Norman&Corrie are Norman Wilmore and Corrie Dick. They’ve been working together for a while; for this duo project, they’ve trawled the archives of Wilmore’s native Shetland for a wealth of folk tunes which they’ve arranged, deconstructed and made entirely their own. Their show at Kings Place – part of Artistic Director Sam McShane’s year-long Scotland Unwrapped series – marked the launch of their album Twa Double Doubles.
The folk foundations may be deep, but Norman&Corrie build a music that defies definition. Using a variety of instrumentation – as well as his alto sax, Wilmore plays organ pedals to provide the bass and uses electronic effects and pre records, whilst Dick has augmented his drum kit with a range of percussion and drum triggers – they make a sound with more depth than a duo rightly ought. The effect is by turns stunning, mesmerising and dazzling.
From meditative trance through dance-grooves and raucous ceilidh music to ominous bass and portentous screaming from the alto, the journey around Shetland took the audience to sing far flung places. Haltadans, a five bar fragment allegedly transcribed from a trowe (troll) dance band before they were turned to stone on Fetlar, had a suitably bewitching, magical feel; John O Voe / Da Oyster was beautifully sad to start but grew with a strong groove, screaming sax and powerful drumming. Several of the pieces had a spiritual-blues feel, others were joyously exuberant.
Corrie Dick is proving himself to be one of the most imaginative, inventive and entertaining drummers around. At times providing textures beneath Wilmore’s top line, he developed complex drum patterns which drove the music along, as well as being adept at both dance rhythms and swing. Wilmore, too, is becoming a creative force. Together, they felt unstoppable.
