The Squid's Ear Magazine


Davis, Matt / Phil Durrant / Mark Wastell: Confront Collectors Series (Confront)

Re-issue of one of the earliest Confront releases, the trio of trumpeter Matt Davis, violinist Phil Durrant and cellist Mark Wastell performing subtle and sophisticated free improvisation at St. Michael's and All Angels church, Chiswick, London in 2000.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Matthew Davis-trumpet

Phil Durrant-violin

Mark Wastell-violincello


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Label: Confront
Catalog ID: ccs 24
Squidco Product Code: 18593

Format: CDR
Condition: New
Released: 2014
Country: Great Britain
Packaging: CD in a tin case
Recorded by Tim Fletcher at St. Michaels & all angels, London, August 2000.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Re-issue of one of the earliest Confront releases, originally available in an edition of 50 in 2001.

The All Angels concert series ran between 1999 and 2001. Co-curated by Rhodri Davies and myself, we wanted to find an environment that was acoustically articulate enough to present our own quickly developing style of music. Rhodri found the perfectly beautiful Norman Shaw designed church, close to his then home, in Chiswick, West London. Once our base was established, there was a swift upward trajectory in our confidence to push forward with our own material.

All Angels enabled us to experiment with new combinations and groupings of musicians of our own choosing - some of which remain active to this day; The Sealed Knot, CRANC and Rhodri's duo with John Butcher all made their debut concerts within it's thick stone walls.

One such grouping was the trio represented on this recording; it's debut concert. I'd first met Matt Davis as long ago as 1996, at a London Musicians Collective workshop led by Eddie Prevost, and we'd subsequently played together in numerous formations. Phil Durrant and I had been playing together as a duo, in Assumed Possibilities (with Chris Burn and Rhodri) and the Chris Burn Ensemble, since 1997/8.

Matt was visiting from an extended stay as an english teacher in Barcelona (to where he soon returned) and I decided to stage a welcome home concert to help persuade him to stay in London (it didn't work!). Phil was an obviously compatible choice.

The music we played that night clearly stated something new in our individual and shared vocabularies and includes that very special ingredient, that unidentifiable, exhilarating feeling of wonder at creating something beyond your known capabilities.

Although the trio wasn't exactly over-subscribed with offers, this concert was the springboard for further explorations together and it definitely felt like a working outfit, notably a shared London concert with visiting Japanese musicians Taku Unami, Masafumi Ezaki and Masahiko Okura, followed by a series of rehearsals in the basement of Sound 323 record shop which oversaw our transformation from acoustic to electronic instruments and which led to an offer from Jon Abbey and the eventual recording sessions that resulted in our release 'open' for Erstwhile Records."-Mark Wastell


Artist Biographies

"Matt Davis (born in London in 1970) is an artist working in sound, music and performance living in Bristol.

In studying visual art an interest in strategic photography and process based work led Matt to the world of improvised and experimental music and sound art. Attending Community Music in 1995 and completing John Steven's Search and Reflect course, amongst others, he made several connections in the improvised music scene such as with Mark Wastell, Angharad Davies and Rhodri Davies.

In 1999 he relocated to Barcelona, joined the IBA collective and 'L'Orquestra IBA' as well as working with the dance company La Sospechosa - a collaboration which lasted many years.

On returning to London in 2002 he curated a series of events entitled FIELD designed to unite improvised music and dance. These events, with the support of the Chisenhale Dance Space Artist's Program, eventually became a live-art project investigating notions of space and performance, and were particularly influenced by the work of geographer Doreen Massey who collaborated on the project.

He has performed extensively throughout the UK and Europe, as well as touring Japan with Broken Consort in 2003.

From 2008-2012 he joined the ensemble Zeitkratzer, and in 2009 moved to Cornwall, where he was a member of the SoN collective and the trio Emlow.

He now lives in Bristol."

-Matt Davis Website (http://f-i-e-l-d.co.uk/biog-contact.html)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Phil Durrant. Born 1957; software synth/sampler, live electronics and acoustic violin.

Phil Durrant studied classical violin and piano at the London College Of Music. Since 1977 he has been a freelance musician, improviser and composer. He has performed at festivals all over Europe, U.S.A and Canada and has had his music broadcast on radio and television in many countries.

Current electronic projects include Ticklish, Secret Measures (with John Butcher), Lunge (with Gail Brand, Pat Thomas and Mark Sanders) and the international electronic orchestra, Mimeo. He also plays violin in Assumed Possibilities (with Chris Burn, Rhodri Davies and Mark Wastell), "Beinhaltung", a trio with Radu Malfatti and Thomas Lehn another trio with Berlin musicians, Burkhard Beins and Ignaz Schick, and the string quartet Quatuor Accorde, with Tony Wren, Charlotte Hug and Mark Wastell. Durrant has also played in the very influential trio with John Butcher and John Russell, as well as the Chris Burn Ensemble.

During his career he has played with many creative and important musicians, including: Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Grooverider, Shut up and Dance, John Zorn, Phil Minton, and Tom Cora. He has also been awarded various Arts Council grants to research and develop his use of electronics. Two current duo projects - at early 2001 - were: Durrant, violin and software synth/sampler with Wade Matthews, bass clarinet, alto flute; and Durrant software synth/sampler with Mark Sanders drums and sequenced samples.

Phil Durrant has also been collaborating and composing music for a wide variety of choreographers. These include PLastic chill, In the face of a stranger and Deja deux with Maxine Doyle; Salome, Concrete and On stage with Susanne Thomas; Partial site, near view and Delay for five with Gill Clarke; Future perfekt with Ana Sanchez-Colberg; and Borderlander and Home zone with Sophia Lycouris. Salome, Concrete and Partial site, near view were site-specific and involved speaker systems in a number of different rooms. He recently wrote the music for a new play by Nick Sutton called Home movies."

-European Free Improv (EFI) (http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/musician/mdurrant.html)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Mark Wastell Born 1968; cello.

Much of Mark Wastell's relationship with his chosen instrument is concentrated on the tactile, textural and sonic possibilities of both violoncello and bow. He is increasingly interested in working with extreme elements drawn from frequency, timbre and pitch.

His early activity was consciously and subconsciously influenced by a variety of improvising musicians including John Stevens, Barry Guy, Phil Durrant and John Russell. Subsequent exposure to contemporary composers lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of the works written for strings by Feldman, Cage, Nono, Lachenmann and Sciarrino. The use of live electronics and music concrete by Tudor, Parmegiani, Xenakis and others was another important early influence.

Wastell's current instrumental material primarily focuses on using abstract principles of space and texture - encompassing elements of new London silence, pro-instrument minimalism, new complexity and electro-acoustics. Because of the very nature of his chosen instrument, he tends to favour 'chamber' style ensembles and is a member of a number of regular groups:

• Chris Burn's Ensemble, with John Butcher, Rhodri Davies, John Russell, Matt Hutchinson

• Derek Bailey's Company - with, for example, Will Gaines, Simon H. Fell and Rhodri Davies

• Evan Parker's String Project, with Peter Cusack, Hugh Davies, Rhodri Davies, Phil Durrant, John Edwards, Kaffe Matthews, Marcio Mattos, John Russell

• Assumed possibilities, with Chris Burn, Rhodri Davies and Phil Durrant

• The Sealed Knot, with Burkhard Beins and Rhodri Davies

• Necessaire with Alessandro Bosetti, Ignaz Schick and Burkhard Beins

• IST with Simon Fell and Rhodri Davies

• Quatuor Accorde with Tony Wren, Phil Durrant and Charlotte Hug

• Broken Concort, a duo with Rhodri Davies

Mark Wastell has also performed with many other leading musicians including John Zorn, Keith Rowe, Peter Kowald, Hugh Davies, Roger Turner, Veryan Weston, Lol Coxhill, Mark Sanders, Axel Dorner, Hans Koch, Phil Minton, Max Eastley and Steve Beresford.

As a soloist he has played at the Micro-classical Festival (London 1996), LMC Festival (London 2000) and the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (2000). He has travelled extensively with various groups, performing on tour and at festivals in the USA, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Greece. Other work includes the launch in 1996 of his own record label, Confront Recordings. Wastell is also joint co-ordinator of the concert venue All Angels, together with Rhodri Davies."

-European Free Improv (EFI) (http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/musician/mwastell.html)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Untitled 29:01

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Trio Recordings
lowercase, reductionist, micro-improv, sound improv, onkyo sound
Trio Recordings

Search for other titles on the label:
Confront.


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