2023 Interviews - Ryan Williams & Rodney Waterman, The Recorder Co-op

Interview with Rodney Waterman & Ryan Williams on their new album Duo Windborne: Venus Bay fireside Sessions

Ryan Williams and Rodney Waterman, Duo Windborne, love to improvise on recorders together. They first performed in concert as a duo in December 2016 and have since published videos (YouTube) of their collaborations. Venus Bay Fireside Sessions’ is the first album released by Duo Windborne.

The album was recorded by the fireside on a freezing, wet and wintry long weekend, in a warm, friendly abode (Atherton Drive), Venus Bay, South Gippsland (Bunurong Country), Victoria, Australia, May 6-8, 2023.

Despite the wild weather, the coastal scenery was overwhelmingly stark and stunning, as the album cover image depicts. When not recording, Ryan and Rodney made time each day to enjoy walks along the beach at Point Smythe. Sea Eagles, Pacific Gulls and Oyster Catchers were commonly seen along the way. The sunsets and dramatic storm cloud formations were spectacular and humbling.

Duo Windborne seek out instrument pairings they enjoy, and improvise freely, with few structural preconceptions. The track titles, all relate to their wider Venus Bay experience, and were chosen after the recordings were made.

Alex Joly had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan and Rodney for their upcoming album launch.

Alex: How did the concept of Venus Bay Fireside Sessions come about? What inspired you to embark on this particular recording project?

Ryan: We’d been dreaming of recording an album for a long while as a duo and jumped at the opportunity to have some time away to focus on this. It was pretty chilly, so we were indoors mostly. Listen out for the fire crackling in the background on some of the tracks. It was a great way to rekindle our improvisation practice after a long break from playing together due to Covid lockdowns and other big life events.

Rod: Initially we wanted to experiment with recording improvisations in outdoor locations such as by lakes, the beach, in caves, and in other acoustics such as the brickworks of the South Walkerville Lime Kilns. The weather was so cold, windy and wet, that we decided to focus on indoor recording, by the fireside! This video gives some idea of the chilly temperature. 

Alex: Could you share insights into your improvisation methods during the recording process? How did the surroundings and weather at Venus Bay influence your musical improvisations?

Rod: We are very comfortable with the free improvisation process. We like to bounce off each other musically, and both of us enjoy rhythmic groove and playful transitions and syncopations. Ryan is a fearless, inventive real time composer, and it’s exciting to venture down experimental and unplanned musical pathways with him. We could always hear the distant roar of the wild sea and went for many walks, well rugged, along the beach and coastal headlands.

Ryan: Sometimes we’d use a word or an image to spark inspiration to begin an improvisation. Sometimes we’d focus on a tempo or style by stating it to one another before beginning. We’d often just take turns on who would start, sometimes beginning together. The great thing about working with Rod is being able to quickly lock into a common idea, especially groove based. I was often trying to focus on super simple clear melodies in these sessions, and some of them made it onto the album.

Alex: What were the most memorable moments or challenges you faced while recording the Venus Bay Fireside Sessions? How did these experiences shape the overall tone of the album?

Rod: When we were tired at times during our 3 days of recording (May 6-9, 2023), it was wonderful to have such immediate access to the Venus Bay environment. The dramatic storm cloud sunsets were amazing. Watching low flying sea eagles was awesome. We felt inspired being immersed in such a beautiful and stunning natural setting.

Ryan: Definitely a challenge was getting the fire started in the first place. We ended up getting the place pretty cooking by the second day, going through a ton of wood. There was even a moment when it became a little too toasty inside, but a quick blast of the Antarctic sea air outside woke us up.

Alex: You mentioned that the track titles relate to your wider Venus Bay experience. Could you walk us through the process of selecting these titles after the recordings were made?

Rod: We made a long list of all the places and things we saw or experienced. As we listened back to the tracks afterwards we assigned what we thought were appropriate title associations with those names listed. For example, “Pippies” (title of Track 4) are small clam-like bi-valves (shellfish) that are very abundant on the Venus Bay foreshore. There are an abundance of flourishing notes in this improvisation. “Fish Creek Fugue” (Track 3) has a structure like a fugue, and we just liked the alliteration of ‘Fish’ and ‘Fugue’. ‘Numb Fingers’ is self-explanatory! Our fingers ‘froze’ a few times when recording outdoors in the cold weather.

Alex: How did your collaboration together contribute to the recording and mixing process of the album? Could you share some insights into working together as musicians?

Ryan: Rod amazingly led the recording process. He did a great job of the studio engineering and the mixing. Once we got to the mixing process we had way too much material, and probably only about one quarter of the total material actually made it onto the final record. It was quite the process to choose what we wanted, but the golden ones shone through pretty clearly in the end. All the tracks on the album are exactly how we recorded them live without any extra editing, except for the first, Silvereyes, which is an amalgamation of the best bits from a longer improvisation.

Alex: With the album set for release, could you tell us more about the BandCamp launch and the decision to offer a pre-order option for the physical CD?

Rod: The digital album ($10) will be released exclusively on BandCamp on Saturday Dec 9th, with the option of pre-ordering the CD. The price of a CD pre-order ($17.95 + P&P) includes an immediate digital download of the entire album followed by postal delivery of the physical CD when it is released in March 2024.

Here is the album download link (active on Dec 9): https://rodneywaterman.bandcamp.com/album/venus-bay-fireside-sessions

Ryan: We’re delaying the launch of the physical CD until next year so we can launch the album live at a slightly less busy time of year. Stay tuned on when and where the launch will be!

Alex: Since your first concert in 2016 at Montsalvat, how do you feel Duo Windborne's music has evolved, especially in this album, compared to your earlier performances and recordings?

Rod: After the bleak Pandemic years regarding ensemble opportunities, the Venus Bay Fireside Sessions gave us a chance to musically reconnect and rebuild the skills and experiences we were developing before then. Our last performance together prior to the Pandemic was April 2020 at Kangaroo Ground, Victoria, with the smoke haze of East Gippsland bush fires ever present (click here for video).

Ryan: It was great to feel the comfort of listening and responding with Rod after such a long break from playing together due to Covid lockdowns and other big life events. You never know what’s going to happen with freely improvised music, so it always feels fresh and new. However, there is a great strength to draw from in having built up a playing friendship and kinship over a long period of time. This project was definitely about reconnecting, but also about showcasing the different instrument combinations we love working with. To honour our time improvising together we’ve also included a recording from our first performance as the last track on the album.

Alex: When and how did you guys first meet?

Rod: Ryan recently told me his mum took him along to an everybody-in, all-ages public recorder workshop I conducted in 1998 in the forecourt of the Vic Arts Centre after a gig I did there with guitarist Doug de Vries. Ryan must have been 7 or 8 yrs old. The workshop was called Aspiring and it focused on improvisation.

Alex: Looking ahead, what can fans and listeners expect from Duo Windborne? Are there any upcoming projects or themes you're excited to explore in your music?

Ryan: Getting outside again. We love listening and responding to the world around us, so expect some more videos on location. We also had fun being inspired by Mandy Gunn’s artworks exhibited near Venus Bay. So expect some more live performances responding to artworks. Check out the video we did in Mandy’s Gallery.

Rod: Planning concerts where we move from place to place and take the audience with us.

During their collaboration, Ryan and Rodney were delighted to meet local visual artist, Mandy Gunn, in her gallery at Tarwin Lower, and to improvise in response to some of her beautiful paintings, captured on video here.

Venus Bay fireside Sessions was recorded and mixed by Rodney Waterman and Ryan Williams and mastered by Mischa Herman. It will be released on December 9 exclusively on Band Camp, with the option of pre-ordering the CD which will be released early next year.

The price of a CD pre-order ($17.95) includes an immediate digital download of the entire album followed by postal delivery of the physical CD when it is released in March 2024.

Band Camp link will be available here on the 9 of December.
https://rodneywaterman.bandcamp.com/album/venus-bay-fireside-sessions

Duo Windborne - recorder players Ryan Williams and Rodney Waterman - first performed in concert in 2016 in the Bluestone Chapel, Montsalvat, playing a mix of baroque music, intersected with episodic, reflective improvisations. Since then, they performed in concert at the Boîte World Music Cafe (2019) and have released many video recordings of their music. They plan to release their first album, Duo Windborne; Venus Bay Fireside Sessions, in late 2023.

For more interviews with Rodney and Ryan click here.

To check out more of Rodney’s CD recordings and music click here.

Interview with The Recorder Co-Op

On Halloween evening Ben Hoadley, a special guest member of the Recorder Co-op, exclaimed, "I've put its head on the dining table and the body in the kitchen," as he left rehearsals for their upcoming concert, "Meditation & Fire". Laughter erupted from the ensemble as they observed Ben and Ryan attempting to disassemble an enormous F contra renaissance recorder, which is as large as a tree. Manoeuvring it carefully around light fixtures and through doorways is quite the spectacle, with Ruth’s dining room table covered in recorders of every size.

They are rehearsing for a concert this Sunday, November 5th, at 3 PM, the Eleventh Hour Fitzroy. The Recorder Co-op, featuring ensemble members Ruth Wilkinson, Ryan Williams, Hannah Coleman, and Alexandra Bailliet-Joly, are coming together for a beautiful performance blending Renaissance music and contemporary repertoire. This year, they are thrilled to welcome the accomplished bassoonist and recorder player, Ben Hoadley, with whom they will showcase a unique set of recorders.

The ensemble will perform on a set of matched recorder consorts generously donated to the University of Melbourne by Terry Simmons, and built by Danish recorder maker Ture Bergstrøm. The use of these exquisite instruments promises an unforgettable musical experience.

Sunday's performance has long been a dream for the ensemble. As Ryan Williams expressed, "Playing European Renaissance 5-part consort music was one of the initial ideas behind starting the Recorder Co-Op. After years of refining our group sound, investing in new recorders, and curating numerous 4-part consort performances, it's incredibly gratifying to finally bring 5-part music to our audience. A heartfelt thank you to Ben Hoadley for joining us and making this concert possible. It's time to immerse ourselves in the comforting embrace of the sonorous recorder sounds."

A few years ago, the ensemble successfully crowd-funded a Bb Renaissance recorder to enhance their collection, enabling them to tune in fifths while playing. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, they are excited to unveil this exceptional addition now.

Hannah Coleman expressed her excitement, saying, "I'm thrilled to be finally presenting our five-part concert. We first conceived this idea pre-COVID, so it has been a long time in the making. I'm especially enthusiastic about combining our Bb bass with the C bass and F bass, alongside lower instruments in the top voices. This instrument combination has been a part of our imagination for a while, and it's wonderful to bring it to life. We believe it works beautifully!" Don't miss this remarkable performance that has been years in the making."

Ruth Wilkinson, (unfazed by the recorders all over the rehearsal floor and dining room table), added, "Playing with the Recorder Co-Op is a great musical pleasure for me. I am blessed to be working with wonderful talented colleagues, to have access to a very special consort of matched instruments and now being able to extend our range, and repertoire with our guest Contrabass player, Ben Hoadley. What could be more satisfying than the sound of five recorders blending harmoniously together? "

Its a busy month for the ensemble, as the weekend after, the ensemble are holding a workshop for players aged 5-21 with the Melbourne Recorder Academy, enrolments close this Sunday for those who might be interested in attending.