The Squid's Ear Magazine


Watts, Trevor / Stephen Grew: Con Fluent (FMR)

Saxophonist Trevor Watts and pianist Stephen Grew improvised these pieces at a distance, Grew sending recordings of two separate solo concerts from Newcastle, which Watts improvised over resulting in these intricate and exuberant "Improvised Compositions".
 

Price: $14.95


Quantity:

Out of Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 2.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Trevor Watts-soprano saxophone, alto saxophone

Stephen Grew-piano


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 0642415163040

Label: FMR
Catalog ID: FMRCD414-0216
Squidco Product Code: 22207

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2016
Country: Great Britain
Packaging: Digipack
Recorded at ARC studio in Hastings, UK by Trevor Watts.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"This exuberance that bursts out like tropical juices. In front of our instruments and within a few seconds, somehow the music unfolds in a particular way and you follow that to the ends of the earth.

The pieces were improvised in a series of unusual stages. Trevor and I first performed in London last September, we liked what happened and Trevor suggested making music at a distance, especially as I was living on the west coast of Lancashire and he on the south coast.

Trevor then suggested I send him some solo piano music. The solo piano pieces were material from a solo recording I did with Charlie Mc Govern at the Lit and Phil in Newcastle, an excellent venue with a really nice Kawai B, grand piano. Charlie then sent the solo music which has since become a solo album and Trevor improvised his lines over the top of the pieces, as we didn't have quite enough material for a whole album, I then returned to Newcastle to record a live gig in May 2015, Trevor worked his magic on the remaining material, consequently the music was pieced together to form this album. The first three tracks having a slightly different feel, not surprisingly to the last three tracks"-Stephen Gres


Artist Biographies

"Trevor Charles Watts (born 26 February 1939 in York) is an English jazz and free-improvising alto and soprano saxophonist. He is largely self-taught, having taken up the cornet at age 12 then switched to saxophone at 18. While stationed in Germany with the RAF (1958-63), he encountered the drummer John Stevens and trombonist Paul Rutherford. After being demobbed he returned to London. In 1965 he and Stevens formed the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, which became one of the crucibles of British free improvisation. Watts left the band to form his own group Amalgam in 1967, then returned to SME for another stretch that lasted until the mid-1970s. Another key association was with the bassist Barry Guy and his London Jazz Composers' Orchestra, an association that lasted from the band's inception in the 1970s up to its (permanent?) disbandment in the mid-1990s.

Though he was initially strongly identified with the avant-garde, Watts is a versatile musician who has worked in everything from straight jazz contexts to rock and blues. His own projects have come increasingly to focus on blending jazz and African music, notably the Moiré Music ensemble which he has led since 1982 in configurations ranging from large ensembles featuring multiple drummers to more intimate trios. He has only occasionally recorded in freer modes in recent years, notably the CD 6 Dialogues, a duet album with Veryan Weston (the pianist in earlier editions of Moiré Music). A solo album, World Sonic, appeared on Hi4Head Records in 2005.

Watts has toured the world over numerous times, run workshops, received grants and commissions, and he has collaborated with some of the great jazz musicians including Archie Shepp, Steve Lacy, Don Cherry and Jayne Cortez. As of 2011, he continues to travel and toured North American with Veryan Weston."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Watts)
3/13/2024

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

"Stephen Grew has been playing piano and electronic keyboards for 25 years. His music is completely improvised. He creates spontaneous compositions with other musicians in the heat of the moment. He also performs as a soloist. He is based in Lancaster, UK, and has toured extensively, touring and recording with many musicians from the free improvised scene here in Britain and abroad. Performing in Grutronic, a four piece electronic band, and Grew Trio, Grew Quartet and Grew & Grew. He has also performed with Evan Parker, Keith Tippett, Graham Clark, Pat Thomas, Howard Riley and many others. Long standing collaborators are his brother, Nicholas Grew, Richard Scott, David Ross and Philip Marks.

"I have devote all of my energies to making music, completely made in the moment, improvised. I play with some great musicians, Gulliver Maxwell an alto saxophone player and other Lancastrian players. My first band was with Steve Lewis and George McKay (Charivari) in 1995. I have toured consistently since 1996, in Grew Trio with the great Mancunian players, drummer Phillip Marks and sax/electronics player Richard Scott who I met through Steve Lewis in 1995. We have mainly performed in Britain but also performed in prestigious Modern music festivals in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Latvia and Canada. In 2000 Richard Scott left Grew trio and after a duo collaboration with Sheffield based sax/bassoon player Mick Beck, Mick joined Grew trio to form Grew Quartet in 2006, with Oxford based bass player Dominic Lash. At times I have had to work as a shop keeper, assembler of golf trolleys, gardener and fisherman. My current work takes me to working in Grutronic, (Myspace.com/grutronicmusic) with guests Evan Parker, Orphy Robinson, Paul Obermayer and Grew quartet, a recent Orchestral project with Nicholas Grew and duos featuring violinist Graham Clark, drummer Tony Bianco, Phillip Marks, and drummer / electronics musician David Ross all of whom are based outside of Lancaster. Our music comes out of a need to play music and communicate with sound at the moments of creating it, this process becomes very refined over many years. The long periods of time devoting the workman like instrumentalists approach to making this kind of music, creates a greater clarity of playing and composing, until a bit of magic conversation appears!"-Stephen Grew"

-Stephen Grew Website (http://stepgrew.wixsite.com/stephengrewpianist/biography)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Carriageway 4:04

2. Matching Find 6:40

3. Saddness Of Rhyme 7:00

4. The Lit And Phil Chair 2:54

5. Ask Later 15:33

6. Shielding Does Not Show 5:00

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Duo Recordings
FMR Records

Search for other titles on the label:
FMR.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
Evangelista, Karl (w/ Alexander Hawkins / Louis Moholo-Moholo / Trevor Watts)
Apura! [2 CDs]
(Astral Spirits)
Filipino guitarist Karl Evangelista translates the name of the seminal South African sextet Chris McGregor Group's album "Very Urgent" to the tagalog equivalent--"Apura!"-- recording in London with McGregor group drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo and kindred soul Trevor Watts on saxophones, plus luminary pianist Alexander Hawkins, for a sophisticated album of exemplary collective improv.
Watts, Trevor Quartet The (Veryan Weston / John Edwards / Marc Sanders)
The Real Intention - Cafe OTO concert
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Drawing from four of the most active and prominent improvisers on the UK free improv scene, saxophonist Trevor Watts leads his quartet with pianist Veryan Weston, bassist John Edwards and drummer Mark Sanders through four free spirited, exhilarating and comprehensive collective conversations captured live at Cafe Oto in London in 2019.
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
(Discus)
The debut release of the UK improvising rock group Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere, co-led by Martin Archer & Chris Bywater, in a double CD blending kosmische musik, space rock, and contemporary classical, an improbable meeting between Ligeti, Klaus Schulze, & Quarkspace, supplemented at times by a string quartet, a sax quintet, and a 25-piece mixed choir.
Weston, Veryan / Trevor Watts
Dialogues with Ornette!
(FMR)
Live recordings in 2015 from Bim Huis, and in Quintavant/Audio Rebel in Rio de Janeiro, the first a tribute to the late saxophonist Ornette Coleman in a 3 part suite of fast-paced and insightful improv; the 2nd "Quantum Illusion", an introspective and rich 2-part work.
Watts, Trevor Moire Music Drum Orchestra
Live in Latin America vol. 1
(FMR)
Four recordings from the 1990 Latin America Tour of saxophonist Trevor Watts' Moire Music Drum Orchestra, with concerts from Venezuela and Mexico in a band with Nana Tsiboe, Nee-Daku Patato, Nana Appiah, Jojo Yates, Liam Genockey, and Colin Gibson.
Schubert, Frank Paul and Matthias Muller
Foils
(FMR)
Using extended techniques and a remarkable interactive approach, trombonist Matthias Mueller and soprano saxophonist Frank Paul Schubert surprise in 9 distinctive duo recordings.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Watts, Trevor (feat. Moire Music Drum Orchestra / Mark Hewins / Jamie Harris / Gibran Cervantes)
A World View [5 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))
Five CDs with unique and joyfully creative aspects of saxophonist and composer Trevor Watts' work, from concerts and studio settings in the UK, US and South Americal in configurations of Trevor Watts Moiré Music Group, with the Enjambre Acustico Urukungolo, Trevor Watts' Moiré Music Drum Orchestra, and duos with Jamie Harris, and with Marc Hewins.
Dunmall / Gibbs / Taylor / John Long
Landscapes
(FMR)
The counterpart to the Dunmall session "Seascapes" recorded at the same Victoria Rooms at the University of Bristol's music department, this quartet sees Dunmall on soprano sax and flute joined by three string players--Benedict Taylor on viola, Ashley John Long on bass, and guitarist Phil Gibbs--for six detailed collective improvisations leaning toward chamber jazz.
Dunmall, Paul / Philip Gibbs / James Owston / Jim Bashford
Inner And Outer
(FMR)
Paul Dunmall's 2018 studio album in a quartet with James Owston on bass, Jim Bashford on drums, Philip Gibbs on guitar, and Dunmall on tenor saxophone, Gibbs's hollow-body opening up the band sound as Owston and Bashford trade rapid responses or provide solid grooves, the themes of the dialogs focused on space and time through intricate, complex and profound interaction.
Wachsmann / Taylor / Mattos / Brighton
Strings
(FMR)
Three strings, percussion and electronics from the quartet of Phillip Wachsmann on violin, electronics, Trevor Taylor on percussion, electronics, Marcio Mattos on bass, cello, electronics, and Ian Brighton on electric guitar, which grew out of the 2016 return of guitarist Ian Brighton and his String Thing, released on FMR as "Reunion: Live From Cafe Oto".
Salis, Giacomo / Paolo Sanna
Humyth
(Confront)
Creative uses of percussion from Italian drummers Giacomo Salis and Paolo Sanna, who explore gesture, movement, listening, and the investigation of natural materials and found objects, in five studio tracks that present the results of their research in both rhythmic sections and sections of abstract sound, honed from concerts, studio albums, and a collaboration with Jeph Jerman.
Dunmall, Paul / Percy Pursglove / Tony Orrell
Nothing in Stone
(FMR)
Recording at Jazz at the Fringe in Bristol in 2017, saxophonist Paul Dunmall shows his Coltrane influence in three extended improvisation with the trio of long-time collaborator Tony Orrell on drums and percussion, and bassist and trumpeter Percy Pursglove, in a concert that presents masterful playing, impressive creative asides, and insightful soloing.
Peregrine Falls (Grdina / Loewen)
Peregrine Falls
(Drip Audio)
Named for the moment when a Peregrine Falcon falls from flight to attack its prey, the Vancouver duo of Gordon Grdina on guitars, oud, electronics and Kenton Loewen on drums and percussion present a heavy album of improvised rock with raw energy, riveting technique and powerful grooves with an Arabic influence and essence; of interest to King Crimson fans.
Dunmall, Paul Quintet
The Dreamtime Suite
(FMR)
Saxophonist Paul Dunmall's quintet with Hamid Drake, Dave Kane, Steve Tromans, and Percy Pusgove, bridge traditional with chamber jazz and world music, including a work for bagpipes and frame drum, in a monumental suite of improvisational possibilities.
Carrier, Francois / Michel Lambert / Alexey Lapin
Freedom Is Space For The Spirit
(FMR)
During their 2014 tour, Canadian saxophonist Francois Carrier and long-time partner, percussionist Michel Lambert, went into the Experimental Sound Gallery [ESG 21] in St. Petersburg, Russia with pianist Alexey Lapin to record these superb free improvisations.
Wadham, Rachael / Philippe Lenglet / Bruno Duplant
everydayisagoodday
(Confront)
Starting from John Cage's Zen quote--"Every day is a good day"--the trio of Rachael Wadham on piano, Philippe Lenglet on acoustic guitar and cithar (a type of harp), and contrabass, recorded these improvisations approaching their instruments not for melodies but as tools for experimentation, from which this trio finds a wealth of inventive sound.
Xenofox (Rupp / Fischerlehner)
Hundred Beginnings
(Farai-Records)
The debut of Xenofox, the duo of Olaf Rupp on electric guitar and Rudi Fischerlehner on drum playing electric improv that ranges from critically dense to spacious and exploratory, blending rock and European Free Improv sensibilities into a moody and absorbing album.
Rammel, Hal
The Amplified Palette: A History in Pictures [BOOK + 2 CDS]
(Penumbra)
A book and 2 CDs celebrating the 25th anniversary of this unusual and fascinating musical instrument designed and built by Hal Rammel, an artist's palette outfitted with a contact mic and vertically-mounted rods, played with a variety of uniquely designed bows and mallets.
Smith Quartet with John Tilbury
Morton Feldman: Music for Piano and Strings Volume 3 [DVD-AUDIO]
(Matchless)
Recorded live at the Huddersfield Festival of Contemporary Music in 2006, this is the 3rd and final volume of works by Morton Feldman performed by the Smith Quartet with John Tilbury on piano, recorded in high quality DVD audio and with extensive liner notes by Tilbury.
Dunmall, Paul / Philip Gibbs / Ashley John Young
Now Has No Dimension
(FMR)
Live recordings from the trio of Paul Dunmall on soprano and tenor sax, Philip Gibbs on guitar, and Ashley John Young on double bass, performing at Cardiff University School of Music Concert Hall in 2016, a great example of concentrative, complex and lively interplay.
Keune, Stefan / Lovens, Paul
Live 2013
(FMR)
Working together in various ensembles since the early 90s, Stefan Keune on sopranino, alto and baritone saxophone and Paul Lovens on drums and cymbals captured these three extraordinary improvisation in the studio in Brussels, Belgium and live Munich Underground in Germany.
Morris, Joe
Shock Axis
(Relative Pitch)
A limited edition release of guitarist Joe Morri's new NY-area aggressive improvising trio with younger players Dave Parmelle on drums and Chris Cretella on electric bass, shredding with awesome technical skill and intense harmonic and melodic force, really powerful stuff!
Sorey, Tyshawn
The Inner Spectrum of Variables [2 CDs]
(Pi Recordings)
New York drummer Tyshawn Sorey's impressive work for double trio is an ambitious chamber jazz composition using multiple harmonic, formal, rhythmic, and modal vocabularies in an exploratory and improvisational framework, inspired by the work of Lawrence D. Butch Morris.
Phantom Trio (Tavares / Almeida / Martins)
#00
(Creative Sources)
An excellent jazz album using diverse styles bridging free and lyrical playing from the trio of Sergio Tavares (bass), Fabio Almeida (sax) and Joao Martins (drums), playing in and out of the jazz idiom and augmenting Almeida's sax with electronics in compelling ways.
Variable Geometry Orchestra
Quasar
(Creative Sources)
A 46-member orchestra of electroacoustic improvisers performing live at St. George's Church in Lisbon in 2015, for an extended and dynamic tapestry of sound conducted by leader Ernesto Rodrigues, with an impressive list of artists familiar to those following the CS label.
Erb, Christoph / Frantz Loriot
Sceneries
(Creative Sources)
The duo of saxophonist Christoph Erb, best known for his work with the Manuel Mengis Group 6, and French-Japanese violist Frantz Loriot, for five open-minded, technically fascinating and musically unique duos recorded in the studio in Switzerland, 2015.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC