New Yorker Max ZT, aka the ‘Jimi Hendrix of the hammered dulcimer’ (NPR), and ‘Sensational’ (BBC 6 Music) Black Country tunesmith Dan Whitehouse will reunite for the third time, touring their critically-acclaimed album “Ten Steps” to 10 venues across the UK in June.
This collaboration fuses virtuosic instrumental mastery with soulful song and spoken word, drawing on Dan’s experiences living in Tokyo, Japan. Grammy-nominated Max ZT’s compositional style takes cues from an array of influences, from his training with the Cissokho griot family in Senegal and santoor master Pandit Shivkumar Sharma in India, to his deep love of Irish folk.
“Our album and our show incorporate elements of improvisation, because we are trying to live in the now as much as possible,” says Max. “Musically speaking, that’s enlightenment. That’s the real deal”.
Dan’s mellifluous vocal and delicate melodies deliver lyrics inspired by themes of fatherhood, his life in Japan and golf swings as a metaphor for life. His carefully wrought, sometimes improvised words, plus Max’s playing, aim to elevate audiences to new musical planes. “Ten Steps is about tapping into the mood of the present moment, going with the flow,” says
Dan. “After four years of playing together, we’re more fluid and in-sync than ever.”
The pair first met online during Covid (Max was in Brooklyn, and Dan was stranded in Japan) through the international folk music project Global Music Match. ”Like online dating for musicians,” jokes Dan. “It was interesting how effortless our song writing collaboration was, from the start.” Alongside material from their 2023 debut album “Ten Steps”, Max and Dan also bring pieces from their solo repertoire.
Ahead of their tour, the pair have released a soul-stirring live version “Hammerhead” from “Ten Steps. Hammerhead (live) was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s iconic Real World Studios.
The inspiration behind “Hammerhead” comes from a deeply personal experience: Dan observing his young son playing with a friend in the shadow of the Hammerhead Pier at Minatomirai, Yokohama, shortly after a return to Japan from the UK [he lives between the two countries.]
The pier itself, a striking and resilient structure built in England during the Industrial Revolution and shipped to Yokohama, serves as a symbolic anchor amidst a sea of change. The port has a different purpose now, with restaurants bars and a hotel serving tourists and locals with spectacular sunset views for diners. “Hammerhead” is an exploration of strength and fragility – how memories and physical structures endure, weathering all storms, while life’s more fleeting moments unfold.
“In Tokyo Bay, I sometimes discover things that reveal connections to home,” Dan says. “One such thing is the Hammerhead pier at Minatomirai. The port has changed, but the strong, steely grey structure remains – well-worn, but weathering all storms. It represented a striking contrast to the light, fun, and colorful vibrations of youth and fashion that surround it now.
“I wrote these words with gentle brushstrokes, as I watched my son play in its shadow, feeling the weight of being apart and the tenderness of reconnection. Living apart from my son is challenging, and days close to departure and arrival can be the most affecting.”
Max ZT brings his signature improvisational skills to the track, weaving atmospheric and meditative textures around Dan’s vocals.
- Read our 2023 **** review of “Ten Steps”, here: https://musicrepublicmagazine.com/2023/11/max-zt-dan-whitehouse-ten-steps-want-to-know-records-out-now/
Photo by Pete Millson
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