Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa

Last updated
Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
Jeremy Dutcher-Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa-cover.jpg
Studio album by
Jeremy Dutcher
ReleasedApril 6, 2018
Recorded2017–2018
StudioUnion Sound, Studio PM
Genre Classical, First Nations music
Length44:20
Label Independent
Producer Jeremy Dutcher, BUFFLO
Jeremy Dutcher chronology
Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa
(2018)		Motewolonuwok
(2023)

Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa is the debut album by Canadian composer and tenor Jeremy Dutcher, released in 2018. [1] The album, featuring post-classical rearrangement of traditional First Nations music, was the winner of the 2018 Polaris Music Prize. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

Dutcher began his academic studies at Dalhousie University studying music but shifted his focus to anthropological research on his Wolastoq community where he grew up. [4]

Guided by the suggestion on a Wolastoqiyik elder, teacher, and song carrier named Maggie Paul he began to study traditional songs which eventually led the classically-trained opera singer to start a research project at the Canadian Museum of History. [5] There he explored an extensive collection of documents, photographs and recordings made by anthropologist William Mechling between 1907 and 1914 when he spent time in indigenous communities documenting the languages and cultures under the assumption they were soon to disappear. [3]

Among the documents, Dutcher focused on transcribing a collection of wax cylinder recordings of Wolastoqiyik people singing their traditional songs. [1]

Originally, Dutcher says he didn't envision the transcriptions being part of an album, but as he spent more time with them at home he began to consider ways to incorporate his musical interests with his historical preservation efforts. He eventually obtained digital copies of the wax cylinder recordings that he listened to on his headphones while riding public transit in Toronto and at home in the dark. [3]

With very little representation of indigenous peoples or cultures in the traditional classical music canon, Dutcher wanted to expose his heritage to the genre, but more importantly to him, he wanted to produce an album which brought the endangered language to new generations of Wolastoqiyik people. [3]

Some of the original wax cylinder recordings are sampled throughout the album.

The lead single, "Mehcinut" features Dutcher singing in his ancestral language before Jim Pauli, a voice from the archival recordings, emerges in the middle of the song to perform with him as the track builds to its crescendo. [3]

Paul's voice is heard on the album track "Eqpahak", stating "when you bring the songs back, you're going to bring the people back, you're going to bring everything back."

The album's cultural context is also reflected in its cover art, which recreates a period scene of an anthropologist recording the songs; on the front cover, Dutcher is depicted sitting in the position of the singer being recorded, while on the back cover he is depicted sitting in the position of the anthropologist. [1]

Promotion

The album was premiered on the Billboard website on April 5, 2018. Dutcher explained during an interview with the magazine that he wanted to counter the "bilingual Anglo-centric Canadian music narrative". [6] The album was fully released on April 6, 2018. Exclaim! rated the album a 9 out of 10. [7]

Track listing

All tracks written and produced by Jeremy Dutcher and BUFFLO.

No.TitleLength
1.Mehcinut4:47
2.Essuwonike5:43
3.Eqpahak3:05
4.Ultestakon3:41
5.'kotuwossomikhal1:59
6.Sakomawit3:32
7.Oqiton3:51
8.Nipuwoltin2:10
9.Pomok naka Poktoinskwes6:10
10.Qonute3:34
11.Koselwintuwakon2:48
Total length:44:20

Personnel

Musicians

Album artwork

Charts

Chart (2018)Peak
position
Canadian Albums ( Billboard ) [8] 83

Awards and nominations

The album was named the winner of the 2018 Polaris Music Prize, and for the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year.

YearAwardCategoryNominee/WorkResultRef
2018 Polaris Music Prize ShortlistedWolastoqiyik LintuwakonawaWon [9]
2019 Juno Award Indigenous Music Album of the Year Wolastoqiyik LintuwakonawaWon [10]

Related Research Articles

Indigenous music of Canada encompasses a wide variety of musical genres created by Aboriginal Canadians. Before European settlers came to what is now Canada, the region was occupied by many First Nations, including the West Coast Salish and Haida, the centrally located Iroquois, Blackfoot and Huron, the Dene to the North, and the Innu and Mi'kmaq in the East and the Cree in the North. Each of the indigenous communities had their own unique musical traditions. Chanting – singing is widely popular and most use a variety of musical instruments.

The Wəlastəkwewiyik, or Maliseet, are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the indigenous people of the Wolastoq valley and its tributaries. Their territory extends across the current borders of New Brunswick and Quebec in Canada, and parts of Maine in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanya Tagaq</span> Canadian Inuk throat singer

Tanya Tagaq, also credited as Tagaq, is a Canadian Inuk throat singer, songwriter, novelist, and visual artist from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq), Nunavut, Canada, on the south coast of Victoria Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Plaskett</span> Canadian singer-songwriter

William Joel MacDonald Plaskett is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was a member of Halifax alternative rock band Thrush Hermit in the 1990s. Plaskett performs in a number of genres, from blues and folk to hard rock, country, and pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shad (rapper)</span> Canadian alternative hip hop artist

Shadrach Kabango, better known as Shad or Shad K, is a Canadian rapper and broadcaster. He has released 7 full-length albums and 3 EP's since his debut in 2005. He won a Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year in 2011 and 5 of his albums have been shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, the most short-list nominations of any artist since the prize's creation in 2006. In 2013, CBC Music named Shad the second-greatest Canadian rapper of all time. Shad hosted Q on CBC Radio One from 2015 to 2016 and hosts the International Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary series Hip-Hop Evolution on HBO Canada and Netflix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Harvey Osmond</span> Musical artist

Lee Harvey Osmond, stylized as LeE HARVeY OsMOND, is a Canadian psychedelic folk project fronted by musician Tom Wilson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Halluci Nation</span> Canadian electronic music group

The Halluci Nation, formerly known as A Tribe Called Red, is a Canadian electronic music group who blend instrumental hip hop, reggae, moombahton and dubstep-influenced dance music with elements of First Nations music, particularly vocal chanting and drumming. Based in Ottawa, Ontario, the group consists of Tim "2oolman" Hill, and Ehren "Bear Witness" Thomas. Former members include co-founder DJ Jon Deck and Dan "DJ Shub" General, who left the band for personal reasons in spring 2014, and was replaced by Hill. Co-founder Ian "DJ NDN" Campeau left the band for health reasons in October 2017, with the band opting to remain a duo for the time being.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Kwenders</span> Congolese-Canadian musician

Pierre Kwenders is the stage name of José Louis Modabi, a Congolese-Canadian musician. His 2014 album Le Dernier empereur bantou was a shortlisted nominee for the Juno Award for World Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2015, and a longlisted nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. Kwenders, who sings and raps in English, French, Lingala and Tshiluba, is noted for blending both African music and western pop music influences, including hip hop and electronic music, into his style.

Weaves is a Canadian indie pop band from Toronto, Ontario, consisting of vocalist Jasmyn Burke, guitarist Morgan Waters, drummer Spencer Cole and bassist Zach Bines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 in Canadian music</span> Overview of the events of 2018 in Canadian music

The following musical events and releases are expected to happen in 2018 in Canada.

iskwē is a Canadian singer-songwriter and activist.

Clairmont II Humphrey, known professionally as Clairmont The Second, is a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. His 2017 album Lil Mont from the Ave received a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2018. He also won the 2019 Prism Prize Hi-Fidelity Award and is a finalist for the 2020 Prism Prize.

Charlotte Day Wilson is a Canadian contemporary R&B singer-songwriter. She came to prominence in the mid-2010s with her single "Work" and collaborations with other Toronto-based artists like BadBadNotGood and Daniel Caesar. Wilson released her debut album Alpha in July 2021.

The 2018 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 17, 2018. The gala was hosted by broadcaster Raina Douris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Dutcher</span> Canadian musician

Jeremy Dutcher is a classically-trained Canadian Indigenous tenor, composer, musicologist, performer and activist, who previously lived in Toronto, Ontario and currently lives in Montréal, Québec. He became widely known for his first album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, which won the 2018 Polaris Music Prize and the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2019 Juno Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snotty Nose Rez Kids</span> First Nations hip hop duo

Snotty Nose Rez Kids are a First Nations hip hop duo composed of Haisla rappers Darren "Young D" Metz and Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce. They are originally from Kitamaat Village, British Columbia. Their 2017 album The Average Savage was shortlisted for the 2018 Polaris Music Prize, and for the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2019. In 2018, the duo received nominations for Best Hip Hop Album at the Indigenous Music Awards, and for Indigenous Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Their third album TRAPLINE was released on May 10, 2019 and was later shortlisted for the 2019 Polaris Music Prize. Their fourth album Life After (2021) was shortlisted for the 2022 Polaris Music Prize and was followed by their fifth album I’M GOOD, HBU? in 2022.

Maggie Paul is an Indigenous Passamaquoddy elder, teacher and song carrier who has travelled around the world to share Maliseet and Passamaquoddy culture. Also a sweat lodge keeper, Maggie Paul is known for her singing, and both performs and records traditional songs. Born in Maine, she has raised six children and lived most of her adult life on the Maliseet St. Mary's First Nation in York County, New Brunswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Stréliski</span> Musical artist

Alexandra Stréliski is a Canadian neo-classical composer and pianist based in Quebec. She has released three albums: Pianoscope (2010), Inscape (2018) and Néo-Romance (2023).

Allison Ho-Sang, who records and performs as a l l i e, is a Canadian rhythm and blues singer and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario.

Aysanabee is an Oji-Cree singer-songwriter from Canada, whose debut album Watin was released in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jeremy Dutcher's Innovative 'Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa' Is Really About the Future". Exclaim! , April 16, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Jeremy Dutcher Wins 2018 Polaris Music Prize". Exclaim! , September 17, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Friend, David (September 17, 2018). "Jeremy Dutcher wins Polaris Music Prize for album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa". The Globe and Mail / The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  4. ↑ Friend, David (April 28, 2018). "Singer Jeremy Dutcher reaches across a century to connect with Wolastoq language". The Toronto Star / The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  5. ↑ "How Jeremy Dutcher Keeps His Ancestors' Language Alive". The Walrus. Retrieved 2018-11-04.
  6. ↑ "Jeremy Dutcher Aims to Disrupt 'Anglo-Centric Music Narrative' With Wolastoq-Language Album: Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  7. ↑ "Jeremy Dutcher Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2018-09-14.
  8. ↑ "Carrie Underwood Achieves 3rd No. 1 Album With 'Cry Pretty'". FYIMusicNews. September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Polaris Music Prize Reveals 2018 Short List". Exclaim! , July 17, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Junos 2019: the complete list of winners". CBC Music, March 16, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.