The Squid's Ear Magazine


Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere: Theta Four (Discus)

Declaring Terry Riley, Magma, Krautrock, and Sun Ra as influences, this is the fourth album from wind and keyboard player Martin Archer's Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere, an augmented six-piece UK ensemble whose rock affinities also embrace improvisation and minimalism, a heady mix of virtuosic playing with melodic intention and extremely detailed tapestries of sound; dreamy and elegiac.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Martin Archer-keyboards, electronics, saxophones, clarinets, flutes, recorders, melodica, voice

Steve Dinsdale-electronic drum kit, synth

frostlake (Jan Todd)-vocals, lyrics, electronics, celtic harp, lute harp, korg wave drum, keyboards, bowed electroacoustic bass, idiopan

Yvonna Magda-violin, electronics

Walt Shaw-acoustic percussion, electronics, voice

Terry Todd-bass, electroacoustic bass guitars


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UPC: 5051078963020

Label: Discus
Catalog ID: 070CD
Squidco Product Code: 26732

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2018
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Discus Music in 2017 and 2018 by Martin Archer, by frostlake at Frogpond, and by Yvonna Magda.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

Album title: θ4 [theta four]

"This improvising rock group references the musical innovations of Terry Riley, the swooping exuberance of Alice Coltrane and a mastery of contemporary electronics.

Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere still intend a Big Listen, this time round the core six piece group explode into Theta Four from the very first track--a cinematic epic with powerful brooding string arrangements from Martin Archer and the reintroduction of his performance poetry/improvising group Juxtavoices, who chant and improvise their way into a new deep dimension of sound.

The CD continues to surprise and delight with spacious improvisations, composed pieces and all combinations in between, from hypnotic groove-driven drama to "What the hell did I just hear?"

Theta Four features some of their best playing yet- virtuoso horns, wind, violin and keys, creative drums bass and percussion and haunting vocal lines. Seamless arrangements evoke an incredible variety of moods across a single CD which is energetic and confident. The musicians complement each other well with sheer enjoyment and it makes for a positive and addictive listen."-Discus


Artist Biographies

"Martin Archer was born in Sheffield, England, in 1957. He started playing saxophone at age 15 and first got active on the Sheffield improvisational scene in 1973. In the early '80s, he recorded an LP with Bass Tone Trap, his first group. In 1983 he formed the saxophone quartet Hornweb, which, in ten years of existence, released three albums. It is during that time that Archer released his first solo album, Wild Pathway Favourites (1988) and founded the Discus label on which he since releases all his music.

In 1993, he disbanded Hornweb and turned to synthesizers and sequencers while shifting his activities from stage to studio. He developed a compositional approach in which he records improvisers soloing, then manipulates this raw material, combining it with electronics and structuring it into a whole new piece. This technique is illustrated on Wild Pathway Favourites, Ghost Lily Cascade (1996), and Pure Water Construction (with bassist Simon H. Fell, released in 1999). Later works such as Winter Pilgrim Arriving (2000) moved toward more constructed and less abstract pieces, even making room for melodies and rhythm tracks at times.

Apart from his solo work, Archer is also involved in Ask, a duo with guitarist John Jasnoch, and Transient v Resident, an ambient electronics project with Chris Bywater."-All Music, François Couture



"Martin Archer is a composer / improviser who is equally at home on stage or in the studio. His own distinctive saxophone playing is rooted in AACM jazz. Through his use of keyboards and electronics, and as a studio producer, he extends this interest into extended song form and leftfield rock music. He is also co-director of the uncategorisably avant choir Juxtavoices.

His principle music work is the Discus Music label, the imprint for his various releases, notably by the groups described below.

His current jazz based projects include Engine Room Favourites (current a 4 drummer, 14 piece big band), Story Tellers (6 piece group including shaman instruments alongside the conventional instruments), plus various ad hoc smaller groups. All of these are strongly aligned with AACM tradition and teaching.

Archer has a long running duo with veteran vocalist Julie Tippetts. Each of their highly acclaimed CD releases deliberately explores song from a different perspective - the duo aims to be truly progressive, and takes in elements from jazz, rock, soul and pure abstraction.

Archer's main live performance vehicle is the trio Inclusion Principle with Herve Perez and Peter Fairclough. The group operates in a space between electronics, nu-jazz, contemporary electroacoustic music and free improvisation. In performance you will hear pure jazz skill, electronic beats and areas of texture and abstraction all seamlessly woven into a fascinating and constantly shifting tapestry of sound.

The sprawling Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere was formed by Archer as an improvising rock group with shades of Terry Riley, Magma, Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra, very much in the progressive / krautrock tradition, and noted for its large scale string, horn and vocal arrangements.

Also in rock music, Archer is a member of the USA based heavier than plutonium prog / sludge / zeuhl group Combat Astronomy under the direction of Jamie Huggett.

Surprising, delighting and occasionally alarming audiences for a number of years now, Juxtavoices is a 30 piece choir for mainly untrained voices co directed by Archer with Alan Halsey which has racked up dozens of performances and issued three CDs.

This eclectic combination of sources and highly individual applications makes Archer a unique inhabitant of the school of English maverick composer / improvisers. "-Discus

-All Music, Discus Records (http://www.allmusic.com/artist/martin-archer-mn0000146946)
3/13/2024

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

"Steve Dinsdale plays keyboards and drums in the leading British electronic trio Radio Massacre International, who have released a plethora of albums over the last 20 years and played concerts in both Europe and America. He is also a member of Orchestra of the Upper Atmosphere and Engine Room Favourites, and has several solo albums to his name."

-Bishop's House (http://www.bishopshouse.org.uk/index.php/events/315-das-rad-robinson-archer-dinsdale)
3/13/2024

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

"frostlake is a solo songstress/ instrumentalist performer with songs featuring Terry Todd-bass (The Box, Comsat Angels) Andy Peake-piano (Comsat Angels) Steve Dinsdale-drums (R.M.I., Earth's Tilted Axis) Nigel Manning-flute (sax player ex Hornweb) Charlie Collins- percussionist extraordinaire and Mick Somerset Ward- bass recorder, bass flute, bass clarinet."

-Reverb Nation (https://www.reverbnation.com/frostlake)
3/13/2024

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

"Yvonna Magda is a violinist, improviser, composer and performer based in Bristol and Leeds. She plays violin in several ensembles including Halftone Quartet, 7 Hertz trio, Madame Laycock and Her Dabeno Pleasures, the Bennett/Cole Orchestra and is a member of Strati Project, a creative collaboration between dance artists and musicians. She also performs solo using a mixture of acoustic violin, electronics, loops and effects to create changing layers of sound, texture and harmony.Yvonna Magda

She has toured and performed at venues and festivals across the U.K. and Europe and her compositions have been featured on Radio 3 and Channel 4. Working in various contexts, she has improvised to live visuals, composed for film, theatre and animation and accompanied spoken word, dance and puppetry. She has studied music with, among others, Mark Dresser and Mark Feldman. In 2008 she composed and played in Rachel Dean's dance piece based on 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Love In Idleness', and went on to perform and compose for choreographer Kathinka Walter's mixed media installation piece 'Before I Decide' in 2008 and again in 2011. More recently, she has worked as a multi-instrumentalist, touring with Theatre Alibi and Dragon Breath Theatre, and as Musical Director for The Independent Scrutineers.

Yvonna teaches violin, improvisation and composition and has a particular interest in writing and performing music which is part written; part improvised.

Inspired by a range of styles including contemporary jazz, contemporary classical and folk, her music explores the spaces between harmony and discord; structure and spontaneous expression."

-Yvonna Magda Website (https://yvonnamagda.wordpress.com/)
3/13/2024

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

"Walt Shaw is a freelance musician and artist from near Derby in the Midlands. He has been involved in a host of arts projects for the last 28 years. Prior to becoming a freelance musician and artist he was, for 14 years, Head of Biology in a large Comprehensive near Burton-on-Trent. This was after teaching in Lincoln and northern Nigeria (VSO). His projects have ranged from exhibitions of paintings and sculpture, both solo and group, to installations, to cross-disciplinary collaborations with dancers and physical performers. In these latter projects his experimental percussion and low-tech electronics have always played a significant role.

In 1989, Walt, along with the artist Kevin Burnley, co-founded the artist group BET4. They exhibited widely in the Midlands and in Germany and Paris. By 1993, the group widened in scope, becoming increasingly involved with not just exhibitions but installations, live art and cross-disciplinary projects. These usually integrated elements of contemporary dance, live sound and physical performance along with a strong visual aesthetic. This gave Walt opportunities for experimenting with percussion in unusual contexts as well as the creativity of that visual aesthetic. Performances took place throughout England as well as Scotland, Paris and Germany. The work of BET4 had a profound influence on all the subsequent solo and collaborative projects Walt has been involved with.

Walt has enjoyed 3 major Arts Council England awards for projects. These were for 'Polarities', 'Timepoints' and 'Entropic'. Along with the artist Simon Piasecki he also carried out the A.C.E. project 'Mendel's Garden'. He has been a collaborative artist in many other A.C.E. projects. Details of all these can be seen in the 'Live Art / Cross-disciplinary' section.

Education has played a significant part in Walt's work, even after 1989.

He has carried out many workshops in both art and percussion in Primary, Secondary, F.E. and H.E. in the Midlands and the North. He has been an artist-in- residence at Melton Brooksby College in 2005 and Abbot Beyne School, Burton-on-Trent in 2009. Walt ran Creative Percussion Discussion in Derby from 2004 through to 2005, working with youngsters under the auspices of Derby Jazz. In 2006, Walt was a tutor in a Clore Duffield Foundation project working with teenagers in Belper, using an old car as a source for art, percussion and performance. 2006 saw a project alongside the inspiring musician Orphy Robinson, working in schools to make instruments from scrap objects and improvise with them. This was a Creative Partnerships project.

Walt has played with many leading improvising musicians from the U.K. and abroad and is presently playing in several bands (see 'Music') whilst still producing visual art ( see 'Visual Art'). It is fair to say he has an unease about specialism and arbitrary categorizations. His creative development over the years has always been very difficult to pigeonhole. His creative process is the same whatever the medium though, involving searching, experimentation, expression, pushing the boundaries and refining."

-Walt Shaw Website (http://www.waltshaw.co.uk/about.php)
3/13/2024

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

Terry Todd is an English bassist, known for the groups Jass, Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere, Soup, The Bone Orchestra, The Box, The Comsat Angels, and Workforce.

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/610716-Terry-Todd)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Star Gathering 13:46

2. The Surface Below 6:02

3. Essential Light 6:53

4. Displacement 3:51

5. The Unquiet Playground 6:19

6. The Life And Death Of A Sewing Machine 4:43

7. Time-Lapsed 6:58

8. A Widening Road 9:57

9. Nanobutterfly 9:13

10. Edge Of The World 11:16

Related Categories of Interest:


Rock and Related
Progressive Rock
Improvised Rock
Improvised Music
Large Ensembles
Unusual Vocal Forms
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
New in Rock Forms

Search for other titles on the label:
Discus.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Caines, Ron / Martin Archer Axis
Blutopia
(Discus)
The fourth collaboration between composer & saxophonist Ron Caines and arranger & saxophonist Martin Archer, recorded in Brighton between 2022 & 2023 with a cast of UK luminary improvisers--Charlotte Keefe, Chris Sharkey, Graham Clark, Gus Garside and Johnny Hunter--chosen for their applicability to each piece, in configurations from solo to full octet ensemble.
Anthropology Band
Scald - Live 2022 [3 CDS]
(Discus)
Recording at London's Cafe OTO, and at the 2022 Newcastle Festival Of Jazz And Improvised Music, saxophonist and composer Martin Archer's exceptional 8-piece line up of his exuberant avant-electric jazz band blurring lines between 70's Miles and AACM abstractions, is heard across three CDs of fiery soloing, contemplative transitions, and spectacular group interplay.
Archer, Martin (w/ John Jasnoch / Sarah Farmer / Lee Boyd Allatson)
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After participating in the Birmingham Improvisors Orchestra, wind improviser Martin Archer, bass guitarist John Jasnoch and violin & electronic musician Sarah Farmer were joined in the studio by drummer Lee Boyd Allatson to record this mix of compositions, graphic scores and free improv, merging AACM-style free jazz with contemporary chamber-oriented improv.
Eclectic Maybe Band
Again Alors?
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Led by Univers Zero bassist and composer Guy Seger, the third album from Eclectic Maybe Band combines elements of rock, jazz, electronic and abstract landscapes, performed by an ensemble of chamber rock players including Discus label leader Martin Archer, varying groupings within the band focusing on each section in a mix of composed and improvised approaches.
Das Rad (Archer / Robinson / Dinsdale)
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The third album from the Sheffield-based trio Das Rad of Nick Robinson on guitars, keys & electronics, Martin Archer on woodwinds, keys & electronics, Steve Dinsdale on drums & keyboards, influenced by progressive rock, kosmiche, and fusion forms, here evolving and refining their melodic approach to genre-crossing styles merging composition and improvisation.
Archer / Keeffe / Pyne
Hi Res Heart
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Inspired by the 70's Leo Smith Trio and the AACM tradition, during pandemic lockdowns UK multi-reedist & wind player Martin Archer, Charlotte Keeffe on trumpet & electronics and Martin Pyne on drums, percussion, vibraphone & toy piano, developed these 12 pieces where each member recorded four ideas independently, the other two arranging and recording their own parts in response.
Other Recommended Releases:
Eclectic Maybe Band
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Creating structured works from real time improvisations, Guy Seger's (Univers Zero) large ensemble of absolutely impressive players breaks down to smaller grouping to record the layers of each piece, which Seger then uses as raw material for each finished piece, as elements of rock, jazz, composed, and experimental forms merge into accomplished and engaging compositions.
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(Discus)
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Consorts
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Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
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Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
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