Delmae

Nora and I finally got the chance to hear Delmae Barton sing. It's been a long time coming. We first performed with her son William in 2002 when the Cathedral Band played the Brisbane Powerhouse. And Nora first spoke to Delmae on the phone when William came to New York to visit us in 2003. Since then, we've performed with and heard William a number of times, but we've never had a chance to hear his mother sing. William, in case you don't know, is Australia's premiere didgeridoo player. A native of Mt. Isa, he's been traveling the world for years. In fact, he was in India when we returned to Brisbane this trip and he only arrived back in town an hour before he was to play for the Yalari Foundation Benefit. The Benefit was a bronze casting demonstration of a piece by Fiona Foley and William provided the music for the occasion. Unexpectedly, even to his mother, he ask her to sing with him. The experience was magical. There we were, in an old cavern of a warehouse on the outskirts of town, with William playing the didgeridoo and Delmae singing. Delmae, who is known as a dreamtime singer, sang a piece she called Healing the Earth. Her voice soared over the didgeridoo and her hands, moving like birds, fluttered and danced, often above her head. It sounded timeless; you had the feeling you had never heard a song like this before. Or maybe you had. Anyway, it was over way too fast. I hope we get another chance to hear her again soon. She has promised to “sing across the river” for us the next time we all go to dinner at Jellyfish. But for now, hearing her impromptu performance in the warehouse was enough. Thanks, Delmae; it was really special.