Peter Wockner's interview with South African flautist

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

Wouter Kellerman

August 2011

Musician Wouter Kellerman is widely considered to be South Africa’s foremost flautist. Kellerman started playing the flute at age 10; becoming the principle flautist of the South African National Youth Orchestra and in 1981 he appeared as a soloist with the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra.

He went on to feature in several South African orchestras, scooping musical accolades along the way. Among these was winning the ‘Perrenoud Foundation Prize’ during the 1997 Vienna International Music Competition.

Kellerman’s flute can also be heard on the soundtrack of the Emmy Award-winning film Eye of the Leopard.

Using his classical training as a foundation, Kellerman has branched out into more contemporary avenues, focusing his attention on world music, exploring the versatility of his instrument and fusing classical and contemporary sounds, resulting in a potent and thrilling musical encounter.

Taking his crossover world music to a global audience, Kellerman has performed in cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Melbourne, Sydney, Shanghai, Berlin and New York. In South Africa he has worked with leading artists such as JB Arthur, Mauritz Lotz, Nianell, Chris Chameleon, Salome Sechele and David Matamela. Kellerman also performed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup closing ceremony to a global television audience of 700-million people.

Wouter is passionate about helping children, and actively supports the SOS Children’s Villages [www.sos-childrensvillages.org]. He has sponsored the living expenses of a house with ten children in the SOS Children’s Village in Ennerdale, Johannesburg for the last 12 years and has also financed the building of a house in the SOS Children’s Village in Rustenburg.

He has been nominated by SOS Children’s Villages for the Inyathelo Special Recognition Award for Philanthropy. Wouter continues to facilitate the teaching of young dance and music students.

Wouter’s bridge across the genres into a more contemporary music world has been very well received; both in his homeland and internationally, with his debut release Colour being nominated for a SAMA (South African Music Award, the South African equivalent of the Grammys) in the ‘Best Instrumental Album’ category.

Inspired by styles and cultures drawn from South Africa and around the world, Colour featured African, Latin, jazz and Celtic sounds, with classical inflections. The album was also released in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Australia, where he combined the release with a nationwide tour, which included a support slot on Johnny Clegg’s Down Under Tour.

Kellerman also released the acclaimed album in the USA, where his music videos had been play listed. The album was mixed in Los Angeles by Grammy-winning Husky Hoskulds, who has worked with the likes of Norah Jones and Sheryl Crow.

Colour showcased Kellerman’s flexibility as a musician. It reached the number 1 spot on the South African Classic FM charts and one of South Africa’s biggest newspapers, ‘The Citizen’, gave Colour the highest rating it has ever given an album. The album was also featured as ‘Afro Beat Album of the Week’ on New Style Radio in Birmingham, UK.

Now an exhilarating brew of multicultural delights awaits music lovers when Two Voices, the new album from Wouter Kellerman, is launched in Australia. Two Voices recently won the 2011 South African Music Awards (the SA equivalent of the Grammy and Aria) for ‘Best Instrumental Album’.

Kellerman has spent the past couple of years cooking up several potent compositions with an array of top South African and African artists – and Two Voices is the result. “I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some amazing musicians over the last two years, and have captured those collaborations in ‘Two Voices’,” says Kellerman. “My focus was to connect with the roots of the music and let the essence of the song shine through.”

Some of the best vocal and instrumental talent in South Africa worked with Wouter to create the album. Among the artists are Senegalese singer and percussionist Lamine Sonko, guitarist Paul Carlos, bassist and singer Phresh Makhene, songbird Nianell and pianist Wessel van Rensburg.

Each musician brought their own energy to the project, resulting in an album that serves up a variety of aural gems: from traditional Senegalese songs to tango-inspired numbers, from South African sounds and rhythms to Irish influences. Kellerman co-produced ‘Two Voices’ with veteran producer JB Arthur, and travelled to Los Angeles to again mix the album with Hoskulds.

Listeners are in for a treat as Kellerman demonstrates why he is regarded as one of the most musically adventurous world-music proponents, who keeps his sound fresh and progressive by incorporating a fusion of influences and styles into his songs.

At the Australian album launch shows, expect to experience an exciting fusion of musical elements and influences emanating from Kellerman’s flute and his terrific band. Audiences will see just why the recording of his live performance on ‘Kellerman Colour Live’ won the 2010 SA Music Award for Best Jazz/Instrumental/Popular Classical DVD.

The highly anticipated Two Voices will be launched by Kellerman and his band on Thursday, 4th August at 8pm at Notes in Sydney and Saturday 13th August at 8pm at the Thornbury theatre in Melbourne.

Don’t miss the chance to experience this vibrant ensemble live.

Peter Wockner:

One of the first things that stood out from your album Two Voices was the influence of Irish music on you and the way you blended the sound with African rhythms. Where does your Irish influence come from?

Wouter Kellerman:

I have always listened to a wide range of music - particularly African, Classical, Irish, Tango and Flamenco music and when one starts writing your own music those influences show themselves in the results. Somehow there is a connection between Irish and African music, which I have enjoyed exploring..

PW:

While the flute is traditionally an orchestral instrument, there is also (along with whistles) a very grounded or folk feeling to the instrument and not only in the sound but the fact that it is virtually as portable as the human voice. What is it about the flute that attracts you?

WK:

I like the idea of using breath to express myself, and I think that makes it more accessible to the listener. The flute is also a very versatile instrument – one can make a beautiful classical sound, a jazzy or funky sound, use extended techniques like beat boxing, using the sound of the pads as percussive elements and more – there is a huge palette of colours available to you.

PW:

Your latest release Two Voices allows you ample opportunity to improvise on your instrument. Do you take any inspiration from jazz artists in your playing or composing?

WK:

Not particularly, but I suppose there are some influences there.. I try and keep the music simple and to speak from the heart and not to intellectualise the music.

PW:

What can Australian audiences expect from a Wouter Kellerman performance?

WK:

Joining me on tour shows is the Senegalese singer and percussionist Lamine Sonko, the South African bassist and vocalist Phresh Makhene and guitarist Ben Hauptmann. Audiences can expect a fusion of African, Irish and Tango influences and exotic elements like talking drums and water percussion.

PW:

Your album Two Voices won the South Africa Music Award for Best Instrumental Album. In South Africa what impact does an award such as this have on your career?

WK:

There is quite a lot of media attention that goes hand in hand with the award, so it does help to introduce the music to new audiences. The award is very much respected among musicians, and I think winning also plants the seeds for future collaborations.

PW:

I’ve never particularly like the term ‘cross-over’ artist but I can understand how a term like this might describe a sound such as yours that encompasses elements of pop, folk, world music from various continents. Can you recall some real life audience reactions to your music that might best portray that your music indeed knows no cultural boundaries?

WK:

Yes, we’ve performed very widely in the last few years and I am always amazed at how well the music is accepted by very different cultures. In particular we performed in Shanghai in October last year and we were very encouraged at how appreciative the audiences were over there. We’ve found that music can indeed cross cultural and colour barriers when it comes from the heart!