Durban multi-instrumentalist Guy Buttery is set to release Orchestrations, a new album born from over a decade of meticulous crafting, global collaborations and artistic exploration.
In celebration of its release, Durban audiences will have an opportunity to hear Buttery in an intimate setting playing live tracks as well as sharing snippets from the album and unpacking this creative process. It will be an evening of sound and storytelling, where Buttery will take us on a sonic journey through the project that has been 12 years in the making, and described as his ‘magnum opus’.
The seeds of Orchestrations were planted in 2012 when Buttery joined the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra to perform three of his compositions arranged for the 52-piece ensemble. The exhilarating experience ignited a deep dive into orchestral composition, launching a transformative journey. With Buttery’s signature guitar at the core, Orchestrations unfolds into a lush, layered soundscape, where global influences and collaborations intertwine seamlessly with expansive orchestral arrangements by Chris Letcher.
The album will be launched on February 20.
Buttery’s two performances take place on Friday February 21 at the Westville Theatre Club, 6 St James Avenue at 7pm, and on Saturday February 22 at the Soul Centre, Umhlali, at 5pm. Patrons are welcome, and encouraged, to bring their own food and drinks. Limited edition artworks as well as copies of the album will be available. Tickets from Quicket.
If you would like to read more about the upcoming album, which will be released in full on 20 A pre-order of the album will help Buttery’s efforts in planting indigenous trees in a personal endeavour to rehabilitate a local riverbed.
Buttery says: “Between studio sessions and concert tours, I have been quietly rehabilitating a stretch of river in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands that was inundated with alien invasive plant species. The stream and surrounding grassland was also heavily clogged up from a nearby timber plantation as well as suffering erosion from cattle.
“Much like Orchestrations, this is a life's work. I am planting a forest. An actual one. It will likely take a decade or two. I'm not scared. The work has begun and I can already see a massive change.
“Your support here will continue the rehab of the land and an indigenous tree will be planted with your contribution. I will happily take a photograph of said tree from my cellular device should you so wish. Hit me up.”
See https://guybuttery.bandcamp.com/album/orchestrations