most Influential and Inspiring People of 2011'. Undy is also the Co-Founder of The Jazzgroove Association (1995-2014) and Venue 505 (2004-2022), listed among 'Downbeat's Top Jazz Clubs in the World'.
Critics have praised the first of his 'Ghost Frequency’ releases for its unique approach to rhythm and technique. The Weekend Australian hailed it as a "major achievement", while Rhythms Magazine appreciated its "subtly crafted" nature, "etched with exquisite restraint" and "deep insistent grooves."
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The Ghost Frequency project is born from my fascination with ancient rhythms of the African diaspora. The idea that these rhythms evolved over thousands of years through human dance, ceremony and ritual is such a powerful one. That the vast majority of this evolution has gone unrecorded and never to be heard again, yet enriches such a wide variety of contemporary music is somewhat mind-blowing! These rhythms are like ghostly artefacts, that when I ‘pick them up’ and ‘play’ them I can never be totally certain that I am ‘seeing’ them for what they are/were. And yet these distant relics of eons past fill me with inspiration and imagining, of an everlasting connection with ancient civilisations. Like looking at the light from a star that burnt out millions of years ago they are as real and present as a footprint in the sand, yet the sources of each are intangible in the present. If you go looking for specific African rhythms in my music you may struggle because what I am playing are reflections, shadows and stellations of these ‘ghosts’. Rhythms I have created using natural sequence and generative, rule based principles of analog transformation. They are geometric distortions of the original archetypes, allowing me to enter ‘other places’ in my mind and body previously unknown. I am very grateful to African ritual culture and to Western scientific thinking for the paths made available to me to reach this ‘place’.
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1 - ‘Resonance’ is more mediation than composition, this piece explores the idea of rhythm as resonance.
2 - ‘Running Stream’ is a place I can go when I need to get away from it all and tap into the rushing energy and flow of nature.
3 - ‘The Heart’ is dedicated to the message of the ‘Ulura Statement of the Heart’ by the First Nations People of Australia and to the spirit of ‘makarrata’. A word in the Yolngu language meaning a coming together after a struggle, facing the facts of wrongs and living again in peace.
4 - ‘Smoke’, a smoke meditation permeates our senses without filling our minds.
5 - ‘Morning Tide’ captures the feeling of the early part of the day.
6 - ‘Son of Euclid’ is a play on words. The ancient African rhythm which is the ancestor of the Afro-Cuban, clave ‘son’ can be defined by the ‘Euclidean’ algorithm.
7 - ‘Embers’, the crackling of a fire bed after the flames have died creates some fabulous rhythms.
8 - ‘Running Stream II’ is a place I can go when I need to get away from it all and tap into the rushing energy and flow of nature.
9 - Earth Moves We can dance even through we are traveling at 460 metres per second as the Earth rotates and almost 30 kilometres per second as we circle the sun.