Dr Richard Nunns — Nga taonga puoro, traditional Maori musical instruments

Richard Nunns – Performer on Maori musical instruments

Later… I heard Maori instrument genius Richard Nunns and Philippino flute player Benecio Sokong in subtle improvisations Lindis Taylor, Dominion Post, 2007

Richard Nunns is a living authority on nga taonga puoro (Maori traditional musical instruments). He has been described as one of New Zealand’s most remarkable musicians.

His thorough and sensitive research has provided a wealth of information around the sounds, history and stories of these taonga, ensuring their preservation for future generations.

He has received national and international recognition as he takes the instruments into conversation, discussion and collaboration with different cultures and musical genres.

2011

Richard as had one of his busiest year’s yet, including 5 major international tours, and virtually continuous work In New Zealand. See his biography. All the while managing Parkinson’s disease.
“With respect to my wobbles, I’m in pretty good health right now, what I am doing is holding the Parkinson’s at a plateau. I’m still doing the business around the world in front of thousands.”
“The business” is simple. Traditional Maori instruments are being used as cultural markers all around us, with fragments of it on television screens and radiowaves, and in performances with a wide range of musicians nationally and internationally.
“They are the soundscape of New Zealand, now. People think they won’t know them but they do. They are sounds that could only have come from Aotearoa. They are the markers of knowing New Zealand, of knowing our language.
One of the highlights for 2011occurred while in Patagonia to work on the Latitude 35 South project Richard had a rather extraordinary musical encounter with whales.
“They go to this one particular spot to have their babies. Just over 200 metres from shore there were around 70 to 90 of them. There were so many of them, after a while, rather facetiously it got boring. We were out there, looking at the whales and I decided to play some of the instruments. The whales were lying motionless and then I played the bone flute and four huge whales rose up and started looking at me. It was pretty amazing.”
Forthcoming in 2012 will be a return trip to London with the NZSQ in March when they will perform at Kings Place. Following this he will participate in a New Zealand contribution to the Music Scene in Los Angeles. On the local scene, he will be performing with Nga Tae at Sounds Aotearoa in New Plymouth in March, and the Erupt Lake Taupo Festival in May.