Monday, March 3, 2008

Didge virtuoso Alan Dargin dies


Singing home soul of the didgeridoo

If you play (or even just love) the didge, you've heard of Alan Dargin. Alan died Sunday in hospital from complications of a stroke. He was only 40:

...For more than 20 years, Dargin and his stick, as he called his yirdaki or didgeridoo, were fixtures at Circular Quay, where he was one of Sydney's best-known buskers. But his fame, and the rock'n'roll sensibility he brought to the most ancient of Aboriginal musical instruments, spread much further. Over the years, Dargin had played at festivals, clubs and concert halls around the world, from London's Royal Albert Hall to New York, Paris and outback stations...Hours later, a symphony of didgeridoo players "sang" Dargin's spirit back to his tribal homeland in Arnhem Land, a tearful crowd clapping in time to the clapsticks.

Above is a pic of my didge, "Taproot Dreaming". Every player knows you have to play your didge often often to give life to the spirit that lives inside it. Here's a few of my meager toots for you, Alan...

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