Today I played piano in the new-look café. It’s quite a different shape and now has a long wooden wall down one side. Everyone said it made the digital piano sound really nice & warm with a rich, full tone much more like an acoustic piano.
A Facebook friend from uni days, flautist & teacher Linda Rossen, turned up with her mother, Iris, and her composer/guitarist son, Max. During my break it was so good to catch up in person. Iris requested Chopin so I played five of my favourite mazurkas. It was very nice to have three pairs of very finely-tuned classical music ears to play for! (Sorry, didn’t get a photo.)
Later my brother Lawrence, and his ladyfriend Lori (direct from Oklahoma City), came in for an organic beef burger. Great to finally meet the lovely Lori in person.
I played a couple of Jones originals: Kuljack and the White Swan (a pas de deux), piano music for ballet which my father composed in 1962 when I was one, and my own Androgyne Prophecy, composed when I was 15/16. Now Lori wants my music for her school teaching so I will have to prioritise my recording project.
See my main site for Classical Sundays at Soul Tree Organic Cafe
Lovely to read makes me nostalgic for cool wintry times in the Perth hills. The wooden wall looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.
I have just been reading one of the Country Women’s Association history books and it refers to the Association commissioning Mr JJ Jones to write verse and music for a ballet, entitled Kuljack and the White Swan, symbolising the integration of peoples in Australia. It was a performed at the Associated Country Women of the World Conference in Melbourne in 1962.
I have checked the CWA of WA Archives database and there is no copy held in the Archives.. Would it be possible for a copy of the music to be available for CWA’s records.
Hi Jocelyn.
Thanks for this! Yes, I will make a photocopy of the work and put it in the snail mail, but I will have to find it (might be in a shed). What’s a good postal address?
I’m fascinated you said “symbolising the integration of peoples in Australia” as that was SO him. He was very ahead of his time in many ways although methinks ‘integration’ as it is understood now would not have been his intent as he was more interested in respecting aboriginal people and culture in their own right.
This work has always been a bit of a mystery to me. I had no idea it was commissioned at all, let alone performed, and I also wonder if there was a co-composer or arranger involved because the harmonic language and musical texture is distinct from his other music.
Can you send me a copy of the relevant page(s) in your history book? I wonder if there are any lyrics or story or stage directions, and more music. Photographs, reviews?
You might like to look at our pages about John and the amphitheatre: http://mixmargaret.com/John_Joseph_Jones_Biog.html http://www.parkerville-amphitheatre.com/
Dear Margaret
We are in the archives again tomorrow – on Tuesday this week we searched the ACWW [that’s the world organisation] boxes and found the concert programme for 1962 – Kuljak and the white swan was the CWA of WA part of the concert. The history book in which it is referenced is called “Her Name Is Woman”. I can send you photocopies of both of these pages if you give me your ‘snail’ address when you find the music. Best address is CWA of WA, PO Box 97 West Perth, 6872 – and address to Archives Committee. That way it will be received and archived carefully. Wonderful – hope it is safe and sound in the shed.
Thank you, Jocelyn for that very interesting story. Yes, the music does exist and it should be kept in various archives where it might even find a new audience? I shall have a look in my feral filing system at home, though it may be where Margaret said, in a storage shed. I knew Kuljak and the White Swan was commissioned for the CWA – World Women’s Conference and that it was performed. It may be that that was why dad came to know Madame Kira Bousloff, the Director of the W.A Ballet Company? Kira collaborated in the season of Corroborees with the Mowanjum Dancers, from near Derby, at the Official Opening of the Parkerville Amphitheatre, in January 1971. I went with Dad to see the ballet at least once in the very early 1960s, around the time of “Kuljak” and remember Dad talking about with various people around that time. I wonder whether Dad’s musical collaborator, one Billy Edwards, living then in Claremont, near MLC, may have been involved? Billy was a music teacher, composer and arranger who helped with Dad’s early songs, when Dad was a Claremont Teachers College and UWA student. I went with Dad a couple of times to Billy’s house and can remember he was a radio and recording enthusiast. I will get back to you when I’ve trawled the labyrinth. Cheers, Lawrence.
Thank you Lawrence – that adds the story; it is amazing when things start to unfold – I just happened to be reading the history book – looking for something else – and thought wow – what a treasure from a very forward thinking person.