Master of Arts, Music

The thesis for Liam Ryan's Master of Arts degree was realised as a studio work - a ten track CD of electronica based new jazz. The project entitled M2M: Mississippi 2 Mauao involved developing works which reflected Liam's interest the compositional and arranging values associated with jazz music, and how contemporary and traditional composition aesthetics can be employed in a body of work. In particular he was interested in the appropriation of Afro American music into the New Zealand jazz and rhythm and blues sub cultures.

The M2M tracks are collaborative and involved Liam in writing and arranging for his band Torch Songs (which includes fellow Masters students Grant Mason on trumpet and Carol Storey on vocals) as well as some of New Zealand's best jazz performers - Midge Marsden (blues harp), Steve Garden (drums) Cam Allen (saxophone) and DJ Hone Ngata (DJ Poroufessor).

The M2M album was recorded at Liam's home studio in Tauranga and mastered at the WINTEC S Block studio and at The Colourfield Recording studio in Tauranga.

As a result of the M2M masters project Liam and Carol have collaborated to set up a record label, Torch Records. The M2M album was released nationally on the Torch Records label on March 1 2007 distributed through Global Routes. The album is supported by a substantial interactive website www.m2m.org.nz. The album entered the IMNZ charts at no. 42 in May 2007.

As a result of his academic writing Liam has developed his profile as an arts commentator and now writes a weekly 800 word column “Liam Ryan In Tune” for the Bay Of Plenty Times. (His articles can be viewed at the M2M website).

Liam's dissertation focussed on an examination of the rise of Afro American music in Christchurch between 1960 -70. The dissertation evaluated issues of appropriation and how the American Deep Freeze base in Christchurch (among other things) facilitated the profile of Christchurch as a host for the rise of Afro American rhythm and blues in New Zealand.

Liam says “Doing the Wintec masters programme has been a highly rewarding experience and has taken my career as a musician and an artist to new levels and into new areas which I had never imagined.”

Liam will present his Masters Dissertation findings at the IASPM conference in Dunedin in November.