Gurrumul For U.S. Return

Following the strong response to Australian indigenous singer-songwriter Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s first visit to the United States, talks have begun for a return visit.

Promo shot

Shy and speaking little English, Gurrumul seldom moves or speaks onstage. Rather he allows his bassist and producer, Michael Hohnen, to explain the songs or get crowds to imitate bird calls from the Northern Territory, where Yunupingu resides in a remote community.

But what he does is have audiences and critics spellbound with an angelic, soaring voice.

Gurrumul’s six-date visit booked through Ron Kaplan at Monterey International began April 24 at the New Orleans Jazz Festival. A sold-out date at NYC’s SubCulture April 29 was co-presented by Quincy Jones, who called him “unbelievable.” Its final shows are May 6 at El the Rey Theatre in Los Angeles and May 9 at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, Calif.

Hohnen told Pollstar that Americans experiencing Gurrumul live brought “a flood of calls. “Gurrumul is by no means a mainstream artist, so we were not expecting that kind of attention but New York and New Orleans were received way beyond my expectations.”

The second tour will be a new show, based on material Gurrumul and Hohnen worked on for a 2013 run in Australia with orchestras. This new material will come after a gospel record to be released late 2015.