I had known Jim since I was a teenager and knew him to be
unusual and charismatic but wondered if the ego might be an issue.
Jeanette assured me "No". ( Jim later admitted there is a problem with
most musicians … Their ‘I’s are too close together. ) A phone call to
Jim led to the first meeting of the Kalamunda offshoot of One Voice.
He said "You get the people and I’ll come up on Saturday afternoons."
There were 96 people on the first day, June 11th
1994. Such was the pull of Jim’s mug shot in the local paper … and lots
of phone calls. For 3 weeks we changed venues, before securing the old
kindy opposite the Post Office which the Shire had done up and called
the Town Square Community Hall. The acoustics were helpful and
the location perfect. We’ve been there ever since.
‘One Voice’ had been going for 18months by this
time
(co-founder, Maria Wilson, had moved on) and the choir graciously
allowed
Jim to share with us 6 of their songs. Sharing songs can be a delicate
business, as some readers will know. As it turns out, these 6 songs are
known very widely now in Perth and Freo as people have carried them to
other choirs:
FREEDOM IS COMING, BAMTATA, ROLL JORDAN,
SOON
I WILL BE DONE
LEAN ON ME and SWING DOWN CHARIOT
Choosing a name for our group was
interesting. ‘Hills Angels’
was popular but already taken. ‘Vox Humana’ scored well but Candy
Gordon’s idea of 'A Kappella Munda' won the ballot
convincingly. We performed with ‘One Voice’ at the Kalamunda ZigZag
Festival (120 of us) and again at the 1995 open-air Christmas concert
in the Town Square
Gardens. It was a thrill to have a shared repertoire up to performance
standard
in 6 months.
When Jim let us know in the following January that he was
not
well and couldn’t lead us any more, the choir was stunned. Just how
unwell
Jim was became clearer the following year. Many of us remember the
beeper
mounted on a mic stand at Faibridge Festival while he performed with
the
Sensitive New Age Cowpersons. Months later the message came and Jim
received
the donated liver that he needed to carry on.
When Jim left A Kappella Munda two thirds of the people
left
also. He had been demanding and intense and very funny. We had had a
ball. His unconventional conducting was inspiring. His ear for pitch,
tone and balance were brilliant.
About 25 people continued, with me leading. This was a
temporary arrangement and a big challenge. Morale was a bit low and
nobody could do it like Jim. Workshops with Fay White from
Melbourne and gospel guru, Tony Backhouse from Sydney, provided
material, some of which we still perform :
STILL BELIEVING, SING TILL THE POWER OF
THE
LORD COMES DOWN
SNJE NJE NJE, UKELELE, THE STORM IS
PASSING
OVER and
UNDER THE FULL MOONLIGHT.
Another song from that time and the first arrangement for
me,
was VOICES. It is still a favourite and something of a signature song
for A Kappella Munda.
By mid 1995 ‘One Voice’ was being directed by Digby Hill
and
Jenny Simpson. We approached Digby to lead us as well. That was 9 years
ago. We have all changed and grown in confidence and musicality.
Digby’s
gentle leadership has been great for our choir. Socially we are a very
cohesive group. People come and go and some of the newer people have
brought wonderful energy and personality to the choir. Having Digby’s
bouncy, reliable and kind presence out front has been a huge factor in
our success as a community choir. His knowledge of Early Music and
African
songs has played an important part in forming A Kappella Munda’s
character.
We also sing many of his arrangements of contemporary songs and a
couple of his own compositions.
People find great comfort from singing each week. The joy
that springs from singing with all sorts of people who feel likewise,
leads to a great sense of community.
In the beginning we had a policy of not frightening people
with notation. We wanted anybody off the street to come and have a
weekly sing without feeling they had to read music or pass an audition.
Now we have the same attitude but over time we’ve agreed that it is
sometimes a lot more efficient if someone has the notes written down!
Many people are much happier with the notes.
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We gratefully acknowledge the support provided by the
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