"He was the first full-blood Aboriginal to make the trip to England since Bennelong went home with Philip 1792. "
Rolf Harris
"Blanasi is responsibal for bringing the didjeridu outside Australia, he is the one who once started the popularity for didjeridu amongst Balanda"
L. W.
"My father was famous all over the world, he was the Didjeridu Master"
Darryl Dikarrna, White Cockatoo
David Blanasi
One of the most senior men in the region an co-funder of The White Cockatoo Performing Group was the mago (didjeridu) master Mr. David Blanasi. Mr. Blanasi travelled and performed extensively throughout the world for over three decades and brought the mago to national and international prominence for the first time.
His extraordinary virtuosity made him the "free jazz" master of the Western Arnhem land "Gunborg" tradition, where the continious drone of mago is syncopated in time with the songmen.
Photo: Rolf Harris, L. Wallin.
1952 Tour of Sydney with Rolf Harris. Tour of Northern Territory.
1962 United Kingdom tour with Rolf Harris. TV and variety shows. Toured with Rolf Harris trough Western and South Australia.
David Blanasi. London 1967
1968 Hawaiian Tour with The Mialli Dancers.
1969 Japan tour with The Mialli Dancers and Melville Island dance troup.
1971 New Zeeland and Western Samoa tour
1972-73 Tour of Mexico
1973-74 Victorian country tour. NSW school tour with David Gulpilil.
1975 Sydney tour. Opera house with Rolf Harris. Cairns, Palm Island & Papua New Guinea - MT Hagen festival.
1976 USA California Solo Tour. Israel tour.
1977 France Tour with Gulpilil and Mialli Dancers
1978 Sydney Tour with David Gulpilil, Rolf Harris and Djoli Laiwanga.
1988 United Kingdom tour.
1994 Feature Artist Framed Gallery Exhibition in Darwin, Melbourne.
1996 Australia Tour.
1997 Rewarded Raymond Fordimail, Art Award Barunga festival. Recorded Memories with Djoli Laiwonga
1998 Tour of America, Canada and England. Start White Cockatoo Performning Group
1999 USA Westcoast Tour.
2000 Opening World Expo Germany, Tour of Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, England and Ireland.
2001 Womad Festival. David Blanasis Final Performance. White Cockatoo Mago Bushtour.
