Jeremy Dutcher is set to blend traditional songs of the Wolastoq First Nation with post-classical arrangements with the arrival of his debut LP, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa. Ahead of the album's arrival, he's shared a taste of what's to come with "Mehcinut."
The album's opening track, which can be heard below, was built around an archival recording Dutcher came upon while transcribing wax cylinders at the Canadian Museum of Natural History. Through his work, Dutcher discovered ancestral voices singing forgotten songs generations ago.
"You are able to hear a speech by Jim Paul about death and what comes after, which ends the piece," Dutcher said of the track. "The lyrics, 'Ya-ni-gwe-do', are likely vocables, but could also be an older form of language no longer spoken."
He continued, "I'm doing this work because there's only about a hundred Wolastoqey speakers left. It's crucial for us to make sure that we're using our language and passing it on to the next generation. If you lose the language, you're not just losing words; you're losing an entire way of seeing and experiencing the world from a distinctly indigenous perspective."
Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa is set to arrive April 6.
The album's opening track, which can be heard below, was built around an archival recording Dutcher came upon while transcribing wax cylinders at the Canadian Museum of Natural History. Through his work, Dutcher discovered ancestral voices singing forgotten songs generations ago.
"You are able to hear a speech by Jim Paul about death and what comes after, which ends the piece," Dutcher said of the track. "The lyrics, 'Ya-ni-gwe-do', are likely vocables, but could also be an older form of language no longer spoken."
He continued, "I'm doing this work because there's only about a hundred Wolastoqey speakers left. It's crucial for us to make sure that we're using our language and passing it on to the next generation. If you lose the language, you're not just losing words; you're losing an entire way of seeing and experiencing the world from a distinctly indigenous perspective."
Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa is set to arrive April 6.