Cylisax and Crow. Linsey Pollak 2024-05-30 | I'm playing 2 instruments that I've created - The Cylisax (a mellow soprano sax sound from a cylindrical bore with a branch tube (inspired by Yamaha's Venova) and 'Crow' a narrow bore bass clarinet. Both were made from Crow's Ash (Flindersia Australis)
Playing for Xanthorrhoeas Linsey Pollak 2024-05-27 | In this video I'm playing for Xanthorrhoeas (grass trees) above the Obi Obi creek, just below the Baroon Pocket Dam wall (near Montville, SE Qld). It's the second video in a new series of videos where I set up my very portable recording and video studio (2 iPads) in beautiful natural locations and improvise a new multitrack recording each time. This video features 5 instruments that I've created: the chromatic hybrid duduk, the cylisax, the chromatic clarini, the flatsax and the copper hybrid duduk. I'm playing in the marvelous country which is situated on the traditional lands of the Gubbi Gubbi people. I acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this land on which I played my music and pay my respects to the Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.
Cylisax + bass clarinet among the Paperbarks. Linsey Pollak 2024-05-17 | Mulititracking 4 Cylisax parts and 4 bass clarinet parts using the natural world (among the Paperbarks on the edge of the Ewen Maddock Dam, Qld, Australia) as my studio (2 x iPads, iRig DUO I/O interface and PiezoBarrel pickups).The Cylisax is a wind instrument that I've developed over the last 5 years. It has a cylindrical bore and a branch tube just below the mouthpiece making the bore open at both ends. Because of this branch tube, it overblows the octave like a saxophone, rather than an octave and a fifth like the clarinet. It behaves like a conical bore single reed instrument and sounds like a mellow soprano sax rather than a clarinet. It has the range of 2 octaves from middle C to d' and is fully chromatic using cross fingering (similar to recorder fingering). It uses a soprano saxophone mouthpiece. It was initially inspired by the development of Yamaha's branch tube wind instrument, the Venova.
6 woodwinds by Linsey Pollak (Raven, chromatic clarini, flute, cylisax, hybrid zurna & flatsax). Linsey Pollak 2024-05-03 | 6 of my self made woodwinds (Raven, chromatic clarini, G flute, cylisax, hybrid zurna and flatsax). It's a rework of a piece called LOOKOUT that I originally wrote for The Unusual Suspects.
Bb Flatsax by Linsey Pollak (with the plans for making it at the end) Linsey Pollak 2024-04-28 | I'm very happy with the sound that is coming out of this Bb Flatsax. As I get used to it I'm finding a warmer sound buried in its very simple form. The first designs that I came up with were for larger instruments but I love the simplicity of this smaller 6 finger hole Flatsax also made from plywood. You can find the plan (including measurements) at the end of the clip.
Sabah Polypipe Duduk & harmonic flute. Linsey Pollak 2024-04-14 | Here I'm playing an improvisation using a polypipe Duduk (with a polypipe reed) tuned to a D Sabah mode along with a harmonic polypipe whistle and a Vietnamese jawharp (Dan Moi). There is also a DIY video that I made 4 years ago on how to make a similar duduk (but in F major) from polyethylene pipe and making a polyethylene tube reed: youtube.com/watch?v=tLXh0IZLyHM&t=196s
Electrical Conduit Bass Clarinet & Clarinet Linsey Pollak 2024-03-28 | Here's a video where I'm playing a bass clarinet and clarinet that I created from orange electrical conduit.
Irrigation pipe Cylisax (with measurements at end of video) Linsey Pollak 2024-03-19 | I'm currently working on a new solo show featuring about 15 instruments that I've designed and made. In doing so I've fallen back in love with one of the very early versions of the Cylisax, made with common garden variety 13mm polyethylene irrigation pipe. I've included the measurements for making it at the end of the video.
Funky Junk - devised for and performed at Festival O Gesto Orehudo, Portugal (2010) Linsey Pollak 2024-01-22 | 'Funky Junk' was a duo show devised by Linsey Pollak performing together with his partner, percussionist Jessica Ainsworth. 'Funky Junk' had ping pong bats scraping shaved heads and bare legs. There were bagpipes made from rubber gloves and beach balls. As well as the unbelievable sound of Mr Curly (a contra bass clarinet made from garden hose). There were clarinets made from a feather duster and a watering can and also a miniature drum kit that weighed only 2 kgs with drumskins made from bubble wrap. Linsey also created a wooden soprano saxophone used with live looping to create exciting multi-layered grooves with basslines played on elastic and a kaossilator, with percussion grooves on a balloon. ……and don’t forget the carrot…..which got made into a clarinet during the show!The show was devised for and performed at Festival O Gesto Orehudo, Portugal.
Seaweed and Wire Nostalgia from 1987 Linsey Pollak 2024-01-21 | Superheroes ahead of their time:SEAWEED & WIRE - 1987Blair Greenberg - percussion + guitarChristine Evans - alto+sop sax, tapanKim Sanders - tenor sax, gaidaJenny Pollak - percussion, fluteLinsey Pollak - sop sax, gaida, zurnaMark Blackwell - drumsWayne Freer - bass guitar, tuba
DREAMS of KINDNESS (images from The Renewal - a village dreams) 2023/24 Woodford Folk Festival. Linsey Pollak 2024-01-09 | This is the 2nd video that features photos and some video content from 'The Renewal - a village dreams' - which was the closing Ceremony of the 2023/24 Woodford Folk Festival, on 1st January 2024. The featured song in this video is 'Adrift' played by the World Music trio 'Gosti'. The recorded dreams that are part of the audio track were 12 of the over 500 dreams recorded in the leadup to this ritual performance in answer to these 2 questions:"What world do you dream of, to leave for future generations?" + "What will you do to help make your dream come true?"This video is dedicated to the incredible team of people that came together during December 2023 to dream, build, create, rehearse and present this wonderful new ritual performance. Thankyou ALL, and especially big thanks to my co-director Mark Bromilow who travelled all the way from Sao Paolo to share this amazing experience. Special thanks to Craig Walsh and Steven Thomasson - Projections and Andrew Meadows - Lighting Design.
The Renewal - a village dreams - Closing Ceremony of the 2023/24 Woodford Folk Festival. Linsey Pollak 2024-01-07 | This video features photos and some video content from 'The Renewal - a village dreams' - which was the closing Ceremony of the 2023/24 Woodford Folk Festival, on 1st January 2024. The featured song is 'A village dreams' composed and sung by Andrea Kirwin. The inserted second song is 'Indri Indri, composed and performed by 'Dangerous Song (Lizzie O'Keefe & Linsey Pollak) and is sung by Lizzie O'Keefe. It includes the call of the critically endangered Indri Indri (a giant lemur from Madagascar). This video is dedicated to the incredible team of people that came together during December 2023 to dream, build, create, rehearse and present this wonderful new ritual performance. Thankyou ALL, and especially big thanks to my co-director Mark Bromilow who travelled all the way from Sao Paolo to share this amazing experience.
Iris plays the Nowegian Smoking Pipe Linsey Pollak 2023-10-08 | This instrument, made from an old Norwegian Smoking Pipe, belongs to the clarinet family. In 2013, one of Linsey’s Norwegian cousins, Knut, contacted him saying that he was visiting Australia to see his son Magnus. Knut brought a wonderful gift, the smoking pipe of Jorgen Hermann Ludvigsen, who was the great-great-grandfather of both Knut and Linsey. He presented them this treasured heirloom knowing full well that Linsey might well turn it into a musical instrument and gave the family’s blessing for that to happen if it did. Well, ...it did! and here is the result. Apparently, it meant widening the 4mm bore to 8mm, thereby getting rid of large amounts of foul-smelling nicotine tar (Linsey’s workshop smelt like a chain-smoker's den for weeks). Then Linsey removed the mouthpiece and replaced it with a soprano sax mouthpiece and drilled 7 finger holes and a thumb hole. It is now a C clarinet. Here it is being played by Iris Viewfinder in her solo performance of 'Iris Viewfinder's Herstory of The Clarinet'.
Bb Flatsax (Mk10) recorded April23 Linsey Pollak 2023-04-10 | Here's my new plywood mk10 Bb Flatsax recorded against a backdrop of mammatus clouds. I'm pretty happy with the sound of this cute little instrument. I will soon make the DIY plan available and make one more video featuring its construction which will also be included in my forthcoming eBook 'My journey with winds' covering 50 years of wind instrument designs (hopefully by the end of this year).
A new Flatsax design - Bb Mk10 Linsey Pollak 2023-04-07 | I've returned to the Flatsax to improve its design, going back to the more compact Bb Flatsax. I started designing these instruments in 2018 (both the Bb and lower F sizes). The tuning of the upper octave has been tricky but this latest version is sounding great and is easy to play. It's compact and light. Materials required are 3mm plywood, 12mm x 12mm pine (or other suitable wood) and a 44mm length of 12mm OD / 8.5mm ID aluminium tube. It uses a soprano sax mouthpiece. I will soon make the DIY plan available and make more videos featuring this instrument. A detailed plan will be included in my forthcoming eBook 'My journey with winds' covering 50 years of wind instrument designs.
CROW (a narrow-bore bass clarinet). Linsey Pollak 2023-01-13 | CROW (a narrow bore bass clarinet) - so called because I made it from Crows Ash (Flindersia Australis) by routing out a very curly 9.5mm square bore that makes the bore much longer than it looks from the outside. I'm playing Crow in our back garden (lovingly designed and maintained by my gorgeous lover Jess) accompanied by a morning chorus of birds. Actually the reality is that I am accompanying them.
ADRIFT - Beier•Griffin•Pollak Trio Linsey Pollak 2022-12-02 | The Beier•Griffin•Pollak Trio is an Australian World Music trio playing original music. The 3 members are: Tunji Beier (zarb, mridangam, kanjira, ghattam and morsing), Philip Griffin (oud, electric bass, rabab, laouto, guitar, balalaika and ukulele) and Linsey Pollak (self designed instruments - cylisax, hybrid chromatic duduk, clarini, Crow and Donna). Most of their music is composed by Linsey and is strongly influenced by his love of and experience with Macedonian music. The core melody of this piece was composed by Linsey, who plays his hybrid chromatic duduk. Philip takes the basic melody into new territory with a beautifully improvised line played on the Afghani rabab, and Tunji plays the South Indian clay ghattam which he studied along with other South Indian percussion instruments under T.A.S. Mani in Bangalore when he was 16 - 19 years of age. (Filmed by Harry Frith at Baroon Pocket Dam, Nth Maleny, Qld. Australia)
Behind Kevins Door Linsey Pollak 2022-10-12 | Live looping a Kopanitsa (Macedonian or Bulgarian 11/8 dance rhythm) with a clear perspex clarinet. I first got this clarinet for a solo show called 'Knocking on Kevin's Door' where I was a roadie called Kevin who made music from all the gear he was setting up while ignoring the audience for the whole 1 hour performance. At the end of this clip there is a flashback to Kevin playing a music stand clarinet. That was about 30 years ago, when Kevin looped with a Lexicon JamMan. Now he's using a Boss RC505Mk2 but still plays the same Buffet Crampon clear perspex clarinet (now using no1 'Hot & Swing' Rigotti reeds .....Thanks Andy). So, where is Kevin now....? Let's look behind Kevin's door.
DIY Copper Duduk + polypipe duduk reed Linsey Pollak 2022-02-06 | This video shows you how to make a duduk reed from polyethylene irrigation pipe and has all of my measurements for making a duduk from copper waterpipe. The traditional duduk is an Armenian instrument made from wood (often apricot wood). The reed is made from cane. This hybrid duduk is made from copper waterpipe and the reed is made from polyethylene irrigation pipe based on a design of Spanish Instrument maker Xavi Lozano.
Dangerous Song Blue Excerpts (short version) Linsey Pollak 2022-01-20 | 'Dangerous Song - Blue' is a one hour performance that evokes an emotional response to the sometimes “hard to swallow” facts about the current Sixth Extinction Crisis and state of our oceans. This clip shows excerpts from a live performance.Linsey Pollak plays the sounds of endangered and extinct species using a digital wind instrument and Lizzie O’Keefe joins him, weaving her voice in and out of the musical landscape of animal sounds. This sonic world is mirrored by underwater moving images which are projected onto the aquarium shaped scrim giving the impression that the musicians are performing underwater. Renowned underwater cinematographer David Hannan has provided the stunning moving images.
DIY membrane reed FOONKI Linsey Pollak 2021-12-08 | This video shows you how to make a membrane reed instrument that I call 'Foonki'. The video starts off with showing a range of simple membrane reed instruments and leads up to making an F major FOONKI, complete with all measurements as a screen shot at the conclusion.
Low D Dorian membrane reed bagpipe Linsey Pollak 2021-12-05 | I've been making instruments such as the Foonki and the rubber glove bagpipe using membrane reeds for over 20 years years and have been using garbage bin plastic liner for my reeds. But recently I got the idea from the wonderful French instrument designer and maker Nicolas Bras to use vinyl or nitrite gloves as the material for these membrane reeds. So I changed the garbage bin liner plastic membrane reed to a nitrite glove membrane reed on a low D Dorian Foonki that I'd made previously and paired it with the low D drone from my old condom bagpipe and here is the result. The sound is much more mellow. Thanks Nicholas.
Watering cans & Knitting needles Linsey Pollak 2021-12-01 | Making music with a watering can clarinet (A Hijaz), a knitting needle daxophone and a watering can drum.
Playing to Obi Obi (Hybrid chromatic duduk) Linsey Pollak 2021-11-18 | Playing my hybrid chromatic duduk with the birds yesterday morning above Obi Obi gorge below Baroon Pocket Dam (Queensland, Australia). Don't be tricked by the almost studio quality sound ...it was a live recording just using my iPad. To make a polypipe duduk reed: youtube.com/watch?v=tLXh0IZLyHMI am currently working on an eBook which will contain all my wind instrument designs over the last 50 years.
MELT (a lament for the Arctic sea ice) played on a Hybrid duduk. Linsey Pollak 2021-11-06 | The Hybrid duduk is a new wind instrument design by Linsey Pollak which features a duduk style reed made from 13mm irrigation polypipe (based on a design by Spanish wind instrument maker Xavi Lozano). The instrument is made from the Australian timber 'Gidgee' (Acacia cambagei). The extra wall thickness allows cross fingering to obtain a fully chromatic instrument with the range of a 9th (F - g).The sea ice cover is one of the key components of the polar climate system. It has been a focus of attention in recent years, largely because of a strong decrease in the Arctic sea ice cover and modeling results that indicate that global warming could be amplified in the Arctic on account of ice-albedo feedback. This results from the high reflectivity (albedo) of the sea ice compared to ice-free waters.
Rubber glove smallpipes Linsey Pollak 2021-11-03 | Some hybrid smallpipes using a rubber glove as the bag, aluminium tubes and membrane reeds for chanter and drone (made with garbage bag).DIY plans coming next year and will be in my eBook "My journey with winds".
Olaf (an F chromatic clarini) Linsey Pollak 2021-10-27 | This is an F chromatic clarini that I made a few years ago ('clarini' is my generic name for the simple folk clarinets with no keys). This one is chromatic (using cross-fingering), has the range of a 9th from f' to g'' and is made from olivewood..
The Aluminum Cylisax (+ DIY plan) Linsey Pollak 2021-10-24 | I'm working on an eBook 'My journey with winds' (planned to be published at the end of 2022). It will include at least 50 plans for making wind instruments that I have developed over the past 50 years. Here's one of my most recent instruments - the Aluminium Cylisax. The clip includes measurements for those who want to make their own (make a screen shot).
Bamboo Zurna, Rubber Glove Drone and Trash percussion. Linsey Pollak 2021-10-13 | Here I'm playing a hybrid zurna that I made from bamboo and a gourd. It has a conical bore and a double reed (made from a plastic drinking straw and an oboe staple). It's a cross between a Suona (Chinese), a Zurna (Turkish) and a Bombarde (French). The drone is based on my 'Foonki' design using a membrane reed and powered by a hand pump and a rubber glove. The percussion accompaniment is created with a wheelie bin, 2 metal bowls, a plastic water container and a plastic box.
Make your own pentatonic set of Panpipes Linsey Pollak 2021-09-22 | This video shows how to make a pentatonic set of panpipes using 13mm polypipe. It also demonstrates how to play them with 3 players.
Pajduška played on Macedonian gaida by Linsey Pollak Linsey Pollak 2021-09-22 | Linsey Pollak plays the 5/8 Macedonian dance 'Pajduška' on a gaida (Macedonian bagpipe) that he made using the Australia timber Mulga (Acacia aneura).
Flute Trio from Out of the Frying Pan Linsey Pollak 2021-09-16 | A flute trio from ‘Out of the Frying Pan’ with Ceri McCoy, Kari and myself on flutes made from a ladder, a folding chair and a camping stool. It was one of the first shows that I created using found objects, commissioned by the Out of the Box Festival in 1994. We created music from bottles, glasses, brooms, mops, chairs, a ladder, rubbish bins, pots and pans, inflatable trousers, a pumpkin and much more.
FLUTES - 3 designs (with measurements) Linsey Pollak 2021-09-15 | Want to make a flute? Linsey demonstrates 3 sizes of flute with included measurements (make 3 screenshots for your own copy of these).Bamboo G alto flute, Polypipe D tenor flute, Aluminium D soprano Flute
Dedos dance track for baba Linsey Pollak 2021-08-09 | Baba sent a dance video to dedo. Now dedo has made a dance track for baba, sampling sounds from his workshop (sandpaper, drill, ruler, tool chest etc). Then he added bass, keys, zurna, clarini, gaida and frula. This is dance music for everybody people .......dance like the future of the world depends on it!You can also download the full music track for FREE - dedo's gift to the world: linseypollak.bandcamp.com/track/dedos-dance-track-for-baba
The Shovel Flute Linsey Pollak 2021-08-06 | I made this shovel flute nearly 30 years ago for the show "Out of the Frying Pan". Since then we've just used it in the garden. Until today! When shovelling gravel I thought "time to make some music with this shovel again".
Glass bass clarinet, Hybrid duduk & Glass foonki Linsey Pollak 2021-08-03 | This video features 3 instruments, two of them are collaborations with wonderful glass artisan Arnie Fuchs: The Glass Foonki (a membrane reed glass drone instrument) and 'Bella' (a narrow-bore glass bass clarinet). I also play the Hybrid duduk which I made with the Australian timber Acacia cambagei (Gidgee). It is chromatic and uses a reed made from irrigation polypipe). The percussion tracks are made by recording the preparation of the polypipe reed using a hammer & anvil and some sandpaper. I also use an amplified Squash racquet.
PiezoBarrel Wind Instrument Pickup - model comparisons - using a Mk10 Cylisax. Linsey Pollak 2021-07-28 | In this short video I am comparing 5 different PiezoBarrel pickup models using one of my Mk10 Cylisaxes. PiezoBarrel pickups are designed to be attached to wind and brass instruments to pick up the relatively high pressure standing wave inside the instrument near the mouthpiece end. This has the benefit of allowing the instrument to be amplified without feedback or interference from other sounds outside the instrument. Here I am testing the "Wood', 'R1', 'P7', 'P9' and 'P6' PiezoBarrel models (and also a Rode Nt5 microphone as reference). For more info go to: piezobarrel.comThe Cylisax is a single reed woodwind instrument designed and made by Linsey Pollak. It has a cylindrical bore with a branch tube just below the mouthpiece making the bore open at both ends. Because of this branch tube, it overblows the octave like a saxophone, rather than an octave and a fifth like the clarinet. It behaves like a conical bore single reed instrument and sounds like a mellow soprano sax rather than a clarinet. It has the range of 2 octaves from middle C to d' and is fully chromatic using cross fingering (similar to recorder fingering). It uses a soprano saxophone mouthpiece. Because it has a cylindrical bore I have called it 'Cylisax'. The Mk10 Cylisax is the most recent Cylisax design (July 2021) and uses a copper branch tube parallel to the bore rather than the wooden branch tube at 90deg to the bore like the earlier models. It was initially inspired by the development of Yamaha's branch tube wind instrument, the Venova.
Mk10 Cylisax Linsey Pollak 2021-07-01 | Linsey plays his new Mk10 Cylisax with the new style copper branch tube.For more info contact Linsey Pollak: linsey@spiderweb.com.auThe Cylisax is a single reed woodwind instrument designed and made by Linsey Pollak. It has a cylindrical bore and a branch tube just below the mouthpiece making the bore open at both ends. Because of this branch tube, it overblows the octave like a saxophone, rather than an octave and a fifth like the clarinet. It behaves like a conical bore single reed instrument and sounds like a mellow soprano sax rather than a clarinet. It has the range of 2 octaves from middle C to d' and is fully chromatic using cross fingering (similar to recorder fingering). It uses a soprano saxophone mouthpiece. It was initially inspired by the development of Yamaha's branch tube wind instrument, the Venova. Because of the cylindrical bore I have called it a 'Cylisax. I first experimented with making some Cylisaxes using irrigation polypipe in July 2017: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0Ka4M_CvVY Then in August 2017 I made the first Mk1 version of the wooden Cylisax developing the design over the next 18 months to build the first Mk9 Cylisax in February 2019. I am playing a Mk10 Cylisax (developed - June 2021) in this video made from the Australian timber Budgeroo (Lysicarpus angustifolius).
Linsey Looping Crazy Winds Linsey Pollak 2021-05-22 | A Speed Taste: Live looping pieces from various solo shows playing beachball bagpipe, carrot clarinet, baseball bat clarinet, Cylisax and gaidarka.
Cylisax Mk9 one year later Linsey Pollak 2021-04-29 | Thought it was time to upload another track played on Cylisax. I am loving playing this instrument at the moment. For those who haven't seen or heard it before it's a design of mine based on the branch tube principle developed by Yamaha a few years ago with their wind instrument the Venova. The branch tube just below the mouthpiece changes what would sound like a clarinet (with a cylindrical bore) to a mellow saxophone sound (virtual conical bore created by the branch tube). I've taken the design a step further with the design of the branch tube, giving it a bell end that makes the sound louder and fuller (most of the Cylisax's sound comes out of this branch tube). I'm playing along with a track I created one year ago (hence the title) with a bassline played on 'Crow' (a narrow bore bass clarinet with a meandering bore) and a drum groove create with the iOS app 'Drumjam'. To record the Cylisax I'm using both a microphone and a piezo transducer pickup designed and made by www.piezobarrel.com
FLATSAX with Beat Linsey Pollak 2021-01-19 | I've just created the FLATSAX Mk10 and I'm pretty happy with it. It's made from plywood, 2 x 64cm lengths of 12mm x 12mm pine and a 40mm length of 12mm (OD) aluminium tube. I'm using a soprano sax mouthpiece, but the instrument is pitched more like an alto sax (it's a tone higher, in F). It plays nearly 2 octaves (f - e'') and is chromatic, using cross fingering similar to a recorder. Here it is!
Struona Racket - Happy 25th Birthday dOrfeu AC Linsey Pollak 2020-11-23 | In this video you'll hear a squash racquet, Raven (a narrow bore bass clarinet), the Struona (a smoothie straw zurna) and PIGGY!This is a Happy Birthday gift to D'Orfeu (a cultural association that began its life in 1995 in Águeda, Portugal with the aim of boosting cultural activities through music and its relationship with all other forms of expression). I was lucky enough to be invited to perform 'Funky Junk' with my partner Jess at their 2010 Festival. What a fantastic time they gave us! So this is my thankyou to Luís Miguel Fernandes and his team. HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY!
Paper Clarinet - new improved quick making tutorial Linsey Pollak 2020-11-11 | Here's a new improved version of a paper clarinet in C major. It uses an alto sax mouthpiece and has a 16mm (5/8") bore. You can use A4 paper but ideally use 160gsm A4 card. It uses a 45mm (1 3/4") length of PEX tube (OD=16mm ID=12mm) to connect to the mouthpiece.
Glass bass clarinet (Donna) - for Arnie Linsey Pollak 2020-11-07 | In this video I'm playing a narrow bore bass clarinet tuned in G Hijazkar called 'Donna', made from glass by glass artisan Arnie (Peter) Fuchs. It was one of a number of collaborations between us including 3 other bass clarinets - Rose 1, Rose 2, Rosella, and Bella. When Rosella was stolen in Argentina we made Bella and Donna to replace her. Donna is pretty fragile and suffered a break some time ago, but I took her to the Arnie hospital and now she is as good as ever. Thanks so much Arnie! This video is dedicated to you.
2 gaidas (Lazo Nikolovski and Linsey Pollak) play Oro se vie kraj manastirot Linsey Pollak 2020-11-04 | This video was recorded back in 1979 in Sydney when I brought Lazo Nikolovski (gaida), Mile Kolarov (kaval) and Chris Gunstone (tambura) to Australia for 2 months to play concerts and run workshops as part of the group Orkestar Grupa Pečalbari. Two years previous to this Lazo had been my gaida teacher and mentor when I was 25 years old in 1977/78 when I spent 8 months in Macedonia. I lived in a granny flat in Lazo and Blagitsa's back garden for 3 months (with Adam Heilbrunn) and I am indebted to Lazo for his generosity and giving me so much of his time and starting me on my journey with Macedonian music. Thankyou Lazo.
Lazo Nikolovski playing Kopačkato on gaida (Macedonian bagpipe). Linsey Pollak 2020-10-26 | This video was recorded back in 1979 in Sydney when I brought Lazo, Mile Kolarov (kaval) and Chris Gunstone (tambura) to Australia for 2 months to play concerts and run workshops as part of the group Orkestar Grupa Pečalbari. This clip was filmed during a workshop at UNSW Music Dept. Two years previously Lazo had been my gaida teacher and mentor when I was 25 years old in 1977/78 when I spent 8 months in Macedonia. I lived in a granny flat in Lazo and Blagitsa's back garden for 3 months (with Adam Heilbrunn) and I am indebted to Lazo for his generosity and giving me so much of his time and starting me on my journey with Macedonian music. Thankyou Lazo.
Light in the tunnel - played on a chromatic hybrid duduk. Linsey Pollak 2020-10-21 | I'm playing this piece on a chromatic hybrid duduk that I've designed and constructed inspired by the traditional duduk, an Armenian woodwind instrument.The reed is modelled on a duduk reed but made from 13mm irrigation polypipe. For how to make one go to: youtube.com/watch?v=tLXh0IZLyHM The idea for making a reed this way came from the wonderful Xavier Lozano Palay: youtube.com/watch?v=Yl0wA8pEXAA&t=318sThe instrument is made from the Australian timber - Gidgee. It is chromatic due to the thick walls which enable cross fingering. I'm playing a piece called 'Light in the tunnel' and I'm using a piezobarrel pickup - www.piezobarrel.comThe photos I've used to make this clip I took of sand and water reflections at Woodgate Beach.
Cvetkovo oro Linsey Pollak 2020-10-19 | 'Selani' play the traditional Macedonian tune - Cvetkovo oro (which Linsey learnt from Lazo Nikolovski many years ago as Devetka). Selani are a group of Australians from Maleny, Qld who play traditional Macedonian Folk Music on gaida (Linsey Pollak), tambura (Anthony Pizzica), flute (Ric Halstead) and tapan (Emily Hinckfuss).
PEX clarini, Crow, Flatsax, Cylisax, Mulga bombarde, Baseball bat clarinet & Watering can clarinet. Linsey Pollak 2020-10-15 | Linsey plays the PEX clarini, Crow, Flatsax, Cylisax, Mulga bombarde, Baseball bat clarinet & Watering can clarinet in a new version of '20th April' (a track from his 30 track Bandcamp album 'APRIL'). linseypollak.bandcamp.com/album/april
Baba Djurdja played by Orkestar Grupa Pečalbari - 1979 (Sydney) Linsey Pollak 2020-10-12 | A video recovered from the archives thanks to Chris Gunstone. A 1979 film recorded in Sydney of the Macedonian band 'Orkestar Grupa Pečalbari' with Mile Kolarov (from the village Dračevo, near Skopje, Macedonia) playing kaval, Lazo Nikolovski (from the suburb of Dračevo, Skopje, Macedonia) playing gaida, Chris Gunstone (from London) playing tambura and Linsey Pollak (at that time from Sydney) playing gaida.Here they play Baba Djurdja.Linsey and Chris dedicate this video to the memory of Lazo Nilolovski and Mile Kolarov.
