‘Before it’s too late…’ - Tara Minton
No matter how far we go as a species, I truly believe that we’ll always be fascinated with the idea of folklore. Stories passed down from generation to generation, the superstitious “wives’ tales”, there’s even a legend of a ghost not far from where I live. Along with ghosts, vampires and werewolves, there is a tale, a concept if you will, that endures to this day – the idea of Mermaids. Jazz artist, harpist and vocalist Tara Minton has explored the concept of mermaids in a very twenty-first century way, weaving in a plea to cherish the planet we inhabit in an album entitled ‘Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid’.
Billed as the ‘U.K.’s most in-demand harpist’, Tara Minton has worked with Björk and The Walt Disney Company, as well as appearing on releases by Ayrton Hood, Laurence Hughes and RJ Chevalier. Australian born Minton emigrated to the U.K. when she was twenty-five and has since appeared across BBC programming on Later…with Jools Holland, BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge and The One Show. In addition to her previous albums ‘I Harp You’ and ‘The Tides Of Love’, Tara Minton’s latest album is released on digital and limited runs of CDs and Vinyl.
Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid begins with the soprano saxophone of Tommaso Starace, followed by a wordless vocal from Minton, the hush of the band making it sound as if she is singing across the sea. On top of harp and saxophone accompaniment, Minton adds more vocal layers, weaving harmonies over the jazz ensemble. On paper it would be difficult to blend the frequencies of harp, piano and saxophone, but everything here has its place. A spoken word passage from Minton can be heard with heavy delay and reverb, turning it into more of a feeling than a speech with the words difficult to make out. The band goes from organised chaos in this opening number to the sensibilities of soft jazz.
This is followed by ‘The Origin Of The Harp’. The opening words sung by Minton are a gorgeous blend of poetry and melody, beginning a cappella - “‘tis believed that this harp which I wake now for thee was a siren of old, who swam under the sea…” The addition of harp makes this almost a folk song, until the double bass and brushed drums of Ed Babar and Dave Ingamells relax it into jazz that’s easy on the ear. Tom Nancollas makes an appearance reading Thomas Moore’s ‘The Origin Of The Harp’, a perfect compliment to this track.
Meanwhile, ‘Eugénie’ is conceived as a duet between drums and harp. The band only recently performed Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid in full for the first time as part of a Hampstead Jazz Club live stream. To see the interplay between Tara Minton and Dave Ingamells was lovely, his touch soft and barely grazing the skins and cymbals at times. Minton would utilise a loop pedal to lay down multiple textures with her harp. A part of the melody here reminds me of The Animals’ ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ for a fleeting moment.
‘Skin’ almost begins with a bang, the whole band coming in and Minton throwing vocals surfing over the band’s tumbling soundwaves. Skin is full of rhythm, brilliantly provided early on by Ed Babar. The lyrical content concerns the shedding of stereotypes expected of women, one of the lines being ‘I’ve tried to rationalise and to challenge the roles I’ve internalised but sometimes I just wanna be naughty and flirty and sexy and dirty and free to make mischief and mayhem…’ It’s a confusing business, this gender spectrum we backed ourselves into a corner with. A solo is taken at the grand piano by Phil Merriman, who as well as Minton, co-produced the record together with John Merriman. I was thoroughly impressed with Phil Merriman’s playing on the Hampstead Jazz Club live stream, mesmerised by the gentle but also firm manner in which he passed his fingers over the keys.
A fade-in of…I’m not actually sure what that sound is, but it brings in ‘Undine Undying’ and rhythmic harp playing from Minton, backed by Ingamells. It’s nice to hear the latter using sticks instead of brushes to bring a confident sound to this more angular piece on the album. Phil Merriman once again impresses on piano, the band sounding incredibly unified. Tommaso Starace is back on saxophone to pick up the solo space where Merriman left off before Minton returns on harp. The reverb effects on her harp bring a level of sustain that fills the space like a pad keyboard sound would. The spotlight is then on Dave Ingamells with a spoonful of reverb too, placing this firmly on a stage in an empty auditorium, at least in my eyes – perhaps the 2020 effect is getting to me. Undine Undying is really the piece on this album that best shows what Tara Minton’s band is capable of, as well as being a beautifully flowing composition in itself.
Undoubtedly the centrepiece of this album is its title-track. Minton’s excellent lyrics begin with the opening lines; ‘In the dreaming, the elders sung the world into existence. Every rock and every tree, every river, every stream, was imagined in the minds of the first people and then they sang and so it was.’ Whilst the former track was centred on the band, the main focus here is Tara Minton’s vocal and lyrics where the theme of climate change is at it’s most obvious. With Minton’s Australian heritage, she is also well aware of land being taken from the indigenous peoples of her home country. ‘I know the native tribes respected the land and respected the seas and lived in harmony with all things until one day when tall ships came, a new tribe, a land, a home to claim.’ This extends to the idea of profiting from the land and taking more than they needed. Even in the past decade, the coal industry in Australia is a huge trade, according to a Geoscience Australia assessment released in 2013:
‘Coal is Australia's largest energy resource and around 60% of the nation's electricity is currently produced in coal-fired power stations. Black coal is used also in other metallurgical applications, cement manufacturing, alumina refineries, paper manufacture and a range of industrial applications. Black coal resources occur in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia but New South Wales (23%) and Queensland (63%) have the largest share of Australia's total identified in situ resources. These two states are also the largest coal producers.’ (accessed 21.11.20)
It’s easy to see the passion in this piece, and it’s an indicator of Tara Minton conceiving this record alone with a moment of solo harp, before the band comes back strong in their most assertive playing on this record so far. The performance of the title-track was the most astounding moment of the Hampstead Jazz Club live stream, and I held my breath as Minton sang the final line - ‘When will you see? There is only one community. Every rock and every tree, every river, every stream, is connected to and affected by…you.’ The band most certainly would’ve gained a standing ovation had the audience been there in person to witness this triumph.
‘Starfish’ is the final track on Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid. It begins with Ed Babar’s upright bass playing in a solo spotlight. In the live performance, the band all shared the clapping parts, Minton herself even joining in once the harp drops out. Once again there is exceptional playing from Phil Merriman on piano and Tommaso Starace returns on soprano saxophone. The atmosphere is more relaxed on Starfish compared with the title-track, the band happily jamming away until it gives way to more clapping. The group vocal at the end is both haunting and inviting at the same time. Perhaps I am easily spooked, or Minton’s slow vocal delivery has a mesmerising quality to it, with that same brief given to the band. Or maybe it’s a warning of our impending doom as a species; ‘Come down to the beach, we can change our fate, come down to the beach, before it’s too late…’
1. Your new album, 'Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid' explores mermaid lore, what inspired you to turn to this as an album concept?
I knew I wanted to address climate change and feminism in this record, but the challenge is finding a way to talk about these issues in a non-confrontational way. Speaking through the voice of the mermaids allowed me to create a feeling of safety and intrigue - to gently lure my listeners in. Mermaid lore explores themes of identity, self-realisation, autonomy and exploitation. It’s deep and nuanced, but also otherworldly. There is still so much mystery in our oceans, and no instrument embodies this more than the harp.
2. Regarding your composition process, how does a Tara Minton song begin life?
Honestly, a lot of reading and a lot of sitting in the bath, staring at the wall and thinking. I read tomes of mermaid literature and scientific journals about climate change when researching this album and poured over scores of classical impressionist composers to learn how to manipulate musical themes and structure. I tend to marinade in concepts and ideas and then out of the blue a melody or a lyric or harmonic idea bubbles to the surface and I’m off! Once I have that “in” it feels almost like the songs are “revealed” rather than written.
3. The players you have here really enrich your music! How did you put the band together for this album?
Ed Babar and Phil Merriman have been collaborators of mine for a long time. I owe so much of my sound and the development of my writing to those two. For this album, I handed over the reigns of musical director to Phil once we reached the recording process. I trust him completely and it allowed me the headspace to just focus on playing in the studio. I’ve worked with David Ingamells on various live gigs and love the energy of his swing and his creativity. He is so exciting to work with – I wrote “Eugénie” as a duet for harp and drums, which is one of my favourite tracks on the record. I met Tommaso Starace by chance in December 2019 and was deeply inspired by his compositions and soprano sax sound. I invited him to my home for a play in early January and from that moment could not conceive of the record without him.
4. Tell me about the recording process for this album, where was it put together and what was it like to work with John Merriman?
The album was recorded at Crown Lane Studios in Morden. The studio is 100% carbon neutral and Phil made soup and bread each day for lunch, so there were no “pret a manger” single use plastic lunches. There was a real family energy over the three days of recording. The challenge of recording a harp jazz suite with effective sound isolation was met by the incredible set up of John’s studio – two studios connected by a control room with large windows allowing sight lines between all three rooms. We had drums and bass in one room, piano and sax in the other and I was set up in the control room with my harp in the middle. The tracks were recorded live in this way and it gave John full control later in the editing process. John has the most astonishing ears and attention to detail. It’s no mean feat recording and mixing a harp within a jazz ensemble – the instrument encompasses such a large sonic range, but John absolutely nailed it.
5. You use Thomas Moore's 'The Origin Of The Harp' on your song of the same name, where did you first hear that poem and what inspired you to include it here?
My sister sent me the poem after a conversation we had about my concept for the record, long before any music or lyrics had surfaced. It was too perfect not to include it! The poem tells of a young mermaid who falls in love with a human youth who is of course, unfaithful. Discovering our mermaid broken hearted on a rock, the angels take pity on her and transform her into the first harp, thus explaining the instrument’s melancholy and otherworldly qualities. Tom Nancollas, author of “Seashaken Houses” makes a cameo as the voice of the Angels. The harmony is two chords, which are explored and extorted as the piece unfolds, using extended techniques and interplay between the piano and the harp to capture the mermaid’s transformation.
6. The artwork by Blanche Ellis really suits the mellow mood of this album; did you give much direction on how you wanted it to look?
Blanche is an incredible artist, a deeply intelligent woman and a dear friend of mine. Many of the ideas for this album were explored and honed through long conversations with Blanche about mermaid lore – Selkies in particular. We were both adamant that we wanted to steer clear of the “seductive siren” trope and explore the nuances of exploitation – of women, of ourselves, of our environment and our planet. I think of Blanche as the 6th member of the band. I didn’t give her any direction in regards to what she painted. We just had a conversation and the final result is stunning.
7. You've played with Björk on a number of occasions, what's been a real stand-out memory of the time you've spent with her?
I was filling in for Björk’s harpist, Katie Buckly for a few dates on her 2018 “Utopia” tour. It was a truly incredible time and it all happened very quickly. We met on the set of “Later… with Jools Holland” for Björk’s first television performance in over a decade. She was incredibly warm and gracious. Our show in Barcelona for Primavera Sounds Festival was one of the most special nights of my life, made more so because my husband was able to join me. Underneath the full moon playing to a massive crowd – Björk’s energy engulfed the entire city! Working with her was a masterclass in how to be an artist.
8. You've worked with Disney too! What was the extent of that?
I recorded vocals for “Pandora – World of Avatar” ride at Disney World Resort in Florida. It was great fun being a part of the small Navi choir and layering sounds to create the world of Pandora. We worked at a fast pace, so everyone involved had to be really on the ball. The creative team are top shelf – as you’d expect. Just a joy to be a part of.
9. This year it's been particularly difficult for a performing musician, do you have a dream venue you'd love to play one day?
It really has been tough this year. 90% of my income was from performing and aside from the financial fallout, I really miss it. As far as dream venues go - I have my sights set on Birdland in New York and The Montreal Jazz festival. I also want to play a show at Hamer Hall in my hometown Melbourne - maybe a collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra? Now that would be something! In London, I’m working towards a headliner show at Ronnie’s and The Barbican.
10. Of course the topic of climate change is a myriad of problems that negatively affect the planet, but is there one part of it that you feel more passionate about in particular?
We need to protect our oceans and waterways. Our oceans cover more than 70% of our planet and absorb almost a third of our carbon emissions. They are host to some of the most delicate and diverse ecosystems in the world. We’ve all seen the horror of coral reef bleaching. I was lucky enough to visit The Great Barrier Reef as a child and experience the vibrancy of life it hosts. No amount of money or accumulated wealth can justify the loss of these wild places and extinction of our marine life. We are all connected. The destruction of our planet is the destruction of ourselves.
11. As we enter Lockdown v2.0, have you had time to compose more music over the course of this year, potentially for future release?
Creativity has been a hard one this year. I felt like I dug deep into my personal well to write “Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid”. I felt depleted for much of the year and it takes a time for the inspiration stores to replenish. That being said, I always have a number of ideas bubbling away in the background. One concept has recently started to dominate my thoughts, so it might be time to run the bath again…
--------
References:
Geoscience Australia (2013) Australia’s Mineral Resource Assessment: Coal https://www.ga.gov.au/data-pubs/data-and-publications-search/publications/australian-minerals-resource-assessment/coal#:~:text=Coal%20is%20Australia's%20largest%20energy,that%20produce%20iron%20and%20steel (accessed 21.11.20)
--------
To purchase a copy of Tara Minton’s Please Do Not Ignore The Mermaid, visit her bandcamp page for digital, CD and vinyl copies.
Follow Tara Minton across social media on facebook, instagram and twitter @taramintonmusic.
