Chuck Copenace takes you to the sweat-lodge with his his new single and visualizer video for Creator — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
During one of his first experiences in a ceremonial sweat-lodge in 2014, the Indigenous jazz trumpeter heard a simple Ojibway melody that got stuck in his head. He did some research and learned of its original creator, Neil Hall from Sagkeeng, and received encouragement from an elder to use it in Creator, the latest single from his forthcoming album Oshki Manitou.
Originally called The Creator Helper Song, it’s a piece of music meant to heal and encourage letting go. “I really loved how simple the melody is, but how it flows. All that you need is right there – it’s just one melody with one drum,” Copenace muses. “And it’s a structure that’s… finished. With Western music, there’s all these layers — well, it needs drums and it needs bass — but these songs don’t need anything else and they have a purpose, to help people and to heal people.”
The sweat-lodge was a transformative experience for Copenace, both musically and personally. “Whatever happened in the lodge — the focus, darkness, pain, the heat — I was able to start singing that ceremonial music on my own,” he says. “From then on, all my compositions seemed to come from those melodies and that place.”
Oshki Manitou, out Sept. 22, is a decidedly personal musical expression for the 45-year-old former social worker, a way to share his story of recovery and his spiritual awakening. On it, he fuses contemporary interpretations of sweat-lodge melodies with jazz and elements of dance, and electronica.
Music has been a healing force in Copenace’s life, starting with when he picked up a trumpet in Grade 7. Since 2015, he’s been leading his own band, performing around the world, and collaborated with Tom Wilson and iskwē. “I’m committed to sharing my story to help heal and offer support to people, and I want to introduce young people to jazz, but I also want to bring Indigenous musicians together. And I think my music can be a platform to further that mission.”
Watch the visualizer for Creator above, hear more from Chuck Copenance below and find him on his website, Instagram and Facebook.
