Shabaka & Hand to Earth

Hand to Earth’s latest project and album, Ŋurru Wäŋa, traces notions of home, belonging, and displacement. In the two parts of the title track, Sunny Kim intones the words of Korean poet Yoon Dong Ju’s poem Another Home, in counterpoint to Daniel Wilfred’s song, sung in the Wagliläk language. Ŋurru Wäŋa translates as “the scent of home,” and as we travel we long for that fragrance, passing the bee, guku, making the bush honey while the crow circles calling overhead.This theme—this search for a sense of belonging—is at the heart of what drives Hand to Earth, a group of five people who come together from different backgrounds, different birthplaces, and different musical approaches to share our songs, and by doing that to create something new. The pieces on this album map our respective journeys into the now and express the relationships that have developed within Hand to Earth over the years we have traveled and played together.For this special concert with Shabaka we deepen this dialogue around belonging, displacement, and connection to include his voice. It seems very natural to be exploring these themes with him as his music is restlessly creative and driven by a curiosity that seems very aligned with the creative conversation we pursue in Hand to Earth.Tonight’s program includes material from Hand to Earth’s three previous albums and some new material developed collaboratively with Shabaka.—Peter Knight