Old Devil Moon

Jamie Hugh O'Callaghan was born in 1963 in the UK of Welsh/Irish parents and grew up in South Yorkshire and the coastal area around Newcastle. Although he was involved in music from a very early age (New Wave, electronics etc), it wasn't until he turned 20 that he realised he wanted to become a professional musician/composer. So he went back to school to obtain the necessary qualifications. 

He completed his music studies at Kingston University London in 1991.

 

During his studies he became fascinated by music theory and composition and was inspired by composers such as Debussy, Messiaen, Alun Hoddinott, William Alwyn and Arnold Bax but also by the minimalistic and spiritual nature of Hindu music and (film) composers Phil Glass and Bernard Herrmann. As a viola and double bass player he acquired hands on experience of compositional harmony and balance in various orchestral settings. His love of orchestral, minimal and film music has coloured his work ever since and can be found in his contemporary compositions, his projects and collaborations with various artists as well as in the electronic/ambient music with his ensemble 'The colour of time'. With his Celtic origins as a continuous source of inspiration.

Sound on Sound is a live ambient project in which I use electric violin, looping pedals and reel-to-reel techniques to create organic music for spaces, interacting with the surrounding sounds, the energy of the people or the objects present. 

For over 30 years I have been intrigued by the interaction and synergy between visual arts, time, space and music. 

I started composing to visual arts very early on in my career, creating soundscapes/musical portraits to paintings by the French artist Leonor Fini, whom I befriended in Paris. Later on my encounter with Indian (Carnatic) music made me appreciate the illusions of time and space even more and I got inspired by composers of minimal music who used tape machines which enabled them to use and re-use sounds as layers of musical paint on an ever changing canvas.

In this project performing live on electric violin and (looping) pedals allows me to adapt musical character and shading to a particular space and moment in time, painting the atmosphere or catching the vibe of the moment, tuning into the energies surrounding us.

 
For bookings, please contact me via: jamie.o.callaghan[at]hotmail.com or contact my management:

Wilma Kannegieter wilma@happywillowpublishing.com

Old Devil Moon

LizaDee