David Dalle
Thursday July 21st, 2022 with David Dalle
Small Island Big Song: 22000 kilometres of music!

Magical, urgent, beautiful, fierce, rapturous, and astonishingly unique: Small Island Big Song. This growing collective just released their 2nd album "Our Island". This album features Indigenous musicians from islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans, which cover almost half the Earth, with over 22000 km separating the two furthest points (crossing the Indian and Pacific oceans) in Madgascar and Rapa Nui (Easter Island). As with the first album, this one not only features many musical traditions of which I have no other example, it mostly features collaborations between these many musicians. A work of staggering uniqueness in my huge music collection! The theme for the album "Our Island" is an existential one: climate change. The artists were asked to write music about the ocean, as the ocean plays a significant role in the lives of most island nations in the Pacific and Indian oceans. The artists responded with songs full of love and joyful memories of the gifts the ocean brings, as well as songs about grief at the biodiversity loss and pollution, such as the song "Sarbon" by Mauritius singer Emlyn about the devastating 2020 oil spill on Mauritius' coastline. They also sing of the threat their beloved ocean poses as their islands sink into the rising seas. I cannot praise this magnificent enterprise enough. The album begins with the first song "Marasudj", a call for unity among all the oceanic people. It starts as a chant from Paiwan (one of the many Indigenous groups in Taiwan) singer Sauljalui, and builds with additions from every other musician on the album. In order of appearance on just the first song: Sauljalui from Taiwan Putad from Taiwan Emlyn from Mauritius Vaiteani from Tahiti Sammy from Madagascar Richard Mogu from Papau New Guinea Airileke from Papau New Guinea Yoyo Tuki from Rapa Nui Selina Leem from Marshall Islands Jerome Kavanagh from New Zealand Sauljaljui from Taiwan Alena Murang from Borneo Kekuhi Kealiikanakaoleohaililani from Hawaii Listening to this mere four minute song the first time I was awed and weeping. Perfect music. Perfect song. We will hear most of this astounding journey today. https://www.smallislandbigsong.com/ https://smallislandbigsong1.bandcamp.com/