The Squid's Ear Magazine


Dunmall, Paul / Phillip Gibbs / James Owston / Jim Bashford: Live At The Claptrap (FMR)

Featuring the same quartet from Dunmall's 2018 album "Inner and Outer", Paul Dunmall on alto & tenor saxophones, James Owston on bass, Jim Bashford on drums, and Philip Gibbs on guitar bridge generations with impressive interplay as they take their playing to higher ground in two extended improvisations from their concert at the Claptrap in Stourbridge, UK.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Paul Dunmall-alto saxophone, tenor saxophone

James Owston-bass

Jim Bashford-drums

Philip Gibbs-guitar


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Label: FMR
Catalog ID: 554-1119
Squidco Product Code: 28435

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2019
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels
Recorded at the Claptrap, in Stourbridge, UK, on March 31st, 2019, by Sam Rogers.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"This concert was an example of improvised music at its very best with four musicians interacting with each other, listening to what was happening around them and reacting in positive and engaging ways to what they were hearing. Over the two sets the audience heard a huge variety of sounds, textures and grooves.

The quartet was the one that recorded the Inner and Outer CD [...] As is to be expected, the live performance took the music to a higher level.

The first set consisted of three sequences, each building from an initial statement from Philip Gibbs on guitar playing spidery lines, often with the guitar placed horizontally on his knees. Paul would then come in, initially quite gently before gradually building up the energy levels. These beautiful initial interactions between Paul and Philip were for me a particular highlight of the afternoon. Another highlight was the interaction between the two rhythm players, James Owston on double bass and Jim Bashford on drums, which provided a really strong basis for the improvisations. To use jazz terminology, 'they swung like the clappers'. James was also very effective when accompanying Philip in the passages when he was taking the lead on guitar.

Paul was as inventive as ever, always creating fresh melodic lines and never repeating himself. He was playing the alto saxophone as well as his more usual tenor saxophone and I enjoy the different feel that comes from the alto.

Paul seemed to take the lead in the second set and again there was the pattern of a gradual build up to a climax. In this set, as well as in the first, the final climax moved into a gentle wind down with Paul making a strong statement accompanied by a beautiful concluding motif from Philip on the guitar.

The gig was recorded and no doubt will appear on the FMR label in due course.

The gig took place on Sunday afternoon in the Claptrap venue in central Stourbridge and was promoted by Richard Bruce Clay. The Claptrap is an attractive venue, upstairs on the main High Street, just a short walk from the bus and railway station. It has an excellent stage and comfortable armchairs as well as tables and chairs. The bar is away from the stage and, all in all, it is an excellent venue for improvised music and jazz. It is attracting good audiences for these occasional Sunday afternoon concerts."-Tony Dudley-Evans, TDE Promotion


Get additional information at TDE Promotions

Artist Biographies

"Paul Dunmall was born 1953, Welling, Kent; saxophones, clarinets, bagpipes, miscellaneous wind instruments.

As told to Watson (1989), Paul Dunmall was a working class lad from Welling who left school at 15 and spent two years repairing instruments at Bill Lewington's shop in Shaftesbury Avenue, London. He turned professional at 17 and, following two years touring Europe with a progressive rock band (Marsupilami), joined the Divine Light Mission, a spiritual movement led by Guru Maharaj Ji and moved from London to an ashram in America. He told Isham (1997), 'I moved to an ashram full of musicians - a music ashram - but it was still spiritual practice. That gave me a spiritual understanding through meditation, Coltrane's music, and all the rest of it, led me to that, and that's been a fundament in my life ever since - that I can actually sit down and meditate and forget my body. I realise how important meditation is in my life... but I don't do it so much these days.' During the three years he lived in America, Dunmall played with Alice Coltrane (in a big band with the Divine Light Mission) and toured for twelve months with Johnny 'Guitar' Watson.

Back in England, he played with Danny Thompson and John Stevens as well as folk musicians Kevin Dempsey, Martin Jenkins and Polly Bolton and then, in 1979 he became a founder member of Spirit Level (Tim Richards, piano; Paul Anstey, bass; Tony Orrell, drums), staying with the group until 1989. During his time with Spirit Level, Dunmall joined the two-tenor front line group Tenor Tonic with Alan Skidmore (1985), played and broadcast with Dave Alexander and Tony Moore in the DAM trio (1986) and formed the Paul Dunmall Quartet with Alex Maguire, Tony Moore and Steve Noble (1986).

In 1987 Paul Dunmall joined the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, being a constant member and appearing on all their recorded output from that date onward. The following year the improvising collective quartet Mujician was formed by Keith Tippett, Dunmall, Paul Rogers and Tony Levin and has continued to be a regular performing, touring and recording group, sometimes augmented by other musicians. Dunmall has also played in a trio with Keith and Julie Tippetts and in Keith Tippett's big band Tapestry. Two other duos have also sprung out of Mujician: Dunmall with Tony Levin (two CD releases) and Dunmall in folk-influenced outings with Paul Rogers. Another regular playing partner throughout this period and up until the present includes Elton Dean.

In 1995, two trios were formed, the first with Oren Marshall, tuba and Steve Noble, percussion, the second with John Adams, guitar and Mark Sanders, percussion, these sometimes coming together as a quintet. More recently, Dunmall has played in another reeds/guitar/drums trio with Philip Gibbs and Tony Marsh and there appears to be regular crossover between all these players. The Paul Dunmall Octet was founded in 1997."

Dunmall also has released a large number of albums and a box set on the UK FMR label, in various configurations and instrumentation.

-EFI (http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/musician/mdunmall.html)
3/13/2024

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

"James Owston is a Birmingham based double and electric bassist playing regularly in the UK Jazz Scene.

James was born in Sutton, London in 1996 and moved to Gloucestershire in 2000. After taking up the electric bass at age 14, he played predominantly rock and groove music, until he was eventually introduced to Jazz. This led to him take up the double bass at age 18 to pursue his new-found passion for the music. Prior to attending University, James played with the Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra and other small ensembles, performing in the local area.

In 2015, James accepted an offer to study Jazz at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire where he has been receiving tuition from Arnie Somogyi and Mark Hodgson, Percy Pursglove and Mike Williams, as well as many other tutors at the institution. As part of his studies, James has received masterclasses from notable Jazz musicians Mark Turner, Jeff Ballard, Gilad Hekselman, Dave Liebman and Mike Gibbs, as well as getting the opportunity to perform with musicians such as Jeff Williams, Steve Cardenas and Julian Arguelles.

Whilst studying in Birmingham, James met the renowned British Jazz drummer, Clark Tracey, and in 2017 he joined the Clark Tracey Quintet. This led to performances at major UK Jazz venues such as the Vortex, 606 Club, Herts Jazz and South Coast Jazz Festival amongst others. As well as this, James has also performed in the Birmingham Symphony Hall foyer, Birmingham Town Hall, Eastside Jazz Club and Cheltenham, Manchester, Cleethorpes and Trondheim Jazz festivals. In April 2018, this band recorded their first album, also being James's first professional appearance on record, which is due to be released in September 2018.

As well as being an active sideman, James is leading his own groups, notably the James Owston Mingus Quintet, that focuses on the compositions and style of the great Charles Mingus, a strong influence for James as a bass player and composer."

-Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pg/jamesowstonmusic/about/)
3/13/2024

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

"Jim Bashford, who hails from Sutton Coldfield UK started playing drums age 10 and was influenced by the rock/progressive rock and jazz scene worldwide, he was mainly self taught for the first 6 years then he studied drums under Steve Palmer.

The CONSTRUCTION quartet formed by Jim performed a tour in 2010 of original compositions with Icelandic guitarist Hilmar Jensson, Johnny Brierley bass and Robin Fincker sax and clarinet. The quartet was then joined by Tim Harries on bass with a recording to follow called CENTRELINE THEORY which has recently been released on LEO Records 2017.

After 14 years of playing as a sideman in bands covering all genres and also working in construction full time whilst studying on a popular music course, Jim then moved on to study at the Birmingham Conservatoire for the BMus (Hons.) jazz course where he continued under drum tutors such as the great Tony Levin, Gene Calderazzo, Jeff Williams and Malcolm Garrett. He runs Auditions at the Birmingham Conservatoire and organises workshops with highly acclaimed artists on the jazz scene in Europe and the U.S. and also collaborates with Cheltenham Jazz Festival to run a session with the conservatoire students and Trondheim students as well as organising auditions for the course in the U.K. and Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Jim is a member of no less than 20 different ensembles and tours extensively throughout the UK and Europe, including appearances at London jazz venues such as the Barbican Centre, The Vortex and Kings Place; and prominent venues in Birmingham. He has also performed in prestigious international jazz festivals including the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Juan le pins Jazz Festival and future engagements at the London Jazz Festival. Also a short tour with Dave Sinclair from the band Caravan with a recording in Japan to follow and also recently a European tour with Katie Melua."

-Jim Bashford Website (http://jimbashford.co.uk/bio)
3/13/2024

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

UK free improvising guitarist Philip Gibbs is known for the following bands and organization: Antonio Quijano Quartet, Atmospheres Without Oxygen, Circuit, Paul Dunmall Moksha Big Band, Paul Dunmall Quartet, Paul Dunmall, Paul Rogers, Philip Gibbs, Paul Dunmall, Philip Gibbs, Paul Rogers Freedom Orchestra, The Intuitive Art Ensemble

-Squidco 3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. No Demons Here 34:32

2. Only Angels Peace 41:15

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Collective Free Improvsation
Quartet Recordings
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes

Search for other titles on the label:
FMR.


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