Musicians collaborate for Womad

Even though they had met only an hour earlier, NZTrio and Finnish musicians Lepisto and Lehti sounded like they have always played together.

The musicians had their first rehearsal together yesterday, practising the four pieces the group will play at Womad.

NZTrio cellist Ashley Brown says it has been a completely new experience.

"We have been listening to each other's music online," he says.

"A friend of ours suggested we collaborate on something at Womad about four months ago."

The group, made up of Brown, Justine Cormack on violin and Sarah Watkins, is joining Finnish musicians Pekka Lehti on double bass and Markku Lepisto, accordion, on stage at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands on Sunday after playing their individual gigs over the course of the three-day festival, which begins tonight.

Their sound will be a fusion of jazz, funk, folk and contemporary and classical music.

"It's been a bit of an intense process," says Cormack.

"We've been emailing for a few months and we received music and have been working on it here in New Zealand, but we won't really know how it's all going to come together until we're all on stage."

But, judging by the fluid sound the five musicians have created after just one rehearsal, there is no doubt they can pull it off.

"It's all coming together and we are finding our way through," says Brown. "We are making small changes along the way and trying things out, but so far everything seems to fit.

"It's a really loose way of playing, which is a new experience for us."

The NZTrio has collaborated with a wide range of musicians and is relishing the opportunity to work across continents and come up with something very special.

"There is a real tango feel to the music and we aren't trying to change Lepisto and Lehti's whole sound," Cormack says.

With backgrounds in classical, jazz, fusion and funk, Lepisto and Lehti have held audiences in awe with their unlikely union of double bass and accordion, but have regularly collaborated with other musicians and Lehti says the collaboration with the NZTrio will take audiences by surprise.

"We've been listening to the NZTrio's albums and feel our music blends well with the group," Lehti says.

- © Fairfax NZ News