Sound the Alarm - Protest Music from the Other End of the World
- Carovana091
- Nov 7
- 2 min read
Even in Australia, despite the geographic distance, Gaza has caused a profound social upheaval. The events have sparked waves of empathy, compassion, and outrage – as they have in many parts of the world. In Australia, where many people were born abroad or have immigrated, this emotional and cultural connection bridges any physical distance. For many, this also involves taking responsibility: violence carried out in the name of the "West" should not be silently accepted.
After years in international music communities, Clayton Thomas 2015 returned to Australia. He remained not only a prominent figure in the Australian music scene but also worked in the non-profit sector, developing fundraising campaigns for charitable organizations. “It was the first time,” Thomas says, “that I could combine my social identity – as someone making art explicitly concerned with justice and equality – with the writing skills I had honed in my twenties in advertising. In a way, I was following the path of my ethical convictions – and at the same time privileged to be able to put this work into practice.”
Jazz and Free Jazz have always carried a political stance. They are forms of music for protest and community, representing creativity and ethics. This has deeply shaped Thomas.
“Perhaps Sound the Alarm is something like closing a circle,” Thomas says. “Through music, I became a social activist – and today it is my response to this moment: to use music as it is meant to be used: to connect, uplift, and bring us closer to our better selves.”
Inspired by the idea of Sound the Alarm, Thomas initially brought together like-minded musicians who understood the purpose of the project. From these conditions, the composition emerged, attempting to carry the musical idea. Yet Sound the Alarm remains a musical statement that is recreated at every performance – shaped by current events, the musicians present, and the space itself. The music is always new and remains a living response to the present. In this way, the inner stance of the piece is continuously tested, reinforced, and clarified.
In this spirit, work was also done in Locarno, where Luca Sisera carefully coordinated the musicians and musical content. Sound the Alarm is and remains an open process - in which stance, sound, and the present engage in dialogue.
In Locarno, Sound the Alarm is performed by the following ensemble:
Hanspeter Wespi – Cello
Ueli Zysset – Double Bass
Luca Manzo – Hammond Organ
Hanswerner Plüss – Electronics
Francesca Naibo – Electric Guitar
Francesco Giudici – Electric Guitar
Fabio Martini – Bass Clarinet
Enrico Teofani – Trombone
Carlo Brülhart – Saxophone
Nicolas Monguzzi – Percussion and Gong
Ivano Torre – Drums
Sheldon Suter – Drums, Percussion, and Zither
Thomas Canna – Percussion
Rosemarie Stucker – Voice and Objects
Natalie Peters – Voice
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