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A Taihape musician will be adding a distinctively Māori voice to this weekend's Message Sticks Indigenous Festival at the Sydney Opera House.
Jerome Kavanagh accompanied by guitarist Pauli Ngarimu and bassist Janice O'Brien will use traditional Māori instruments to retell ancient stories in a modern voice.
The show they have put together is called Haumanu – Breath of Birds.
“We're going to be mixing up our acoustic funk. Smooth groove style with Pauli Ngarimu and Janice on the bass, then I’ll come out and mix the tāonga puoro with that sound and also bring in our stories so that people can see exactly what they’re about and what their whakapapa is. It’s really about trying to use that to encourage our people to go back to the whenua,” says Jerome Kavanagh.
This year the Message Sticks Festival is marking the 200th anniversary of the death of Woollarawarre Bennelong, who was a vital link between Sydney's first settlers and its tangata whenua.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd
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