Musician
Performer Composer Instrument Maker
West Australian saxophonist, instrument maker and composer, Mark
Cain’s career spans world music, jazz, experimental and free improvised
genres, including music he has written for dance, theatre, short film and his numerous bands. As a
multi-instrumentalist and instrument maker he co-founded the ground-breaking concept group, AC/PVC in 1987; toured internationally with Nova
Ensemble (1991 - 2006); performed in the national Musica Viva schools program for more than
two decades (Nova Ensemble, Ozmosis and Composer-in-the-Classroom) and has worked throughout Australia as a solo performer in schools with
Nexus Arts (Victoria) playing instruments of his own invention from simple, recyclable materials. Over his career
he has performed in countless schools in both city and regional Australia.
Formerly a radio journalist, Cain was also responsible for training Western
Australia’s first indigenous radio journalist/broadcasters as part of Noongar
Radio at Radio 6nr (Curtin University 1979–85). Instrument Maker Cain is recognised for the instruments he has created from plumbing industry
tubing and other recyclable materials, dating back to his work in Tall
Stories (with mentor, Linsey Pollak in 1985) and AC/PVC
(1987 - 91). His trademark is his use of simple, commonly available materials
to create imaginative and often whimsical instruments whose surprising sounds confound their origins.
He has worked in many indigenous and regional communities among musicians
and non-musicians alike, building instruments from ‘found’ or recycled
materials and collaboratively devising performances that explore local themes.
One of his recent projects (Musica Viva/AIR Grant Artist In Residence)
was a collaboration (with artist, Calvin Chee) constructing a large sound garden with six interactive sound sculptures, located at Belmay Primary School
in Western Australia. In 2014 and 2015 Cain was Musician in Residence for Tura
New Music in indigenous communities on the Dampier Peninsula, Kimberley WA,
working alongside community members to construct a series of musical instrument
sculptures sited at the local school, whilst conducting music workshops in peninsula schools and band rehearsals among local indigenous musicians. in 2017-18 he has been Musician in Residence at Safety Bay Primary constructing a large-scale sound garden.
Performer
and Educator
As an educator, Cain has worked extensively in schools, performing, conducting
workshops and artist-in-residence projects in communities around the country. For two decades he performed and toured variously in Australia and oversees
with the Nova Ensemble (1991
-2006) and subsequently, Ozmosis (2008 – 2013) in
the national Musica Viva In Schools programme. During this time he also worked in the innovative duo, Windcheaters (with fellow
reedman, Lee Buddle), whilst continuing to tour Australian schools as a solo
artist with Nexus Arts, Victoria. From 2014-16 and again in 2018 Cain has been a WASO
Teaching Artist in Onslow (WA), in partnership with percussionist, Paul Tanner for an ongoing series of school workshops (OKME). He has also worked with the Song Room
on sound installation projects in schools. As a freelance musician, a former
sessional music lecturer (School of Music, University of Western Australia)
and producer and broadcaster (The Planet, ABC Radio National and Radio 6NR),
he has a vast working knowledge of world music, jazz and folk traditions. His
long-time interest in Balkan, Jewish klezmer and jazz-inflected world music led
to groups such as Bulgarity, Rita
Menendez Trio, Crab Tango, Elastic Band, Caravan
and the 2008 WAM World Music Award winning, The Flying
Carpathians.
In 2009, Cain founded the quintet, Daramad, who in
2013 won the Songlines/World Music Network Medien international
competition, Battle of the Bands and resulted in two of his compositions with Daramad being released on Rough Guide to Arabic Jazz and Rough Guide to the Best Arabic Music You've Never Heard. At the same time, he was performing
in an eastern jazz trio, Club Qahira, with renowned oriental
dancer, Rose and also playing Catalan folk music on traditional double-reed
shawms in Ozmosis Street Band. His work in these groups
parallels his 30-year involvement with WA’s former premier world music and arts
venue, Kulcha, in Fremantle. Ironically, he was granted Life Membership
the year prior to Kulcha’s surprise closure in 2013. Cain also lectured at the School of Music at the University of Western Australia from 2006-2008 in world music. Musician
in the World
For decades Cain has worked as a catalyst bringing together musicians from
different parts of the world including a 30-year involvement with Kulcha in Fremantle and the Ethnic Music Centre, North Perth. In recent years he has collaborated with Persian Music Perth to promote an outstanding younger generation of
migrant Iranian musicians to a broader Australian audience. He currently
performs with the group he co-founded in 2014, Eastwinds, his
most cross-cultural gathering to date, featuring musicians from Iran,
Estonia, Japan and Australia. In 2016 Eastwinds won the WAM
Song of the Year competition (World Music), as well as performing at the
National Folk Festival (Canberra), Fairbridge Festival (WA) in consecutive
years and Nanga Music Festival (WA). He also plays with the young innovative sarod
player, Praashekh Borkar (Pune, India), in the Praashekh Quartet [Fairbridge Festival (WA), Harboursound Festival (WA)]. Cain has performed on stage with Oi Dipnoi (Sicily), Fronsiere Hockings (Norway), Will Pound and Eddy Jay (UK), the Lost Brothers (US) and Ten Strings and a Goat (Canada). And, for more than a decade, he
has been a resident performer in various bands at Fremantle’s Gypsy Tapas
House.
Based in Fremantle WA, Cain plays an array of wind instruments,
including saxophones, clarinets, flutes and ethnic woodwinds as well as wind
and percussion instruments of his own invention and design, many of which are featured
on his largely solo multi-woodwind recording, Reeds.
www.facebook.com/markcainmusic www.eastwindsmusic.com www.artistecard.com/eastwinds http://artistecard.com/praashekhquartet Recent and Past Activity
2019 Musica Viva in Schools, Melbourne tour - Eastwinds 2019 Eastwinds at the Ellington Jazz Club 2019 Zagoria Quartet at the Ellington jazz Club 2019 National Folk Festival, Canberra - Praashekh Quartet 2019 Musica Viva in Schools, Geraldton regional tour - Eastwinds 2019 Musica Viva in Schools, South West regional tour - Eastwinds 2019 South West WA tour with Baluji Shrivastav & Tepistry (feat Lucky Oceans) 2018 Musica Viva in Schools show development with Eastwinds 2018 Denmark Festival of the Voice with the Praashekh Quartet 2018 Fairbridge Festival with the Praashekh Quartet 2017 - 18 Musician-in-Residence, Safety Bay Primary - construction of a sound playground 2017 Nomination, WAM World Music Award 2017 Member, Eastwinds, Festival of the Voice, Denmark WA 2017 Member, Praashekh Quartet, Harboursound Festival, Albany WA 2017 Member, Eastwinds, Hemispheres - Music of the World series, PS Art Space 2017 Member, Praashekh Quartet, Fairbridge Festival WA 2017 Praashekh Quartet, cd release, Swara Blend 2017 Perth International Arts Festival: Eastwinds, Winthrop Hall Gardens 2017 Sound Scripts Periodical Vol 5: Dr Robin Ryan - Forging a Singular Musical Path The Compositional Explorations of Mark Cain (WA New Music Archive) 2017 Convenor, Hemispheres - Music of the World Music Series, PS Art Space 2016 Perfect Beat periodical: Dr Robin Ryan In Conversation with Mark Cain "Kernels of Discovery - Original Musical Instruments and Acoustic Sound Designs (Perfect Beat (online) ISSN 1836-0343) 2016 National Folk Festival Canberra – performances/workshops, Eastwinds 2016 Member, Eastwinds, Fairbridge Festival (WA) 2016 Member, Persian Music Collective, Fairbridge Festival (WA) 2016 Ellington Jazz Club - Eastwinds 2016 WAM Song of the Year winners (World Music): Eastwinds 2016 WASO Teaching Artist in Schools (with Paul Tanner) Onslow WA 2015 Tura New Music - Musician in Residence at Djaradjin/Lombadina 2015 The Song Room, Artist in Residence, Dryandra Primary School 2015 Kalgoorlie Multicultural Arts Festival, Eastwinds 2015 Eastwinds releases debut CD 2015 Persian Music Perth – Eastwinds and Friends in Concert 2015 Fairbridge Festival – Eastwinds performances and workshops 2015 WASO Teaching Artist in Schools (with Paul Tanner) Onslow WA 2015 Cannington Popup Music Series – Eastwinds & Praashekh Quartet 2014 Tura New Music Artist in Residence – Dampier Peninsula 2014 Persian Music Perth – Eastwinds concert 2014 Musica Viva in Schools tour schools and community, Murchison, WA 2014 WASO Teaching Artist in Schools (with Paul Tanner) Onslow WA 2014 Worldly Winter Warmers World Music Series – coordinator, MosArts 2014 Co-founder, Eastwinds (musicians from Estonia, Iran, Japan, Aust.) 2013 Musica Viva in Schools - Touring: Ozmosis (Kimberley & metro WA) 2103 Oz Concert - Performances: Daramad & Oz Concert House Band 2013 Persian Music Perth - Performance: Daramad 2013 Sensorium Theatre – co-composed music (with Jamie David), Oddysea 2013 Kulcha Multicultural Arts, WA - Awarded Life Membership 2013 World Music Network/Songlines – Daramad wins “Battle of the Bands” 2013 Kulcha 30th Anniversary Concert – convenor, Cafe Folklorico Band 2013 Sensorium Theatre - music consultant residency at Kenwick 2013 Musica Viva in Schools –Tour with Ozmosis: Pilbara and Kimberley 2013 Denmark Festival of the Voice - performances: Daramad 2013 Denmark Festival of the Voice – with Carolina Cordeiro 2013 Solo schools tour in Melbourne through Nexus Arts, Vic 2013 The Boite & Open Studio (Vic) – with Tara Tiba & Reza Mirzaei 2013 Fairbridge Music Festival - Daramad concerts & workshop 2013 PSAS – composer/performer, Cinematic Scores - solo 2012 Cinematic Scores, PSAS Fremantle – composer/perf. Daramad 2012 Ellington Jazz Club – Daramad CD Launch 2012 Musica Viva/AIR Grant Artist in Residence at Belmay PS 2012 Release of Daramad’s eponymously title debut CD 2012 Koorliiny Arts Centre (Kwinana) - Artist in Residence 2012 Kulcha Multicultural Arts WA – concerts – Carolina Cordiero (Vic) 2012 Kulcha Multicultural Arts WA - Nostalgia Persia - Daramad, Narges Feyz 2012 Nexus Arts – Esperance tour – Solo 2012 Art Gallery of Western Australia - AGWA Nights Series – Daramad 2011 Musica Viva in Schools: tour with Sirocco (Sydney) in South West WA 2011 Musica Viva in Schools: tour with Ozmosis (Perth metro and east WA) 2011 Fairbridge Music Festival – Daramad performances & workshops 2011 Albany Harbourside Concert Series/The Wollery – Daramad 2011 Mandurah Performing Arts Centre – Flying Carpathians 2009-13 Kulcha Multicultural Arts WA – Daramad – various performances 2009-13 Kulcha Multicultural Arts WA – Club Qahira – various perform. 2009-13 Gypsy Tapas House residency - Daramad 2010 Central Tafe/Kulcha - lecturer, Tafe Cert. 1 course, Music Prod. 2009-10 Coordinator, Freeform project, Kulcha - bi-monthly concerts 2009-12 Member of Club Qahira with Middle Eastern dancer, Rose 2008-15 Musica Viva In Schools - Composer in the Classroom WA 2008-11 Kulcha Multicultural Arts WA – Flying Carpathians – various concerts 2008-13 Musica Viva in Schools WA - member of Ozmosis – schools touring 2008 WAM Winners of the World Music Award - Flying Carpathians 2008 Musica Viva Composer in the Classroom: Esperance, Mirrabooka PS 2008 Composer, Broom-Broom Flying Heart Prod. - Awesome Festival, WA 2007 Musica Viva in Schools Music Generator Project: Composer Traralgon 2007 Composer, Turtle and the Tradewinds - Sandpiper Productions 2007 20th UNIMA Congress and World Puppetry Festival, Perth - composer 2007-10 Gypsy Tapas House – Flying Carpathians weekly residency 2006 Ozmosis CD of the Week, ABCFM Classic Drive Daily Planet, ABC RN 2006-08 UWA School of Music Lecturer, World Music Cultures 1991-06 Member, Nova Ensemble - schools and communities throughout Aust. 1991-06 Musica Viva In Schools - touring Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Burnei 1994-Pres Touring solo show nationally in schools through the Nexus Arts, Vic 1985-Pres Performing at various Australian festivals with: Eastwinds, Daramad, Nova Ensemble, Ozmosis, Windcheaters, The Flying Carpathians, Ozmosis Street Band (woodwind quintet, playing traditional Catalan repertoire on folk shawms), Caravan, AC/PVC, The Ran Dan Club, Steve & Roz Barnes, the Ran Dan Club, Toucan Tango, Slices of Albert, Bulgarity and the Rita Menendez Trio 2006 Performed composer, Lucky Oceans’ theme music – Pets, ABC TV 2006 Released duo CD, Ozmosis (2006) – On The Veranda feature ABC RN 2005 Gravity Discovery Centre Gallery, Gingin WA - designed large sound exhibit: Sound Coil 1 (1.2 kilometer coil of 100mm diameter polyethyline pipe. A series of microphones located at points along its length amplify sounds as they progress through the pipe, illustrating time delays of sound over such an extended length
Bands (1985 - 2016) Eastwinds Praashekh Quartet Miracle Band X Daramad Club Qahira Nova Ensemble Ozmosis & Ozmosis Street Band Nova Ensemble AC/PVC Windcheaters Orchestra of the Global Nomads Bulgarity The Elastic Band Wanderlust Trio Caravan Language Slices of Albert Rita Menendez Group Tall Stories (with Linsey Pollak, Kimberley/Pilbara Tour 1985) The Ran Dan Club (Derby residency, 1991) Toucan Tango Playback Theatre
Zagoria Trio Eduardo Cossio groups Jamie David - Miracle Band X
Festival Appearances
International Taiwan
1994 [Austrade] JakArt
Festival 2001 [Jakarta] Singapore
1998 $ 2003 [Musica Viva touring]
Australia Across the Top Tour [Musica Viva] [WA, NT & QLD] Perth International Arts Festival [WA] 'Beat It' Synergy Percussion Series [Sydney] National Folk Festiva (ACT and Victoria) Fringe Benefit Festival [Sydney] Maleny/Woodforde Festival [Queensland] Bougainvillea [Darwin] Launceston [Tasmania] Port Fairy [Victoria] Brunswick [Victoria] Real Elecrtronic Virtual Festival [Brisbane] National Folk Festivals [Victoria & ACT & WA] Adelaide Come Out Youth Festival [SA] Evos New Music Festival [WA] Nanga Festival The Totally Huge New Music Festival [WA] Awesome Festival [WA] Toodyay Festival [WA] Fairbridge Festivals [WA] - numerously York Jazz Festival Nannup Music Festival Festival of the Wind [Esperance] Augusta River Festival Harbourside Festival [Albany] Harboursound Concert Series [Albany] Denmark Festival of the Voice |