The novels Blood Meridian, Sutree, Child of God and The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy have been wholly influential in creating this performance of Solo in Red.

During the creative process, the brain desperately searches for new ideas, and as a composer and artistic director, Kynan Robinson felt he was prepared to make a statement of deep, personal importance. His preliminary ideas were blurred, and resembled something akin to what he terms a ‘disassembled mosaic’ where he found himself in a state of creative confusion.

Critically praised for dismantling the mythology associated with the traditional ‘Wild West’, Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian is based on historical events that occurred on the border of Texas and Mexico during the 1850s. The novel follows the story of ‘The Kid’, a fifteen year old runaway from Tennessee and his experiences with the Glanton Gang, a group of notoriously violent scalp hunters from the mid-west. The subject-matter, language and flow of the text formed the foundation of Kynan Robinson’s latest compositional work.

Robinson found solace in McCarthy’s writing as well as a similar philosophical outlook to his own, exemplified by the use of literal and metaphorical language and recurring themes of detachment, tension, harshness, and the fragility of life. The dry wit also found in McCarthy’s writing complemented Robinson’s personal perspective, mirroring his own understanding and contrasting against the rigid framework and realities of every day.

After 18 months of experimentation, Robinson was then able to piece together the mosaic, collect his thoughts and ideas, and discover a multifaceted and creative way to express them; the result is Solo in Red.

“McCarthy’s books come at you like a horrifying flood, a poetic and troubled rush of debris. His writing is sparse, and operates within a supernatural or spiritual overlay that draws bleak attention to religion, truth and existence with his words presenting both the absolute beauty and absolute ugliness of existence, often within the same sentence. If you choose to enter McCarthy’s spiritual world, it will often result in the realization of both frightening and peaceful truths. With Solo in Red, I feel as though I have found the creative and artistic voice I have been searching for throughout my entire career, which has been nurtured to meet at the intersection of music, literature, and multimedia art. McCarthy’s texts introduced me to a new literary model from which I have been able to base my musical concepts on and expand on these captivating themes and atmospheres he creates as a writer, which in turn absorb you as a reader. It was this kind of absorption that I was interested and invested in creating and subsequently making my own.”

Combining with the extraordinary talents of Visual Artists Michelle Robinson, Dotahn Caspi, and Sean Kelly, Solo In Red was created, a work that included music, video, lighting and even scent, that sits right in the atmosphere of a Cormac McCarthy Novel and works on all the senses to provide an experience that is both outstandingly beautiful, mesmerizing and haunting.



“This was really visceral music and its effect was felt physically. The combination of instruments provided a timbre-laden treat. I loved the contributions of each instrument. I loved the percussive interludes and the way Ferella intervened with such sensitivity and minimalism. There were some absolutely entrancing standout solos — Robinson digging deep into the gravel, Ronny Ferella taking the space to take us on a sublime journey of intricacy and introspection, Anita Hustas opening with great presence, and Simmons on fire in slow-burn fashion that etched tenor notes into the dark room.” Roger Mitchell – Ozjazz.net

“While the combined virtuosity of the individual members of Collider is nothing short of intimidating, in the context of this project each musician plays his or her role to perfection ensuring that it is the compositions themselves that take center stage.” Owen McKern