Archive for year: 2017

Richard has arrived in Paraguay for two concerts. The first is with harpist Ismael Ledesma to play a gig at the Japanese Cultural Centre this Friday night. The concert is to mark Ismael’s 35 years of globetrotting performances and also to launch the new duo album “Ledesma y Durrant”.

The second performance is Richard’s solo concert on Tuesday at the Fausto Cultural. Preceded by a master class on the Monday, this solo concert will be Richard’s first in Paraguay since November 2013. The gig will include works by Paraguayan composers Agustin Barrios, Juan Duarte and Felipe Sosa.

A couple of days before Richard left for Paraguay there were large scale protests in the capitol Asuncion. Crowds took to the streets to rally against President Cartes’ intention to change the country’s constitution allowing the possibility of a second term of office for elected Presidents. The Congress was set on fire and one protester was killed in the demonstration. All this is happening at a time when Paraguay is enjoying record growth and prosperity.

Richard says:

“I was shocked by how much this city has changed in three and a half years. There are finished, new buildings everywhere with new roads and an air of change. I did venture into the town on my first night where large numbers of protesters were gathering – but this was a peaceful demonstration led by the young people of Asuncion.

On the way back to my hotel I bumped into Cristobal Pedersen (father of harpist and composer Kike Pedersen) and we ended up sitting on the roof of the hotel looking out across the city listening to the singing of the protesters.”

Richard’s eventful visit continued wth a press conference hosted by the French Embassy (Ismael lives in Paris) and attended by the French Ambassador, Jean-Christophe Potton and British Ambassador Jeremy Hobbs along with large numbers of journalists.

Richard continues:

“The general feeling at the press conference, voiced by several folks, was that playing music and involvement in the arts was more important than ever in the current climate. I suppose with the seriousness of political change at home and abroad some people may scoff at this – but I have seen the reality of what music can give to a community whether in the remotest parts of Perù, in the craziness of Paraguay or back home in our own fractured country. I’m very glad to be a musician at this time.”

Listen to a sample track from the new album:

Durrant y Ledesma is available from our online shop as downloadable mp3 files as well as studio mastering quality 96-24 files in FLAC or ALAC album zip format – or as a physical CD.

The No 26 Bus to Paraguay

Richard’s new book contains eleven, previously unreleased, beautiful new guitar pieces plus the story of how a number 26 Brighton bus took the musician Richard Durrant all the way to Paraguay.

 

In recent years, the great two-wheeled eco-warrior Richard Durrant has cycled over 3,000 miles playing his famous Cycling Music concerts around England and Scotland.

So how did all this begin?

During an average year of playing concerts Richard travels 35,000 miles, which is why he undertakes much of his spring and summer touring on a bicycle carrying his stage show in his panniers and trailer. Being conscious of his disgracefully large carbon footprint, he decided back in 2014 it was time to pay something back to the environment by creating Cycling Music.

Cycling Music has become a huge success with tours in 2014 and 2015 during which he cycled the length and breadth of England and Scotland towing a cycle trailer behind him containing the entire show to over 50 venues complete with guitars, music and projection equipment.  

In 2014, Cycling Music raised money for The Big C charity, based in Norwich. The following year he cycled and gigged from Sussex to the Isle of Skye, and raised money for CDF, the Cyclists’ Defence Fund.

His album Cycling Music was created especially for the tours and was featured by the BBC during their coverage of Le Tour 2014. He also appeared on ITV’s Cycle Show talking about his tours and the challenges and experiences he faced enroute.

Have a listen to some of the amazing music from the Cycling Music album in Richard’s online shop where you can also buy the CD or download tracks from the album.

Richard is spending most of February in his studio writing some exciting, new music for the year ahead, but will soon be emerging to give three talks about bicycles and music! These will be given at U3A’s (University of the 3rd Age) in the south east – one in Tenterden and two in Brighton. 

But what about plans for a third Cycling Music UK tour in 2017? Richard says: “I suspect that revisiting my pedal powered adventures will result in another plan to get back in the saddle. Any excuse will do…just hearing the music makes my legs twitch.”