A hit at the 2009 Melbourne International Film Festival, Intangible Asset No. 82 is a documentary by Emma Franz, which traces Sydney drummer Simon Barker's fascinating journey into the heart of traditional Korean music. A journey not to be missed!

Also featuring a set of improvisation from Simon Barker and a Q&A session with the documentary's producer.

With thanks to Film Victorica and Screen Australia.

SIMON BARKER

"A free improviser of authority, control and textural imagination. Barker does not play musical approximations of emotion but the thing itself" John Shand SMH

Simon studied in Australia with Jon Collins, and in New York with John Riley, Keith Copeland, Marvin “Smitty” Smith, Kim Plainfield and Mike Clarke. Since returning home in 1990 he has performed throughout Australia, Europe, Asia, USA and Russia. In 2005 Simon created Kimnara Records, an independent label presenting new music by Australian improvisers.In 2005, Simon was commissioned by the Australian Embassy, Seoul to create a cultural exchange event for the 2005 Australia Month Festival in Korea. This led to the formation of Daorum, a group featuring pansori singer Bae Il Tong, Korean traditional percussionist Kim Dong Won, Phil Slater, Matt McMahon and Carl Dewhurst. The group has also performed at the 2006 Jeonju Sori Festival in Korea, the 2007 Queensland Music Festival, and the 2008 OZASIA Festival, Adelaide. He is also involved in several collaborative projects including Band of Five Names, Showa 44 and Red Fish Blue.

Recent projects include performances with Phil Slater’s Sculthorpe Songbook, Katie Noonan, Crossing Roper Bar, a collaborative work featuring indigenous musicians from Ngukuur and members of the Australian Art Orchestra, Elvis Costello and the SSO, Ruby’s Story with Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter and the AAO, Paul Grabowsky’s song cycle “Before Time Could Change” us as well as concerts with Paul Grabowsky, Joe Lovano, Ed Schuller and Scott Tinkler performing Tales of Time and Space. He has recently touring Europe and the US with Lucinda Peters, Japan with the Makoto Kuria trio and JAJO, China with Peter Sherr. and Korea with the Heo Jin Oh trio. In 2009 Simon collaborated with Carl Dewhurst and Alan John on the soundtrack for Khoa Do's latest feature Missing Water.

He performs and records regularly with many of Australia’s finest jazz groups including The Phil Slater qt, Paul Grabowsky Quintet, Australian Art Orchestra, Vince Jones, Scott Tinkler Trio, and the Matt McMahon Trio. Simon has also played with many international touring artists including Claire Martin, Sheila Jordan, Gary Smulyan, John Hicks and Carlos Ward. He has recorded over sixty CDs with local and international jazz artists, including ARIA winner “Fire” by Mark Simmonds’ Freeboppers, and is included as a feature artist in John Shand's Jazz: The Australian Accent.

Equally active in the jazz education field, Simon gives workshops and private tuition at universities throughout East Asia including the Beijing Central Music Academy, Mahidol University (Thailand), All That Jazz series (Hong Kong), Hanoi Jazz co-op (Vietnam), Seoul Jazz Academy (Korea) and the Christchurch Polytech (NZ). In 1998 and 2000, he was a guest performer for the Canberra School of Music’s Jazz Initiative. In 2005 he was guest lecturer and moderator at The University of Canterbury, Christchurch, and in 2008, he was a lecturer at Victoria College of the Arts, and NMIT.

His interest in developing new music with East Asian musicians has also led to collaborations with the Japan Australia Jazz Orchestra (2006), drummer/composer Won Il (Seoul, April 02), Min young Seok (Seoul 01/02), Eugene Pau (Hong Kong 98), and percussionist Kim Dae Hwan (Seoul 99). Simon has been a guest speaker for the Asialink Leadership Program each year since 2003, and in 2002 was awarded an Asialink residency grant to engage with musicians and arts agencies in South Korea.