Richard Mogu
Motu People
Mailu Island, Papua New Guinea
From Amazon Bay on the south coast of Papua New Guinea, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Richard Mogu has been a feature musician in PNG for many years as a solo artist and session musician. Excelling in both traditional and contemporary style.
Whilst bass is his feature instrument, he is also adept at mambu (bamboo flutes), garamut drumming, guitars and percussion. He was taught by legendary Sanguma founder Tony Subam. Mogu has also been involved in a producer of other PNG artists and toured the USA with Sing Sing in 2009.
Back in Sep' 2016 in Goroka...
We didn’t just go to the highlands of Papua New Guinea to visit the Goroka show, we were also there to meet Richard Mogu and to focus on two unique bamboo instruments, the Kwakumba a flute with a rich deep earthy tone and the Sussap, PNG’s own version of the Qaqar the Jawharp. We had to record with Richard on a mountain, I wanted to connect the highlands of Madagascar, Taiwan, Hawaii and Aotearoa so we set off for an hour (almost) up the side of mountain, as you do. There Richard played Kwakumba to an improvisation by Sammy on his Morivany and Sussap to Piteyo’s Quaqar song, you can also hear Richard’s soulful Kwakumba on Pasiputput with the Bunan Songmen of Louna Village.
The following day Richard invited us to a show his family band were doing at a local charity run school which brings in children from all the provinces of Papua New Guinea to learn together, with huge smiles in our hearts we watched the early graders in full traditional bilas (clothing and facepainting), dance and sing their songs for each other.
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