Riki Pirihi - Master Drummer - Night 1

Pyramid Club is excited to present master drummer Riki Pirihi, in a performance residency over 2 nights and an afternoon participatory Conduction workshop.Riki Pirihi (Ngāti Wai, Patuharakeke, Ngāti Māhanga) is one of the most important musicians of his generation in Aotearoa. As a drummer he has been the rhythmic force behind a huge number of bands and A-list mucisians including Trinity Roots, Fat Freddy's Drop, Connan Mockasin, Anika Moa, Jonathan Crayford, Crowded House, Recloose, Ladi6, Orchestra of Spheres and Dave Dobbyn to name but a few. Working solo under Cave Circles, Riki is constantly reinventing his music, from experimental electronics to taonga pūoro. Recently Riki completed a Doctor of Musical Arts degree centred on the cultivation of a unique musical language, Rangatuone, which intertwines the principles of Conduction (improvised conducting) with expressive signs and gestures, tailored specifically for the composition and performance of taonga pūoro alongside Western instruments. Through all this astonishing variety of musical settings, Riki's foundation has always been in improvisation, and it's with pleasure that we welcome him home to Pyramid Club for two nights of improvised collaborations with a diverse lineup of artists from Wellington's creative music family. Riki will play solo, duo, trio and quartet sets on both the Friday and Saturday night concerts, and will lead a participatory conduction workshop on Saturday afternoon.SCHEDULE:Night 1 - Fri 31 JulyRiki Pirihi soloduo w/ Anthony Donaldsontrio w/ Nell Thomas, Simon O'Rorkequartet w/ Kiva Pirihi, Erika Grant, Jonny MarksNight 2 - Saturday 1 AugustRiki Pirihi soloduo w/ Alistair Frasertrio w/ Daniel Beban, David Longquartet w/ Bridget Kelly, Tom Callwood, Toby LaingSaturday 1 August 2:30pm - Conduction WorkshopThanks to Creative NZ and Wellington City Council for supporting Pyramid Club's programme.