Music / “Songs for Freedom”. At Llewellyn Hall, September 9. Reviewed by GRAHAM MCDONALD.

BIG hART describe themselves as “content producers… authentic, high-quality art made by professionals, with communities”.

Over the past 30 years the organisation has created community-based art works in more than 50 communities across the country.

“Songs for Freedom” comes out of Roebourne, WA, 1500 kilometres north of Perth in the Pilbara district and brings together a concert of original songs, a documentary film and a campaign to highlight the massive overrepresentation of young indigenous people in WA jails.

The inspiration for the project was the death 40 years ago of 16-year-old John Pat in Roebourne Jail, an event that triggered the various “deaths in custody” enquiries over past decades. Some members of the Pat family are part of the touring ensemble.

The concert is based around an album released earlier this year by the Freedom Collective, a group led by pedal steel guitar player Lucky Oceans with a rotating cast of singers mostly from the Pilbara and Kimberly districts of WA.

In addition to Oceans, the band is David Hyams on electric guitar (who is also associate musical director), acoustic rhythm guitar, keyboards, bass, drums and percussion. The band spread themselves across the stage with a couch on one side for a multi-generational group women from the Roebourne community who were the chorus.

The songs come from local country singers Fred Ryan and John Bennett, keyboard player Jay Jerome, the MC Patrick Churnside from Roebourne, the rhythm guitarist and several of the elder women along with guests Emma Donovan and Kutcha Edwards. A highlight was a song from one of the older women, a blues shuffle ,which had the audience on their feet with the singer having a great time.

What was especially pleasing was the really high standard of the songs and production. Mostly written in a country style this is a collection of exceptionally well-crafted songs, with not a dud amongst them. The arrangements have been carefully considered, even to the well thought through endings to the songs, with some fine playing from all the band.

This was a memorable and emotional evening of music. While I am sure the new artistic team at the National Folk Festival have a number of excellent First Nations performers in their sights for next year, this show would be a certain winner if it could be included. Just a thought.