Henry Hey - trio: ri-metos (2023) Hi Res

The Marshall Islands, situated in the eastern Pacific ocean, are separated by many miles of open sea. As such, navigating purely by line of sight is impossible. As early as 2000 BC, Micronesian inhabitants developed a miraculous method of navigation by observing the direction, reflection, and refraction of ocean waves. With this system, they could determine where other islands would lie and where the ocean depths would change, even with no land in sight. They would then create what became known as stick charts, such as the one pictured on the cover of this recording, as a document of the observed wave patterns. A wave pilot, or Ri-Meto, might train for several years to master this craft and then would pass this skill on to an apprentice from the next generation. As a sailor, the tale of the Ri-Metos has always fascinated me, but as an artist and human living in what some might call ‘strange times’, these formidable sea voyagers have taken on a deeper significance. We move forward to create art that is meaningful to us, and to trust in our passion and joy to lead us onward.

Thank you to Jochen Rueckert and Joe Martin for their incredible playing and beautiful spirit. Thank you to Vince Mendoza for his inspiration and for the gorgeous compositions that he shared for this album. Thank you to Pablo Menares for his amazing musicianship and support. Many thanks to people who were so supportive and who helped my process along the way including, Everett Bradley, David Croy, Scott Warren, Eric Halvorson, Mark Haanstra, Marc Schenk, Mark Plati, Bob Kuehne, Brooke Alexandra, Catherine Russell, Linda Meredith, Dan Zank, Spike Wilner and Mezzrow, Jon Regen ,Lucy Woodward, Joe D’Ambrosio, Darren Paltrowitz, Dave McNair, Chris Tarry and Pete Benjamin. Thank you most of all to Tamara Hey, who is a constant source of patience and love and who helps me to find my way in every sense.