Homage to kindness: On the passing of David Darling

 

David Darling (3 Mar 1941 - 8 Jan 2021)

Borrowing the title of one of his very recent albums, one attempts to convey on this blog, too the sad news of David Darling's passing. 

The Grammy Award-winning artist, who was fondly called "the maverick cellist", has passed away on 8 January. 

His albums transcended any and all rigid classification boundaries between genres and styles - and his collaborations with other illustrious musicians are simply too numerous to even enumerate here. 

From cello performances to composing, from highly praised and unconventional teaching methods to sublime musical collaborations, David Darling has extensively proven that boundaries are artificial.

He easily moved from collaborations with illustrious jazz musicians like Ralph Towner and Terje Rypdal on the legendary ECM label to spiritual and philosophical works like The Tao Of Cello, from film soundtracks for trailblazing directors like Jean-Luc Godard and Wim Wenders to world music projects like Mudanin Kata (The Way Home).

His solo albums and collaborations are all the products of a kind and reflective soul - it simply was a perfect meeting between his personality and the phenomenally expressive capabilities of the cello. 

He was heavily involved in music projects for children, with wide recognition from music educators and related organisations, too. 

Instead of referring to and being confined by myriad artificial considerations on instrumental arrangements, genres, styles, and technology vs. traditional recording, David Darling has consistently embraced everything from the most ancient traditions to the newest technological achievements. 

His music was released on labels like the legendary Hearts Of Space, as he imagined and conveyed sound worlds with instrumentations that ranged from some of the most ancient ethnic instruments to contemporary electronics.

Rest in peace... and amongst celestial harmonies that only he could hear and channel to us in his music.