Lonnie Holley Live In Naarm

Filled and served by spirit

Lonnie Holley. A life lived through darkness and pain. At 74 years old the light that emanates from this man on stage is bright and lively. His eyes are ablaze and his thoughts come rumbling from his heart and out through his words and music.

This was a night that felt like ceremony. Holley was preceded by Moor Mother (Camae Ayewa) who chanted and spoke and banged out her messages. There was this life force that was strong, hard, angry and positive that came from her performance. It was downright spiritual. I was lost in the sounds.

Moor Mother was joined by the other members of the collective Irreversible Entanglements.  Besides Ayewa the collective is made up of drummer Tcheser Holmes, trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, saxophonist Keir Neuringer, and bassist Luke Stewart. Improvisational free jazz and the spoken word throughout the evening were mesmerising. The interplay between the trumpet and the sax can be heard here in this short video.

Holley’s story is one of deep trauma. The story goes he was one of 27 children and was traded for a bottle of whiskey at the age of 4. His artistic life did not commence until 1979 when he was nearly 30. His early work was mostly visual arts and he did not release any recorded works until 2012.

Check out this interview with Sarah Ferguson from his visit here in 2023. Dig deep into his words and thoughts.

People left moved. People were changed by this art.

Pay attention to Mr. Holley and the other artists here. Their art tells a story that some of us have never heard.

Listen up.