A hand-hewn old-wood ‘sten bass’ features on several recordings on a new CD released in Melbourne on 1 July 2017 by West Papua’s Black Orchid String Band.
The bass was brought to Melbourne in 2003 by Black Paradise, another West Papuan string band, for the ‘Morning Star Concert’ at the Art Centre, which was organised (and funded) by Australian composer-musician David Bridie [Note 1]. After the concert Fery Marison swapped his bass for Jacob Rumbiak’s push-bike which he took back to Numfor Island and rode for years. Fourteen years later the bass is still, in the hands of a skilful musician, the heart and soul of the Black Orchid’s distinctive string band sound.
The Black Orchid String Band is comprised of West Papuan asylum seekers and activists now living in Melbourne. The band was formed in 2011 to sustain the Papuans’ distinctive music identity and continue the legacy of their great musicologist Arnold Ap. The ten piece string band includes the traditional bass, ukulele, tifa (drum) and beautiful three part vocal harmonies. Most songs are in West Papuan dialects, with a couple in Tok Pisin (PNG language).
The Black Orchid String Band CD was produced by Oscar Jimenez and published on 30 Nov 2015 by Multicultural Arts Victoria as part of the 2015 Visible Music Program (Creative Victoria, Australia Council for the Arts, and The Scanlon Foundation)
Black Orchid String Band, recorded live at The Courthouse Theatre, SMB, Arts Academy, Federation University Australia, 13 September 2014.
Born on the wrong side of the dotted line, The Age, 22 February 2003
https://www.theage.com.au/national/born-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-dotted-line-20030223-gdv9sz.html
Note 1 David Bridie was enticed into funding the concert (and Black Paradise airfares from West Papua) after selling one of his own compositions to Australia Mutual Providence for an advertisement for ‘an obscene’ amount of money. Black Paradise members all work for Elsham (Institute for the Study and Advocacy of Human Rights), which investigates human rights violations, accompanies local communities during peaceful protests, and tries to educate the rest of the world about the beauty of West Papuan culture.
