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Richard Nunns

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Richard Nunns was a Māori instrumentalist of Pākehā descent, born on 7 December 1945 in Napier and died on 7 June 2021. He was best known for his playing of taonga pūoro, the traditional instruments of the Māori. As a young teacher in the Waikato he helped build a marae, which kindled his interest in Māori culture. He was a jazz musician at the time.

Music and breakthrough

For years he played together with Hirini Melbourne, who lived from 1949 to 2003. Together they researched these instruments, which had not been played for more than a century, because their use had disappeared from the tradition in the twentieth century. Many instruments still lay in museums, and nobody knew any more how they were played. The two are regarded as those who breathed new life into this piece of Māori culture. After Melbourne's death Nunns was regarded as the greatest authority in the field. In 1998 he co-led the musicians at a ceremony at sunrise on the opening day of Te Papa.

Influence

He recorded with musicians from many styles, among them Moana and the Moahunters, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, King Kapisi and Salmonella Dub, and toured with, among others, Evan Parker and Marilyn Crispell. He also contributed to the music of the The Lord of the Rings films and Whale Rider. His albums include Te Kū Te Whē from 1994, Rangirua from 2001 and Utterance from 2017. In 2009 he received the Arts Laureate Award.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording of Richard Nunns on taonga pūoro, for example from Te Kū Te Whē. Notice the sounds that resemble flutes, wind and voices: which instruments do you hear?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists