BROADCASTS.com

With over 75 million records sold, six Grammy\u2019s, and inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Police are one of the most iconic bands in the world.\xa0

Although they\u2019re no longer making music as a group, each member is still immersed in their creative pursuits, and guitarist Andy Summers is following his all the way to New Zealand.\xa0

In an exclusive first announcement, Summers will be bringing Kiwi audiences \u2018The Cracked Lens + A Missing String\u2019, an intimate, multimedia performance full of musical performances, stories, and his celebrated photography.\xa0

He told Newstalk ZB\u2019s Mike Hosking that tickets for the shows are hard to come by and he\u2019s getting a standing ovation every night.\xa0

\u201cSo, I think it\u2019s going well.\u201d\xa0

Summers began his foray into photography while touring with the Police in 1979. He said he had plenty of time on his hands and photographers were abundant.\xa0

\u201cI finally sort of crossed over and got a good camera and said, \u2018well, I\u2019m gonna do this,\u2019\u201d he told Hosking.\xa0

\u201cIt turned into, you know, a passion that I stayed with ever since.\u201d\xa0

When it comes to his photography, Summers favours abstraction, focusing on composition, values, balance, and colour as opposed to interesting faces or scenes.\xa0

\u201cI think of it in formal properties,\u201d he explained.\xa0

\u201cNot like, ohhh, that\u2019s an exciting moment, you know, that man\u2019s doing something to that man, whatever.\u201d\xa0

This different way of thinking carries through to his music as well, Summers citing a quote from critic Walter Pater: \u2018all art constantly aspires to the condition of music\u2019.\xa0

\u201cI find the information that I had from music is sort of... you can take it across to photography. And again, you know, like in music you would be thinking of line shape, one thing contrasting against another, a structure.\u201d\xa0

\u201cAll these things can be applied to photography.\u201d\xa0

Summers blends his creative pursuits further, creating scores that go alongside his photographs. His newest EP \u2018Vertiginous Canyons\u2019, releasing later this month, is a companion for his 2023 photography book \u2018A Series of Glances\u2019.\xa0

He revealed to Hosking that the score is entirely improvised, as he played around until he got sounds that inspired him and built each track off that.\xa0

\u201cI made those tracks in one afternoon, which I think is very healthy,\u201d Summers laughed.\xa0

There\u2019s often an idea that quality directly correlates with the time something takes, but Summers doesn\u2019t believe that matters, saying that some of the greatest things are done in minutes.\xa0

\u201cI was trying to tell somebody this morning,\u201d he said to Hosking.\xa0

\u201cYou know, you sit there and slog away trying to write something, and then you give up, and the last minute you give up, it suddenly arrives in your head.\u201d\xa0

While some of it can be attributed to years of training and familiarity with his craft, there is another sort of mysterious element to it: a spark of inspiration.\xa0

Summers has been playing guitar since he was young, transitioning through styles and genres throughout his life. He grew up playing jazz and classical, learning from people like Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Rainey, and began his professional career in a rhythm and blues band before joining the Police.\xa0

After their disbandment in 1984, Summers began his solo career influenced by all sorts of music, taking inspiration from the likes of Thelonious Monk and Miles David. \xa0

\u201cAll this was something that I wish to take elements from and kind of build my own style.\u201d\xa0

"What\u2019s more creatively fulfilling, post-Police or the Police?\u201d Hosking asked, which Summers said was a \u201cbit of a cruel question\u201d.\xa0

\u201cI can\u2019t really answer that,\u201d he said.\xa0

The two are different things Summers told him, with the Police being \u201cthe magic band\u201d, something that doesn\u2019t come along often, and his solo work being incredibly enjoyable as well.\xa0

\u201cI\u2019ve made 15 solo albums and I really dug into it,\u201d Summers said.\xa0

He\u2019s renewed his studio equipment, confirming his plans to create more music in the coming future.\xa0

\u201cI think we went through a weird time with Covid and everything seemed to have stopped, and now it feels like life is coming back again.\u201d\xa0

\u201cI\u2019m on the road and I renewed the studio, so yeah, looking forward to it. Feeling good about it.\u201d\xa0

Tour Dates:\xa0

19th September, Opera House, Wellington.\xa0

20th September, James Hay Theatre, Christchurch.\xa0

3rd October, Town Hall, Auckland.\xa0

LISTEN ABOVE\xa0

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.