What’s the most northerly point in the UK? If you think Newcastle is far north then you need to get out of England more often. If you think Inverness is way up north, you’re only half way there. Even Wick or John o’ Groats isn’t close.
It’s Unst. We know because we spent a wonderful week on the inspiring island with iconoclastic maverick jazz masters, NeWt.
In June 2012, jazz trio NeWt — Graeme Stephen (electric guitar), Chris Grieve (trombone) and Chris Wallace (drums) — embarked on a creative expedition to Unst, the northernmost inhabited island in the UK. The project, “NeWtNorth,” set out to capture the unique soundscape and atmosphere of this remote Shetland setting, resulting in a new album and an ambitious programme of live performances, remote partcipation, visual art and documentary storytelling.
Inner Ear was commissioned by NeWt to document the entire process and bring the experience to a wider audience. Over the course of the week, we accompanied the band to Saxa Vord in Unst, filming their creative process, live-streaming daily rehearsals and capturing their responses to the dramatic island landscape. This culminated in the live-streamed performance at the Shetland Jazz Festival in Lerwick, which featured real-time visuals projected during the show to enhance the atmosphere.
The resulting CD/DVD package brought together NeWt’s “craggily physical” and “turbulent” jazz compositions — such as “Turbulence,” “RAF Skaw” and “Approaching Storm” — with immersive visual storytelling, reflecting the rugged beauty and energy of Unst. Inner Ear’s work on the documentary and live streams not only overcame the technical and logistical challenges of working in such a remote location, but also helped to connect audiences across the UK and beyond with the heart of the creative process.
If you’re planning an ambitious creative project or want to capture and share your own artistic journey, contact Inner Ear to discover how we can help you realise your vision.