Gurrumul posthumous album ‘Banbirrngu – The Orchestral Sessions’ announced for November

Music from one of the country’s most renowned singer-songwriters has been reimagined seven years after his death – and you can listen to the first song off the album now.

Gurrumul’s fifth studio album Banbirrngu – The Orchestral Sessions will be released in November

A new album from one of the Northern Territory’s most notable musicians will be released in November, seven years after his death.

Gurrumul’s ethereal voice soars above sweeping orchestral recordings as some of his most well-known songs are reworked and reimagined in Banbirrngu – The Orchestral Sessions.

The posthumous album will be released on November 8, with the first single Banbirrngu released on Wednesday.

A blind Gumatj man from Arnhem Land in remote NT, Gurrumul is one of the

most famous Indigenous performers in modern Australian history.

He joined Yothu Yindi in 1989, co-founded Saltwater Band in 1999, and released his first solo album in 2008 which went triple platinum.

During his career Gurrumul played at venues including New York’s Carnegie Hall, and won fans in A-listers such as Elton John and Bjork.

He died in 2017 aged 46.

His fifth studio album, and the second to be released posthumously, is produced by Michael Hohnen, arranged by Erkki Veltheim and recorded in Prague by the Prague Metropolitan Orchestra.

“A voice like no other, singing predominantly in his native Yolngu languages, his music is

characterised by its serene and haunting beauty celebrated by critics and peers alike, earning

multiple ARIA awards and international acclaim,” the album notes said.

“The album explores a range of instrumentation from sparse to full orchestral expressions. Each piece exhibits variation, reservation, and strength of purpose.”