David and Daniel Wilfred are traditional Aboriginal song keepers from Arnhem Land in remote northern Australia who will be appearing in a one-off concert with a stellar lineup of musicians from Melbourne, Warsaw, Seoul, and Chicago featuring:

Hamid Drake drums (USA), Sunny Kim voice (Korea), Amalia Umeda violin (Poland), Peter Knight trumpet/electronics (Australia), Aviva Endean clarinets/electronics (Australia) and Daniel Wilfred voice/bilma (Australia), David Wilfred didgeridoo/voice (Australia). 

David and Daniel Wilfred from remote Arnhem Land in northern Australia are the keepers of the oldest continuously practiced musical tradition in the world. The songs they sing, called Manikay, form an unbroken cycle of stories that stretch back for millennia. They are also contemporary, as the song cycles are constantly being added to. 

For Daniel every a concert is a kind of ceremony and in his language, Wagilak, it is called a Bungul.

The notion that. when we gather as musicians and audience to share the Manikay we are not only witnessing the performance of an incredible musical tradition but are also becoming part of it and adding to it, is powerful and moving. The experience has been transformative for many of the musicians and listeners with whom Daniel and David have shared their music.

These performances at Public Records will be particularly special as David and Daniel will perform for the first time with one of the great drummers of this generation, Hamid Drake. We look forward to welcoming New York audience to our Bungul.

The American edition of the Jazztopad Festival is presented in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute  New York.