Artist Profiles: George Telek

Local legend has it that when George Telek was a child, he chewed upon a sacred betel nut which opened his dreams to the stories of his ancestors and provided the inspiration for his songs. He smiles enigmatically when asked about the tale.

George Mamua Telek comes from the village of Raluana, near Rabaul on the Papua New Guinean island of New Britain, where he continues to live with his wife Bridget and their children, despite the volcano that destroyed their community in 1994. “The traditional songs are about our daily life, songs that the people sing when they pick the bananas or collect the coconuts or go fishing,” he said.

The towns and villages have now been rebuilt and because the Tolai people represent a living tradition, the volcano too has now entered their songs. But while Telek remains rooted in village life, he has also become one of the first Papua New Guinean singers to take his music beyond the coral seas of the Pacific to the modern world. He first left the islands in 1990 to tour Australia, where he has enjoyed considerable success. 1999 found him traveling to the Northern Hemisphere for the first time to record an album at the Real World studios in the United Kingdom.

While in Great Britain he also played two enchanting gigs with his band, showcasing his lyrical and evocative songs which combine the ancient traditions of Tolai culture, such as midal (magic charms) and malira (love magic), with a more contemporary pop sensibility. “The islands are isolated but we grew up with music like the Beatles,” he said. His first stop after landing at Heathrow was to have his picture taken crossing Abbey Road.

The sound of Telek is essentially acoustic, the gentle guitars underpinned by ancestral drums such as the kundu (with an hourglass shape) and the garamut (massive slit logs). But above all there are the rich and unique three-part harmonies, sung both in the Tolai language of Kuanuan and in a Creole called Tok Pigin. “The missionaries first brought us guitars but the harmonies are natural. We call it snaking the vocal. We have the main vocal line and the second harmony and in between the two we have the snake weaving around. That’s the way we sing.” he explains.

Telek began singing in the late seventies with various acoustic string bands of the kind that are typical across Papua New Guinea, often with up to 15 members and based on a line-up of guitars and ukuleles. While spending his days tending the family cocoa plot. At night he played with the Moab Stringband and the Jolly Roger Stringband, named after a local tavern in Rabaul. But he was also interested in rock music and got his first drum kit when he joined the Kagan Devils. His own guitar soon followed – a gift from relatives working in the copper mines on the nearby Bougainville Island.

After a brief time in the capital of Port Moresby, he returned to Rabaul to join the Unbelievers Revival Band where he began writing his own songs including Talaigu, which remains a highlight of his live set. But the breakthrough was to come with the rock group the Painim Wok Band (it means “looking for work”).

The recording industry in Papua New Guinea did not exist until 1977 when the National Broadcasting Corporation began putting out the first cassettes of local talent. By 1983 there were a small number of independents operating and Painim Wok signed to the Pacific Gold label. They became stars across Papua New Guinea and Telek went on to make five solo albums for the label.

The chance to reach a wider audience occurred in 1986 when David Bridie from the Australian rock band Not Drowning Waving was on vacation in Papua New Guinea and heard a tape of Telek playing with the Moab Stringband. He was captivated. “It was a booming local scene. Groups from Rabaul were successful throughout Papua New Guinea, both rock bands and string bands. I bought a couple of George’s tapes and they were instantly appealing. I knew I wanted to work with him and get this music heard outside Papua New Guinea,” recalls Bridie. He returned two years later with Not Drowning Waving to record an album with George and other Papua New Guinean musicians – including drummer Ben Hakalitz from the Sanguma Band who, like Bridie, still plays with Telek.

The album they made together, Tabaran, was released in Australasia in 1990 – the first popular collaboration between Australian and Papua New Guinean musicians. Somehow it also found its way to the discerning David Byrne, who declared it his favorite album of the year. Peter Gabriel was equally impressed and after George had made his first tour outside Papua New Guinea supporting Not Drowing Waving around Australia, he was invited to appear at WOMADELAIDE in 1992.

He also forged an alliance with Australian Aboriginal artists such as Archie Roach and Kev Carmody. Both later appeared on his first solo album to be released outside Papua New Guinea, 1997’s Telek on the Australian label Origin. It won an ARIA (the Australian equivalent of the Grammys) as best world music album.

In 1999 George was invited by Peter Gabriel to record at Real World with a band consisting of Ben Hakilitz on percussion, David Bridie on keyboards and fellow Papua New Guinean Glen Low on bass. “We couldn’t bring our garamut drums. They wouldn’t let the logs through customs.” George said. “And it was October and we didn’t like the cold. But to work at Real World was very special. For island people the opportunity to play our music for the rest of the world is something we never even dreamed about.”

Edited from an original by Nigel Williamson, courtesy of Realworld/Narada.

Discography:

Tabaran (WEA, 1990)
Telek (Origin, 1997)
Serious Tam (Real World Records, 2000)
Amette (The Blunt Label, 2004)
Christmas With George Telek And Friends ‎(CHM Supersound, 2008)
Akave (Wantok Musik, 2010)
A Bit Na Ta ‎(Wantok Musik, 2016)

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.