"Hilary Jeffery is a self-proclaimed 'desert trombonist' and composer, born in Surbiton, England in 1971. A central and sustaining influence on his music is a sense of 'silent space', which he first experienced in the Sahara Desert in the 1990s. Hilary aims to share this experience, creating inner-spaces for listeners and fellow musicians to explore via the medium of his ensemble Lysn. He studied at Dartington College of Arts, University of York, European Dance Development Centre Arnhem, Netherlands Royal Conservatory, and has worked for more than twenty years as a musician playing in many different styles and areas of music including rock, techno, electronica, jazz, pop, afrobeat, contemporary classical and free improvisation. Groups he has played with between 1994 and 2016 include: zeitkratzer, CC Hennix and The Chora(s)san Time-Court Mirage, Zinc & Copper, Tonaliens, The Barton Workshop, Mir8, Jimi Tenor Big Band, Paul Dunmall Octet, Sand and Germ. Hilary's principal teacher and mentor for trombone playing is James Fulkerson, with whom he studied between 1998 and 2000. In 2013 he started a study of Dhrupad with Amelia Cuni, aiming to apply techniques of this Indian classical music tradition to the trombone. He has received composition commissions for Slagwerk Den Haag, GRM Acousmonium, David Kweksilber Big Band, Apa Ini and Lysn. He has been invited for artistic residences such as at Recollets in Paris (2012), won composition prizes such as the Henriette Bosmans Prize (Netherlands, 2009) and appears in many different recordings on various labels including Aquarellist, Col Legno, FMR, Dilemma, Important Records, Mikroton, New World Records, Soul Jazz, Sloow Tapes, Sub Rosa, Zeitkratzer Records and Karl Records."

"Frank Paul Schubert is a saxophone player in the realms of Improvised Music and Contemporary Jazz.

Born in Neuss/Germany in 1965, he began to play the saxophone self-taught in 1982, took lessons with Lajos Dudas from 1988 to 1992, studied at Musikhochschule Aachen (classical saxophone repertoire as well as jazz) with Prof. Hugo Read from 1992 to 1996, and, after a short interlude in Aschaffenburg/Bavaria, moved to Berlin in 1999.

Schubert works regularly with Willi Kellers, Andreas Willers, Johannes Bauer, Matthias Müller, John Edwards, Mark Sanders, Uwe Oberg, Paul Dunmall, Alexander von Schlippenbach and many more (more detailed list see below). Besides his main project GRID MESH (see "projects"), he also collaborated with drummer Günter Baby Sommer from 2006 on.

Also in 2006 he started to work with trombonist Matthias Müller in several small group settings and finally in the duo FOILS, which since 2012 is expanded to the FOILS QUARTET with John Edwards and Mark Sanders.With Antonis Anissegos he has been playing since 2002. They released their duo CD "Phoobsering" in 2005.

Frank Paul Schubert is member of the Willi Kellers Trio (with Clayton Thomas) as well as the Willi Kellers Quartet feat. Paul Dunmall.Since 2009 he has been playing a series of duo concerts with pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach (in Amsterdam, Leipzig, Münster, Berlin) as well as frequent local small group gigs featuring Mr. von Schlippenbach.

Festival appearances include Nickelsdorf Konfrontationen, Ulrichsberg Kaleidophon, Sibiu Jazz&More, Madrid Hurta Cordel, Lisbon Jazz im Goethe Garten, Wiesbaden Just Music, Hamburg ElbJazz, JAZZDOR (Jazz d'Or) Offenburg, Greiz JazzWerk#9, Nordhäuser Jazzfest, Stuttgart Saxophonfestival and some more.Tours led him to Poland, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Holland, UK, USA and Canada.He released several recordings on labels including Leo Records, NoBusiness Records, Red Toucan Records, FMR, Creative Sources, gligg, JazzHausMusik, KONNEX, farai-NRW.

Frank Paul had the pleasure to collaborate with many fine musicians including the following (in alphabetical order):Liz Allbee, Antonis Anissegos, Johannes Bauer, Simon Camatta, Anat Cohavi, Yorgos Dimitriadis, Paul Dunmall, John Edwards, Jörg Fischer, Rudi Fischerlehner, Gerhard Gschlössl, Paul Hubweber, Peter van Huffel, John Hughes, Klaus Janek, Hilary Jeffery, Kalle Kalima, Achim Kaufmann, Willi Kellers, Jan Klare, Meinrad Kneer, Andreas Krennerich, Burkard Kunkel, Klaus Kürvers, Lömsch Lehmann, Björn Lücker, Mike Majkowski, Christian Marien, Matthias Müller, Uwe Oberg, Olaf Rupp, Mark Sanders, Julie Sassoon, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Harri Sjöström, Günter Baby Sommer, Ricardo Tejero, Christof Thewes, Clayton Thomas, Andreas Willers."

"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.

"One of Europe's premier free jazz bandleaders, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach's music mixes free and contemporary classical elements, with his slashing solos often the link between the two in his compositions. Schlippenbach formed The Globe Unity Orchestra in 1966 to perform the piece"Globe Unity, which had been commissioned by the Berliner Jazztage.

He remained involved with the orchestra into the '80s. Schlippenbach began taking lessons at eight, and studied at the Staatliche Hochschule for Musik in Cologne with composers Bernd Alois Zimmermann and Rudolf Petzold. He played with Gunther Hampel in 1963, and was in Manfred Schoof's quintet from 1964 to 1967.Schlippenbach began heading various bands after 1967, among them 1970 trio with Evan Parker and Paul Lovens and a duo with Sven-Ake Johansson which they co-formed in 1976. Schlippenbach has also given many solos performances. In the late '80s, he formed the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra,which has featured a number ofesteemed European avant-garde jazz musicians including Evan Parker, Paul Lovens, KennyWheeler, Misha Mengelberg and Aki Takase. During the 90`s Duo work with Tony Oxley, Sam Rivers and Aki Takase. 1999 started performance and radiorecording of Thelonius Monks complete works, (all the compositions) with Rudi Mahall and his group "Die Enttäuschung"."

"Mike Majkowski is a double bassist / composer born in Sydney, Australia. Currently based in Berlin. Active in the fields of improvised, composed and exploratory music. Performs as a soloist + with a number of collaborative projects (some of which are featured in this site) mike is currently exploring the spectral qualities of double bass resonance, examining deliberate frequencies and circumstantial resonance. His music also explores the relationship between physicality and sonority, with the aim of creating a sense of stillness."

"Yorgos Dimitriadis is a Berlin based drummer active in the realms of improvised music and contemporary jazz.

After having studied drums at the New Conservatory Thessaloniki, Greece, Dimitriadis moved to Boston, U.S.A. to study with Alan Dawson and Bob Moses. After returning to Europe, in 1994 he was offered a two-year residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris from the Greek Ministry of Culture. For the next twelve years Dimitriadis was an active member of the Paris jazz and improvised music scene, playing locally as well as participating in festivals world wide.

Since 2006 he works and lives in Berlin, connecting with the international improvisers scene and participating in different groups and projects: from solo performances to appearances with the 25 piece orchestra BerIO. Dimitriadis is a founding member of among others: GRIX, GLUE and FABRIC trios.

He has played with: Sirone, Achim Kaufmann, Tobias Delius, Clayton Thomas, Axel Dörner, Ignaz Schick, Andrea Parkins, Paul Dunmall, Tristan Honsinger, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Marco Eneidi, Alexander Frangenheim, Matthias Bauer, Jan Roder, Edoardo Maraffa, Julie Sassoon, Lothar Ohlmeyer, Harri Sjöström, Nils Ostendorf, Antonio Borghini, BerIO (Berlin Improvisers Orchestra), Marc Turner, Michel Hadjigeorgiou, Nedim Nalbantoglou, Minino Garay, Mano Solo."