Jazzing it up with new sounds

Mundi are bringing the world to Nelson this weekend, Naomi Arnold writes.

With multilayered confections of sound drawing on traditional music from around the world, Mundi might well be the soundtrack for every young New Zealander who has ever packed a backpack and headed overseas.

Mundi's Tamara Smith calls the band's sound "world jazz".

The 30-year-old flautist and composer recently returned to New Zealand after living in London. She also spent nine months travelling through South, Central and North America.

Mundi's visit to Nelson will be the first time in a while that the group will be back together, performing new compositions – being "reignited", Smith says.

There's an eclectic mix of instruments. Smith plays flute; brother Tyson plays banjo and guitar; Smith's boyfriend Chris Burke is on tenor saxophone; Simon Lusby is on bass; and Jeremy Thin is behind the marimba, a deep-toned African xylophone. Sum Suraweera is on percussion, joined by Smith and Burke. Suraweera has a fine pedigree; he's back for a visit from Sri Lanka, after completing a doctorate in the ancient drumming traditions of his homeland.

They're all good friends, and even though Smith wrote all the tunes, she relies on the band to "spark off" and create an energetic performance.

Mundi have played together sporadically since their birth, as the members have travelled around the world collecting rhythms and melodies to add to the music.

Mundi, which is Latin for "world", encompasses many different musical styles, and Smith says the group is "heavily improvisation-based".

"It's definitely still jazz and there's always improv and soloing by different instruments," she says. "I guess the grooves and the melodies are very textural-based. I've been exploring with the flute and sax, and instead of trying to make the melodies always constantly being us playing at the same time, we're trying to make the melodies interwoven. It's almost a call and response – for example, sax plays one note and I play the next."

But Mundi are about being a part of New Zealand too, says Smith. She likens her years of travelling overseas, exploring different music and bringing it home, to the journey many young Kiwis make when "trying to find their own identity".

"I love jazz, I love world music and love all styles. I'm a big advocate of creating an instrumental group that's exciting, explores territory that is different and unique.

"I've been trying to create compositions that are our own, from New Zealand but have influences from all around the world."

Mundi recorded an album, Serendipity, in 2005, and another, In the Blink of an Eye, is due for release soon. With both albums featuring tracks like The Travelling Song, The Breath of the Amazon and Pygmies from the Congo, it's easy to see where their inspiration comes from.

But Smith says listening to the albums can't compare to the experience of hearing them play live.

On this tour, they'll be playing at the Boathouse, Marahau's Park Cafe and the Mussel Inn, where they've been regular guests in the past. Smith says she loves playing in venues that have "a nice, intimate feeling".

" I look at places that have an interesting space where people will enjoy music.

"At the Boathouse, there's that whole sense of everybody really listening. We've played in the Mussel Inn for years, and people get into boogieing away. There's definitely a nice feel about those places. Everyone can be themselves. You're surrounded by the most incredible natural environment, and it's like a beacon of light that everyone can travel to."

• Mundi play at the Boathouse in Nelson tomorrow, 8pm, tickets $15; at the Marahau Park Cafe on Saturday night; and at the Mussel Inn, Onekaka on January 31.

- © Fairfax NZ News