Holbrooke, Joseph Trio

The Moat Recordings

Label: Tzadik Country: USA

"The legendary reunion of 'Joseph Holbrooke' comprised of three master musicians - Derek Bailey, Gavin Bryars, and Tony Oxley - from the first generation of British improvisers. Originally produced by Gary Todd in 1999, the release of this exciting and historic music was delayed for years under tragic circumstances. These are the first and only studio recordings by this all-star trio whose brief existence in the mid Sixties has been a whispered rumor for decades. Produced in cooperation with the Cortical Foundation, this is astonishing, revelatory musical communication of the highest order."-Tzadik

"Joseph Charles Holbrooke (5 July 1878, Croydon - 5 August 1958, London) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He later changed his name to Josef. He was sometimes referred to as "the cockney Wagner".

His musical output includes eight symphonies, many tone poems, two piano concertos, chamber music including string quartets, a piano quintet, a quintet for clarinet and strings and a piano quartet, and much music inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, including choral and orchestral settings for "The Raven" and "The Bells", and a ballet score for "The Masque of the Red Death". He also wrote a three-part operatic trilogy based on the Welsh epic the Mabinogion.

The classical music label Naxos notes that his works are rarely performed today, in part because "he made very considerable demands on the resources of promoters and the patience of listeners." [...]

The English composer and bassist Gavin Bryars paid tribute to Holbrooke by giving the name Joseph Holbrooke to his collective free-improvising trio with Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley. (Despite the name, the group never played Holbrooke's compositions.)"-Wikipedia