52 Fridays
Highlighted tracks from the album
52 FRIDAYS album release
as featured in the new ABC documentary ‘Cracking COVID’
ALBUM RELEASE DATE: JULY 13 2021
In October 2019, Dale decided to embark on an ambitious artistic project, committing to create a spontaneous piano improvisation every Friday for an entire year. Performances were filmed to document the process and posted to YouTube and other socials. Little did he realise this commitment to 52 FRIDAYS was about to be influenced by a tumultuous year ahead – a year as improvised and randomly structured as his performances. These compositions, formed during Victoria’s length lockdowns, became deeply personal artistic responses to events and circumstances beyond Dale’s control, as the isolation of his studio began to mirror the world around him.
Fast forward to 2021, Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker, Sonya Pemberton, contacted Dale to discuss collaborating on her new documentary film, Cracking COVID.
Sonya had a sense of what she wanted, “solo piano, not maudlin but full of dissonance and strangeness”.
Sonya remembers Dale going quiet on the other end of the phone and thought he’d lost interest…….then Dale described the 52 FRIDAYS project to Sonya.
“As he shared his story, I had goosebumps. Here was a genuine soundtrack to the pandemic, created in real time, just as our filming of the science response was evolving in real time. It became clear to me that in so many ways were all improvising. We had to find a way to weave this unique and authentic element into a mainstream science documentary. What has evolved is a very different film to what I imagined at the start, 16 long months ago. It has become a tender story of hard science, a story that’s surprisingly sweet and funny at times, whilst also deeply, profoundly sad. It has become an unusual record of these times, a gentle contribution to collective remembering.” Sonya Pemberton June 3rd 2021.
The end result? Cracking COVID features several of Dale’s video improvisations (watch trailer here), along with many performances from the project used as underscore throughout the film.
Cracking COVID (ABC TV & iVIEW) and 52 FRIDAYS (the album) launched simultaneously Tuesday 13th July.
52 FRIDAYS consists of 16 tracks selected and remixed from the original spontaneous improvisations on YouTube.
Preview whole album on Soundcloud here
52 FRIDAYS – Apple Music/iTunes
52 FRIDAYS – All other streaming platforms
Review excerpt by Kevin Perry at TVBLACKBOX.COM.AU
“….Dale’s music provides a telling and deeply emotional soundtrack to Cracking Covid”
FAN RESPONSE…..
“…the past 7 months as a sole trader in Melbourne has been challenging and frustrating. Thank you for being a regular calming soundtrack in the home studio/home school room over that time!!” Leanne (Oct. 2020 via Facebook)
“Your connection to Love…& to Life is obviously, so deep and profound. I had tears in my eyes listening…” Ian (July 2021 via Facebook)
“The wonderful journey you have taken us on….No fanfare. No fireworks. Just quiet beautiful thoughts..” Jenny (Oct 2020 via Facebook)