The Squid's Ear Magazine


Tippetts, Julie / Martin Archer: Illusion [2 CDs] (Discus)

Their first album after a 6-year break, the collaboration of vocalist Julie Tippetts and multi-reedist & electronic artist Martin Archer is heard in two distinct presentations: a large and stunningly complex suite with an ensemble of acoustic and electronic artists; and a sequence of 13 separate and contrasting songs, performed by various small groups drawn from the JTMA Ensemble.
 

Price: $16.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 4.00 units

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Julie Tippetts-voice

Martin Archer-keyboards, electronics, radio waves, saxophone, clarinet

Peter Fairclough-drums, percussion

Seth Bennett-double bass

Anton Hunter-electric guitar, loops, electronics

George Murray-trombone

Corey Mwamba-vibraphone, wood flute

Charlotte Keeffe-trumpet, flugelhorn

James Archer-beats, loops

Mark Hadman-drones, grinds

Michael Harding-textures, melodies

Herve Perez-field recordings, electronics, shakuhachi, close mic soprano saxophone

Chris Trent-industrial environment

Paul Schatzberger-violin

Aby Vulliamy-viola

Angela Rosenfeld-cello

B J Cole-pedal steel guitar

Laura Cole-grand piano

Steve Dinsdale-electronic drums

Liz Hanks-cello

George Murray-trombone

Nick Robinson-acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Angela Rosenfeld-cello

Paul Schatzberger-violin

Simmy Singh-violinand viola

Michael Somerset-shaman percussion


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




UPC: 5051078993720

Label: Discus
Catalog ID: 131CD
Squidco Product Code: 32479

Format: 2 CDs
Condition: New
Released: 2022
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels w/ booklet
Recorded at Discus Music Studios, in Sheffield, UK, 2014-2021, by Martin Archer.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"A new double CD from Julie Tippetts and Martin Archer, the first for 6 years, and our most ambitious work to date. The two CDs can be listened to separately and in any order. Each volume offers a different perspective on a common theme. CIRCLE OF WHISPERS is a sequence of 13 separate and contrasting songs, performed by various small groups drawn from the JTMA Ensemble, plus some guest musicians. Each song details a character / situation whose presence is hinted at in the companion disc. For the first time on a JTMA record, instrumental composer credits on a number of tracks go to Laura Cole and to Nick Robinson. The result is a powerful and often intensely beautiful record. By contrast ILLUSION SUITE, although split into 7 tracks, is a single piece of music which runs without break for 75 minutes. The music is structured like a DJ mix - with elements appearing, reappearing, and transforming throughout. Extensive use of chance procedures was made in arriving at the finishedform of the electronic music which forms the base layer of the piece, over which we hear both the ensemble in full throttle and Julie's complex vocal arrangements. Occasionally the music reaches passages of great - almost overwhelming - density, and periodically the 140 bpm rhythms collapse into abstraction. (NB for more detail on how the whole Illusion Suite was composed and how the electronic music came about in its final form please see the online notes for Discus 132DL "Electronic Music from Illusion Suite" where the electronic music layer, stripped of instrumental and vocal overdubs, is available as a free download (Discus 132DL). We hesitate to attempt to explain the narrative which sits behind both discs. The note at the end of the booklet might be useful, or it might not. It's an everyday situation with everyday characters who have everyday issues to deal with. Maybe. Up until this record Julie and I had worked without break, starting each new CD as soon as the previousone was released, and delivering a new work every one or two years over a series of four Discus Music releases (Ghosts of Gold, Tales of FiNiN, Serpentine and Vestigium). This time round it was very different. Interrupted variously by illness, bad luck, covid, injury and tragedy, completion of this work has eventually taken us hundreds of hours, both creating and listening. Over a six year period we have lavished - whenever we have been able - our total, undivided care and attention on every single second of this music. We hope you will love it as much as we do.""-Julie and Martin


Artist Biographies

"Julie Tippetts (born Julie Driscoll, 8 June 1947) is an English singer and actress, known for her 1960s versions of Bob Dylan and Rick Danko's "This Wheel's on Fire", and Donovan's "Season of the Witch", both with Brian Auger and The Trinity. Along with The Trinity, she was featured prominently in the 1969 television special 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee, singing "I'm a Believer" in a soul style with Micky Dolenz. She and Auger had previously worked in Steampacket, with Long John Baldry and Rod Stewart.

"This Wheel's on Fire" reached number five in the United Kingdom in June 1968. With distortion, the imagery of the title and the group's dress and performance, this version came to represent the psychedelic era in British rock music. Driscoll recorded the song again in the early 1990s with Adrian Edmondson as the theme to the BBC comedy series Absolutely Fabulous, the main characters of which are throwbacks to that era.

Since the 1970s, Driscoll has concentrated on experimental vocal music. She married jazz musician Keith Tippett and collaborated with him and now uses the name Julie Tippetts, adopting the original spelling of her husband's surname. She took in Keith Tippett's big band Centipede and in 1974 sang in Robert Wyatt's Theatre Royal Drury Lane concert. She released a solo album, Sunset Glow in 1975; and was lead vocalist on Carla Bley's album Tropic Appetites and also in John Wolf Brennan's "HeXtet".

Later in the 1970s, she toured with her own band and recorded and performed as one of the vocal quartet Voice, with Maggie Nichols, Phil Minton, and Brian Eley.

In the early 1980s, Julie Tippetts was a guest vocalist on an early single by pop-jazz band Working Week, on the song "Storm of Light", which brought them to the attention of a wider audience."

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

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

"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.

"Since graduating from the City of Leeds College of Music with Distinction in Drums and Percussion, Peter Fairclough has performed and/or recorded with Keith Tippett, Paul Dunmall, Ute Lemper, Huw Warren, Peter Whyman, Steve Berry, John Harle, Kenny Davern, Peter King, The Matrix Ensemble, The Bournemouth Sinfonietta, The Mike Westbrook Orchestra and The Theatre Royal Company (York).

He has 5 CDs to his own credit:

IMAGO (Jazzprint JPVP132)CD - with Keith Tippett), Wild Silk (ASC CD8 - with Keith Tippett), Permission (ASC CD18) and Shepherd Wheel (ASC CD1). The most recent release is Momentarily with Hayley Youell, Fred T Baker & Dave Bainbridge.

In 1995 he was awarded the Peter Whittingham Award and he has toured extensively abroad, appearing at many top jazz festivals.

Peter teaches Drum Kit at The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and Leeds College of Music."

-Jazz CDs (http://www.jazzcds.co.uk/artist_id_60/biography_id_60)
3/13/2024

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

"I've been earning money and having fun playing music for over twenty years, firstly as a bass guitarist, trumpet player and trombonist, and, for the last twelve years, primarily as a double bass player. I first bought a bass guitar on my eighteenth birthday, and started gigging with it shortly afterwards, in bars and cafes around Sheffield, where I lived at the time. On moving to Leeds to study in 1993, I formed my first proper band, Baby Harp Seal, playing Hardcore Punk, and, in 1994, did my first tour with them, in France, Belgium and Germany. We released our first 7 inch record shortly afterwards, and an LP in 1996. Two days after my last university exam , I left on tour with the band Headache, with whom I toured extensively in Europe for the next three years; we were on tour for an average of seven months out of each year. We released an album in 1997, and continued until 1999, when the band split up. I returned to Leeds, working on several different projects, including Snail Racing, a bass guitar trio with added drums, and touring with the band Almanac.

In 2001 I moved to London, and found work with the "nu-jazz" electronic act Hefner, with whom I toured several times, as well as recording a session for Gilles Peterson's Worldwide, and playing on his stage at the North Sea Jazz festival. Lee Jones, who ran the band Hefner, also asked me to play on an album he was producing by an act called Abraham, and I subsequently played live with them too, as well as recording a session for Jonathon Ross' show on BBC Radio 2. It was during this time that I bought my first double bass, and embarked on the lifetime's work of learning how to play it. Returning to Leeds in 2003, I started to concentrate more on the jazz and improvised music side of my practice, and around this time started playing in the band 7 hertz, an improvising ensemble who used their 'classical' instrumentation - violins, bassoon, clarinets and horn - to explore chamber ensemble playing in an improvisational context. In 2008, having slimmed down to a quartet, we released an album on the label Birdwar called 'Tender, Almost Vulgar'. During this period I was also working in a band called McWatt, a duo with flautist and accordionist Sarah McWatt, with whom I released an album in 2006.

Other projects around this time included the jazz band If Destroyed Still True, who won a Parliamentary Jazz Promoter's Choice award, as well as Jazz Yorkshire's band of the year award in 2010. They released the album 'Seven Dials' in 2009, and undertook a Jazz Services funded tour. The improvised Music and Dance project 'Mathilde' started around this time too, an attempt to reconcile improvisation in two different media, dance and music. You can watch video of Mathilde elsewhere on this site. The project continues to this day, with a recent performance in Leeds on a bill along with Jer Reid and Solene Weinachter from Glasgow. The project blog is here. More recently, I have been working as a sideman for Mary Hampton, the superb folk singer from Brighton and Laura Cole's Metamorphic. Alongside this, I have been running my own trio Nut Club, the Bennett-Cole Orchestra, and a co-operative trio with pianist Laura Cole and drummer Peter Fairclough. I recently stopped playing trombone in Swiss Afro-punk dadaists rchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp.

I have been teaching at Sheffield Jazz Workshops for the last three years, for which I jointly won a Jazz Yorkshire award for Best Teacher. In the summer of 2012 I taught on the Sound and Music Composer's Summer School at the Purcell School in Hertfordshire, and I am building a busy individual teaching practise."

-Seth Bennett Website (http://www.sethbennett.com/about.html)
3/13/2024

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

"Anton Hunter is a composer and improviser living in Manchester. He leads his own trio, who have found airtime on Radio 3 and he can be found playing in a variety of settings with varying levels of improvisation, with musicians such as Mick Beck, Sam Andreae, Simon Prince, Rodrigo Constanzo, Cath Roberts, Phil Marks, David Birchall, Keith Jafrate and many more.

He was commissioned by the Manchester Jazz Festival to create an hour-long suite of music for the 2014 festival. His "Article 11″ project is an 11-piece ensemble and features improvisation at it's core, aiming to draw the personalities of the musicians into the final outcome. Also ongoing is a set of saxophone quartet music, a duo with baritone saxophonist Cath Roberts called Ripsaw Catfish, Cath's quintet 'Sloth Racket, the trio 'Beck Hunters'. He is perhaps still better known for his work as guitarist in the Beats & Pieces Big Band, a group he is a founder member of and who continue to defy the odds simply by gigging as a 14 piece jazz ensemble in the UK and Europe.

Improvisation is at the core of everything he does and in 2007 he formed free-improvisation organisation The Noise Upstairs. Initially a meeting place and jam session for improvisers, it is still going strong almost a decade later, and has grown to include occasional workshops on a range of subjects and a small record label.

In 2014 he was a "Sound and Music New Voice" - more information on which is here.

He teaches guitar and improvisation in schools and privately, visit the contact page if you are interested in lessons, or to book a workshop or similar."

-Anton Hunter Website (http://www.antonhunter.com/about-2/about/)
3/13/2024

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

"George Murray began playing the piano and trombone aged 9. He played in Bodmin School Band and Cornwall Youth Orchestra and Jazz Orchestra before going on to study and Trinity College of Music in London.

George has performed and recorded in wide variety of contexts, in a number of innovative ensembles.

In contemporary music he has appeared as a guest soloist with Scottish Clarinet Quartet and performed regularly with the Glasgow based contemporary music group Symposia.

George was a member of Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra through which he has had the opportunity of working and recording with George Lewis, Maggie Nichols, Barry Guy and Evan Parker in a variety of different contexts. He has also recorded in Germany with Saxophonist John Tchicai and Joachim Irmler.

George has also been working as a Music Therapist and teacher for the last 12 years. He is passionate about music, and its benefits, people respond to music in a fantastic way. He is interested in person-centred learning and working with his pupils to help them to identify and fulfill their goals."

-Music Teachers UK (https://www.musicteachers.co.uk/user/f6e1883c310c35ff7e49/biography)
3/13/2024

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

"Born and based in Derby, Corey Mwamba's commitment to jazz and improvised music in Britain and Ireland drives all aspects of his work, whether through composition, playing, or promoting new music. Corey predominantly plays vibraphone; he also plays dulcimer and uses audio processing software. He is recognised as a highly creative improviser and composer working across a wide range of jazz and contemporary music. Mwamba's distinctive approach and tone is instantly recognisable in any context: a potent blend of pure sound, highly melodic phrases and ethereal textures; barely whispered chords and ear-piercing robotic screams. Corey won a PRSF/Jerwood Foundation Take Five artist development award in 2007; was short-listed for the Innovation category in the BBC Jazz Awards in 2008; and was nominated for "Rising Star on Vibraphone" in the 62nd, 63rd, and 64th DownBeat Annual Critics' Polls.

Mwamba's main group is the critically acclaimed Yana with Dave Kane (bass) and Joshua Blackmore (drums). This group exemplifies a core ideal of creating an "open, living music"; listening and responding spontaneously as a unit to make music that has love, language and a groove. Their first studio release don't overthink it was hailed as "engaging and evocative" (All About Jazz) and described as "the sound of three minds working together in a utopian zone, way beyond the individual ego - and producing something quite beautiful in the process" (Jazzwise). Dave and Corey are also in an improvising sextet called The Spirit Farm, formed out of research by pianist Adam Fairhall. Mwamba and Fairhall also form a trio with drummer Johnny Hunter called Backyard Chassis.

He is a member of the Anglo-French quartet Sonsale with bassist Andy Champion, drummer Sylvain Darrifourcq and cellist Valentin Ceccaldi. Corey also works with Andy in an improvising trio with saxophonist Ntshuks Bonga. He plays in duos with saxophonist Rachel Musson; pianist Robert Mitchell; percussionists Martin Pyne and Walt Shaw; and the multi-instrumentalist Orphy Robinson. [...]

Mwamba was granted an AHRC studentship for a Master of Research degree in Music at Keele University, for which he was awarded a distinction in 2014. Through this research, he developed new dark art, which is a notational and theoretical music system that takes early European medieval music practice as a starting point to create modern music. He is currently undertaking doctoral research in Jazz Studies at Birmingham City University on a Midlands3Cities/AHRC studentship."

-Corey Mwamba Website (http://www.coreymwamba.co.uk/who/)
3/13/2024

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

"Trumpeter Charlotte Keeffe's unique approach and passion for improvised, experimental and jazz music has seen her performing regularly across the UK and internationally as a soloist and as part of several ensembles, duos and trios. Her music has been featured on BBC Radio 3, Resonance FM and Jazz FM and recent appearances with her quartet include Jazz In The Round and a sell-out performance at Lancaster Jazz Festival. Other recent highlights include being featured as a performer and composer/arranger on Sheffield-based Martin Archer's latest project, Anthropology Band, performances with Alex Ward's Item 4 and regular appearances and conductions with the London Improvisers Orchestra.

Inspired by the likes of Miles Davis and Polish artist Tomasz Stańko, Charlotte studied Jazz Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama before going on to become a scholarship recipient at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and a Help Musicians UK Award Winner. With her Quartet, Charlotte explores the relationship between her compositions and experimental improvisation, producing a unique musical experience inspiring creative freedom of expression. Bassist Ashley John Long, drummer Ben Handysides and guitarist Moss Freed join Charlotte in this latest collaboration.

Charlotte is also a performer with The Brass Monkeys, Moss Freed's Union Division and Calum Gourlay's Big Band. She took part in the Summer Studios Artist Residency 2019 with drummer Andrew Lisle and bassist Otto Willberg in Andrew's trio project at The Sage, Gateshead. Charlotte played in Marin Alsop's Taki Concordia Orchestra at the World Economic Forum 2019 playing to world leaders and celebrities including Sir David Attenborough. She's performed at several music festivals including Brecon Jazz as part of Steve Waterman's Big Band, Glastonbury and Wilderness alongside Liane Carroll, Charlotte Church, Laura Mvula, Kate Nash, Camille O'Sullivan and Will Young."

-Charlotte Keeffe Website (https://www.charlottekeeffe.com/biography)
3/13/2024

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

"Hervé Perez: Improviser, sound and visual artist, hervé performs spontaneous compositions with saxophones and laptop, using processed field recordings. His work is influenced by practices such as jazz, electro-acoustic, contemporary music, experimental electronics, free improvisation, immersive sound art and techniques of sound therapy.

His research approaches sound as vibration, the relation between sound and objects or spaces, architecture and the body.

Hervé works in sound design, sound recording and editing, post-production, mastering and composition, sound art and installation as well as performance which remains his main focus.

He has developed a very personal way to process and sculpt location recordings to reveal their musical features and maximise resonance with the listener and their experience of sound.

Hervé's use of field recordings is concerned with frequencies and harmonic relationships found in nature. How they relate to the real, physical world, and how the sounds of natural elements connect to our experience.

Playing the saxophone, hervé focuses on extended techniques and abstract peripheral sounds structural to the instrument as a physical resonant object - although he has been known to play melodies at times...

'sounding out', one of his current projects, is an exploration of architecture, outdoor acoustics and sacred sites. These recordings are documents of in situ improvisations, inspired by the spirit and the special characteristics of a location.

Further work in sound design, music for film/video:

Rain (dir. Carla mackinnon), cellotape (dir. Aitor gutierrez), henri & may (dir. Sally pierce)

sound art and video installation:

The pursuit of happiness (arsenal gallery, poznan), catalyst (bank street arts, sheffield), one square foot (mile end art pavilion, london).

Photography and graphic design.

Greatly interested in collaboration, hervé has performed with musicians and dancers whose practice is immersed in free improvisation,closely working with mick beck (sax, bassoon), martin archer (winds, electronics), peter fairclough (drums), philip thomas (piano), jez riley-french (el.), shaun blezzard (electronics), ian simpson (electronics, guitar), charlie collins (vibraphone, drums and percussions), constantin popp (live processing, diffusion), adam woolf (piano), aysegul balkose (dance, paint) etc. In the ukand also michel doneda (sop sax), jonas kocher (accordion), simon berz (dr, electro), christian muller (electro), rodolphe loubatiere (dr), d'incise (electro, objects), cyril bondi (dr), heddy boubaker (alto and bass sax), sebastien cirotteau (trumpet, electronics), andré darius (ebass), cia barbet (dance), anastasia hvan (dance), joe formanek (dr, el), roger mills (trumpet, el), henri herteman (p, trombone), guy bayssac (dr), marin beranger (p), mark alban lotz (fl) in europe."

-Herbe Perez Website (https://sndsukinspook.wordpress.com/about/)
3/13/2024

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

Chris Trent: "British jazz engineer and Sun Ra expert. He co-authored, with Prof. Robert Campbell, The Earthly Recordings of Sun Ra, Volume 2."

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/425665-Chris-Trent)
3/13/2024

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

Paul Schatzberger was born Manchester 1950, self-taught photography, qualified medicine London 1973, general practitioner 1978, moved to Sheffield 1983, photographs published since 1984 and exhibited since 1993, left NHS to focus on making art 2007. He also plays violin and accordion in a variety of settings.

-Paul Schatzberger Website (http://www.paulschatzberger.com/?Biography)
3/13/2024

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

"Aby Vulliamy is a musician and composer, performing and recording frequently as a violist, pianist and vocalist in a range of ensembles and collaborations.

Aby is also a Music Therapist

Aby has shared the stage and/or studio with a brilliant array of musicians, including jazz/improv legends such as John Tchicai, Evan Parker, Maggie Nichols, Matt Bourne, Annie Whitehead, Karen Mantler, Krautrocker Hans Joachim Irmler of Faust and indie-rockers Yo La Tengo, with respected folk musicians such as Bridget St John, Mary Hampton, Ali Roberts, Lucy Farrell, The Trembling Bells and Mike Heron (The Incredible String Band), with popstars such as Isobel Campbell, Stevie Jackson (Belle and Sebastian), Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Aidan Moffat (Arab Strap), and with national ensembles including The Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Aby's ongoing long-term collaborations include with Stevie Jones (Sound of Yell, since 2012) and Bill Wells (The National Jazz Trio of Scotland, since 2007)."

-Aby Vulliamy Website (http://www.abyvulliamy.co.uk/about-contact.html)
3/13/2024

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

Cellist Angela Rosenfeld is a member of Ask, and has performed with Julie Tippetts & Martin Archer (Tales Of Finin) and is a member of Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere.

-Squidco 3/13/2024

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

"Whether co-writing with the Orb, re interpreting Roy Orbison with Brian Eno or creating a context for the pedal Steel in Folk music with Martin Simpson, BJ COLE continues to prove himself the most essential and pioneering Pedal Steel Guitarist in the UK today.

His uniquely eclectic style of Pedal Steel Guitar playing first made an impact on the British music scene in the early 1970's with his performances on Elton John's classic 'Tiny Dancer' and Joan Armatrading's hit single 'Down To Zero'.

Throughout the '70's and into the '80's, BJ's inimitable contributions to classic recordings by Marc Bolan, Scott Walker, The Stranglers, kd lang, Deacon Blue and Paul Young earned him considerable respect as both an innovative and exciting creative force.

During the '90's, BJ's desire to pioneer the use of the Pedal Steel Guitar far beyond it's traditional context in Country Music has ensured that he has continued to expand the instrument's horizons into uncharted territory.

The success of this pioneering approach has been born out through sessions and live performances with artists as diverse as David Sylvian, Depeche Mode, Beck, Bjork, Sting, John Cale and most recently, Martin Simpson and Tom Jones.

His explorations have also seen the release of a string of solo and collaborative recordings. 'Transparent Music' (1989), 'Heart Of The Moment' (1995), 'Stop The Panic (with Luke Vibert, 2000), 'Trouble In Paradise (2004), 'Into The Blue', (with cellist Emily Burridge), (2006) and 'Lush Life' (with Roger Beaujolais and Simon Thorpe), (2009). Most of these records are available From the store page of this website. Making these records has enabled BJ to establish his own artistic profile, and has opened up avenues in composing for film and TV.

From the simplicity of the Dobro and slide guitar, through to the sophistication made possible by the interfacing of BJ's Pedal Steel to synthesizers via MIDI, BJ continues to extend the range of sounds And possibilities he can employ on recording sessions, in concert and in his own new music..

Never content to stand still, BJ now makes his unique sound palette available to recording artists, songwriters and record producers via his 'Online Overdub Service'. An economical and speedy way to get his Pedal Steel on to your recordings via the internet."

-B J Cole Website (https://bjcole.co.uk/about)
3/13/2024

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

"Laura Cole is a jazz composer/pianist who lives in Leeds but whose band (Metamorphic) is based in London. Metamorphic features, Kerry Andrew (vocals), Chris Williams (alto),John Martin (tenor/soprano), Paul Sandy (bass), Tom Greenhalgh (drums).

Metamorphic will play in Jazz in the Round at the Cockpit Theatre on Monday January 28th. They also have a gig at the Vortex on the 24th February with Frank Byng's (Slowfoot Records) quintet, Snorkel.

The group have one album out (The Rock Between, 2011, F-IRECD43 - reviewed by Chris Parker), and release their follow up (Coalescence, also on F-IRE) later this year (2013).

Laura also has a blog which discusses the issues that women face in music and holds a First Class Honours Degree in Jazz from Middlesex University."

-London Jazz News (http://www.londonjazznews.com/2013/01/artist-profile-laura-cole.html)
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.

"Liz Hanks is a cellist, composer and collaborator based in Sheffield. While she has worked with an impressive array of high-profile artists across many different genres, she is particularly drawn to folk, Indian classical, and other music traditions. In recent years Liz has performed and collaborated with, among others, Martin Simpson, Jasdeep Singh Degun, and South Asian Arts UK. She is currently working on a debut solo album, funded by Help Musicians UK, which draws upon her key influences - minimalism, folk, Indian classical music and improvisation. Her own cello works are inspired by local history and the negative impact of urban development on wild spaces and biodiversity."

-Liz Hanks Website (https://www.lizhankscello.com/)
3/13/2024

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

"George Murray began playing the piano and trombone aged 9. He played in Bodmin School Band and Cornwall Youth Orchestra and Jazz Orchestra before going on to study and Trinity College of Music in London.

George has performed and recorded in wide variety of contexts, in a number of innovative ensembles.

In contemporary music he has appeared as a guest soloist with Scottish Clarinet Quartet and performed regularly with the Glasgow based contemporary music group Symposia.

George was a member of Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra through which he has had the opportunity of working and recording with George Lewis, Maggie Nichols, Barry Guy and Evan Parker in a variety of different contexts. He has also recorded in Germany with Saxophonist John Tchicai and Joachim Irmler.

George has also been working as a Music Therapist and teacher for the last 12 years. He is passionate about music, and its benefits, people respond to music in a fantastic way. He is interested in person-centred learning and working with his pupils to help them to identify and fulfill their goals."

-Music Teachers UK (https://www.musicteachers.co.uk/user/f6e1883c310c35ff7e49/biography)
3/13/2024

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

Nick Robinson: "I'm a looping guitarist living in Sheffield, England. I have been performing for 45+ years in a variety of professional bands and latterly, as a solo artist / collaborator.

Repetition and Intuition are the key factors behind my music, which places dynamics & timbre high up the list. I see the guitar as an organic sound source that uses looping technology and laptop treatment to build moods & soundscapes. My pieces are born, evolve and die away."

-Nick Robinson Website (http://looping.me.uk/)
3/13/2024

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

Cellist Angela Rosenfeld is a member of Ask, and has performed with Julie Tippetts & Martin Archer (Tales Of Finin) and is a member of Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere.

-Squidco 3/13/2024

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

Paul Schatzberger was born Manchester 1950, self-taught photography, qualified medicine London 1973, general practitioner 1978, moved to Sheffield 1983, photographs published since 1984 and exhibited since 1993, left NHS to focus on making art 2007. He also plays violin and accordion in a variety of settings.

-Paul Schatzberger Website (http://www.paulschatzberger.com/?Biography)
3/13/2024

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

"Simmy Singh is a versatile violinist and composer, born and raised in South Wales to an Indian father and English mother, whose ambition is to push the boundaries of classical music and its audiences and to explore creativity and different genres with the violin. She believes in diversity and connection and is passionate about applying these values to the projects she undertakes.

In the classical world, Simmy co-founded the innovative Manchester Collective. A young classical organisation redefining the experience of the classical concert with eclectic programming of world class classical and experimental works presented in both concert halls and club venues around the UK.Highlights include their 2019 Sirocco tour with cellist, Abel Selaccoe - with performances in Switzerland, Kings Place, CLF Arts Cafe and a sold out performance at the Dora Stoutzker Hall in Cardiff.They also toured with Poul Hoxbro - a pipes and bones player from Denmark, which included a sold out performance at Stoller Hall in Manchester. Both these tours included story telling, original material and improvisation.

Simmy is currently on trial as principal second in the Manchester Camerata - an orchestra she has worked with extensively over the past years. She led the orchestra for their Hacienda Classical performance at the Dubai Opera House, and toured extensively with them for many of these performances - including the Pyramid Stage in Glastonbury, 2017.

Simmy was a core member of Sinfonia Cymru, a chamber orchestra from Cardiff. Here she played principal second in their classical concerts but also played a pivotal role in their cross-genre and collaborative projects. such as the Birdsong project with Gwilym Simcock and Kizzy Crawford. She has recently joined the orchestra's board of trustees and is excited to continue her journey with the orchestra.

Simmy has always been keen to push her career far beyond the classical world and has developed a thriving career as a cross-genre violinist. She is leader of the Kaleidoscope Orchestra - who's recent success with their 'lockdown sessions' series has seen them reach 50,000 subscribers, as well as appearances on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Breakfast.They are also the orchestra in residence for Cream and last year headlined the Cream Classical in the Park performance to 32,000 people at Sefton Park.

Simmy is also leader of the Ignition Orchestra, who sold out the Royal Albert Hall for their Garage Classical performance with DJ Spoony.

She also leads the Untold Orchestra, who are set to perform with renowned jazz pianist and composer, Bill Laurance, later this year and are quckly becoming Manchesters most diverse and thriving young crossover orchestra.

Simmy also leads Amika - a cross-genre string quartet - who recently toured with Tom Walker for his acoustic 'Home Run' Tour. They have also performed with and recorded for Alfa Mist, Jordan Rakei (joining him for his sold out acoustic performance at Ronnie Scotts), Alice Zawadski, Stuart McCallum, Poppy Ajudha, The Breath and Natalie Williams - appearing on all these artist's latest albums.

In 2017, Simmy was chosen as one of ten participants for the Brighter Sounds Jazz Director Series, who spent a week rehearsing and touring with world renowned jazz artist, Chris Potter.

In 2018, Simmy joined her sister, Rakhi Singh, to develop and perform in Written in Fire - a project devised by electronic artist Vessel. This included a memorised performance of Janacek's String Quartet - Intimate Letters, followed by a new work for string quartet, electronics and visuals.

ILater this year, Simmy and Rakhi will combine again to direct a project with Sinfonia Cymru, combining their individual musical paths with a 12-piece string ensemble. This will to include arrangements of Simmy's original works.

Simmy is also a member of the Immix Ensemble - a classical ensemble of unusual instrumentation who collaborate with artists across genres. Highlights have included sell out performances with Jane Weaver, Kelly Lee Owens and Forest Swords (premiered at PRS New Music Biennial).

Following a Musician in Residence programme at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada in 2017, Simmy has begun to work on developing her own creative practices towards becoming a composer-perfomer, as well as her capacity as a remote recording artist. [...]"

-Simmy Singh Website (https://www.simmysingh.co.uk/about)
3/13/2024

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

"Michael Somerset began his career with Sheffield's iconic Clock DVA. He left to create his own music, signed to Branson's Virgin Records and up-sticked to his spiritual home Detroit, Michigan to make two albums with Don Was and his mutant disco orchestra Was (not Was). After Alison Moyet covered the lead track on second album "Weak in the Presence of Beauty " and turned it into a multi-million selling radio perennial, Ward disappeared into the studios of Europe and the US as a freelance writer. In the last few years he has been the song writing element of Richard "Parrot" Barratt's underground politico house combo Crooked Man (DFA records)."

-Proper Music (https://www.propermusic.com/discus118lp-kiedy-wilki-zawyja.html)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



CD1



1. Chances 7:30

2. Less 8:45

3. Never as They Seem 10:06

4. Pandemonium 13:56

5. Magic Man 9:58

6. Bare Back Rider 11:20

7. Turn It Around 12:55

CD2



1. Dancing On Air - (Circle Of Whispers) 5:07

2. Aquabat - (Circle Of Whispers) 1:45

3. Big Cat Tamer - (Circle Of Whispers) 5:46

4. Blade Juggler - (Circle Of Whispers) 4:48

5. Fortune Teller - (Circle Of Whispers) 8:04

6. Movin' On - (Circle Of Whispers) 1:40

7. Chances - (Illusion Suite #1) 9:38

8. Less - (Illusion Suite #2) 1:31

9. Never As They Seem - (Illusion Suite #3) 7:52

10. Pandemonium - (Illusion Suite #4) 1:30

11. Magic Man - (Illusion Suite #5) 6:20

12. Bare Back Rider -(Illusion Suite #6) 5:11

13. Turn It Around - (Illusion Suite #7) 8:22

Related Categories of Interest:


Electro-Acoustic
Rock and Related
Large Ensembles
Duo Recordings
Song Based Music
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
New in Experimental & Electronic Music
New in Rock Forms
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

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 / Keeffe / Pyne
Hi Res Heart
(Discus)
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.
Keeffe, Charlotte
Right Here, Right Now
(Discus)
Collecting facets of London trumpeter Charlotte Keeffe's diverse settings and interests, including three live recordings with her own quartet, three recordings with London Improvisers Orchestra including a conduction for a piece dedicated to Steve Beresford, a duo with guitarist Diego Sampieri, and two solo recordings, one interacting with live electronics.
Garside, Gus / Herve Perez
The Unexpected Visitor
(Orbit577)
Saxophonist Herve Perez and double bassist Gus Garside spent much of the pandemic lockdown recording these intimate duos, interpretations of a 13th Century Poem, "The Guest House" by Rumi, recording in their respective homes using software designed for real-time audio collaboration, as they developed this introspective set of dialogs with strong lyrical affinity between the two.
Orchestra Of The Upper Atmosphere
Theta Five
(Discus)
The 5th album from the UK collective improvising progressive rock band of reedist Martin Archer, drummer Steve Dinsdale, bassists Lorin Halsall & Terry Todd, percussionist Walt Shaw, keyboardist Andy Peake, violinist Yvonna Magda and string player & vocalist Jad Todd, merging acoustic and electronic instruments in rich and often dreamlike forms that flow with spirited refinement.
Orchestra Entropy
Rituals
(Discus)
An extended work for 10 improvisers using a composite composition of graphic scores, open notations, and two trio sub-pieces titled "skelf" (electric guitar, double bass and drums) and "antiphon" (violin, viola and double bass), all directed by UK saxophonist Matt London in an ensemble with reeds, winds, brass, strings, electric guitar, and Mark Sanders on drums.
Mwamba, Corey
Nth
(Discus)
A sophisticated and lyrical album of modern jazz led by UK vibraphonist Corey Mwamba, also on glockenspiel & beak flute, in a quartet with Laura Cole on piano, Andy Champion on double bass, and Johnny Hunter on drums & small percussion, with all pieces "devised and scored" by Mwamba alongside one collective improvisation; powerfully refined modern jazz.
Caines, Ron / Martin Archer AXIS
Dream Feathers
(Discus)
The "AXIS" of UK saxophonist Ron Caines and multi-reedist Martin Archer, also on organ and electronics, in a subtle septet with outstanding players including Laura Cole on piano and Johnny Hunter on drums, in a set of dream-like and lyrically beautiful improvisations, merging electronics and horns over a powerfully solid rhythm section that create warm textural cycles.
Jafrate, Keith / Herve Perez
Tete-a-Tete
(Noumenon)
Recorded live in the studio in Sheffield in a single take, this first time meeting of the UK alto saxophone duo of Keith Jafrate and Herve Perez improvise freely, distinguishable by the stereo channel they reside in, as they display great technical skill and a unique sense of humor on tracks titled like "Something Funky in the Sauce" or "And a Hair in the Pudding".
Archer, Martin
Anthropology Band [2 CDs]
(Discus)
Inspired by the music of 70's Miles Davis electric work, composer and saxophonist Martin Archer presents 15 compositions performed in two parallel sessions over two CDs, the first in a septet that includes Corey Mwamba, Pat Thomas and Dave Sturt, and the second an extended ensemble with brass and wind sections, each bringing distinctive life to these inspired compositions.
Orchestra Entropy
Rituals
(Discus)
An extended work for 10 improvisers using a composite composition of graphic scores, open notations, and two trio sub-pieces titled "skelf" (electric guitar, double bass and drums) and "antiphon" (violin, viola and double bass), all directed by UK saxophonist Matt London in an ensemble with reeds, winds, brass, strings, electric guitar, and Mark Sanders on drums.
Mwamba, Corey
Nth
(Discus)
A sophisticated and lyrical album of modern jazz led by UK vibraphonist Corey Mwamba, also on glockenspiel & beak flute, in a quartet with Laura Cole on piano, Andy Champion on double bass, and Johnny Hunter on drums & small percussion, with all pieces "devised and scored" by Mwamba alongside one collective improvisation; powerfully refined modern jazz.
Eclectic Maybe Band
Reflections In A Moebius Ring Mirror
(Discus)
The second album of this Guy Segers (Univers Zero) project in an eclectic ensemble of improvisers, rock musicians and experimenters, a genre-defying project of primarily instrumental work with interventions of song, merging acoustic & electric instruments with electronics, live improvisation with studio manipulation, to find new forms of mesmerizing music.
Kraabel, Caroline
Last1 And Last2
(Emanem)
LAST is part of a series by Caroline Kraabel (LIO, Remote Viewers) mixing live improvisation with pre-recorded material provided by Robert Wyatt for this purpose, performed live at Cafe OTO in two versions: first where the 15-piece ensemble has not yet heard the Wyatt interventions, and second where they were familiar with and use his voice to structure what they play.
Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (feat. Marilyn Crispell / Evan Parker)
Parallel Moments Unbroken [2CDS]
(FMR)
Scottland's large improvising ensemble of around 20 musicians, merging backgrounds in free improvisation, jazz, classical, folk, pop, experimental musics and performance art, in a 2-CD release of a piece commissioned by the BBC and featuring pianist Marilyn Crispell and saxophist Evan Parker, written using graphic scores, through composition, photographs and artwork.
Caines, Ron / Martin Archer Axis
Les Oiseaux de Matisse
(Discus)
Saxophonist Ron Caines, who led the innovative band East of Eden in the late 60s, joins a septet including Martin Archer on reeds & electronics, Laura Cole on keys, Gus Garside on bass, Johnny Hunter on drums, Graham Clark on violin & guitar, and Herve Perez on live sound processing & shakuhachi as they merge improv with real time processing and studio collage.
Meloche, Chris / Martin Archer / Gino Robair / Lyn Hodnett
The Sincerity Of Light
(Discus)
The quartet of Canadian electronics composer Chris Meloche and label leader Martin Archer on woodwinds and electronics orchestrated these pieces, performed with improvsations from Gino Robair on percussion and electronics and Lyn Hodnett on voice, for a 3 part work of rich interactive loops, drones and soundscape, ranging from spine-chilling to lush and lovely environments.
Deep Tide Quartet (Archer / Macari / Cole / Shaw)
See One, Do One, Teach One
(Discus)
Originally a studio project, The UK Deep Tide Trio of Martin Archer on sax, Kim Macari on trumpet, Laura Cole on piano and Walt Shaw on percussion & live electronics evolved into a performing organization based on the strength of their open-ended approach to free jazz and improvisation, heard here balancing melody and structure in well-paced and thoughtful improv.
Sunshine! Quartet (Archer / Mwamba / Bennett / Fairclough)
Sunshine! Quartet
(Discus)
A small group setting where each performer brings a composition to the session, with Discus family members Martin Archer on saxophones, Corey Mwamba on vibraphone, Seth Bennet on double bass, and Peter Fariclough on drums, for jazz that balances melodic and formidable free improvisation.
Archer, Martin
Story Tellers
(Discus)
Martin Archer introduces a new sextet based on Chicago's AACM approach to free improvisation, in a 2-CD set of 6 large works divided into 5 or 6 chapters each, presenting character themes, rhythm ideas, composed duets, and improvised instructions; superb!
Archer / Clark / Grew / Hunter
Felicity's Ultimatum
(Discus)
The 2nd release in a new series of small groups drawn from members of the Discus Music family, where the group meets, writes, rehearses and records in one single session, here developing ten compositions from all four players edited into a continuous sequence of structure and improvisation, embracing melody, texture and pure abstraction.
Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra & George Lewis
Artificial Life 2007
(FMR)
The large Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, led by Raymond MacDonald, met trombonist George Lewis in 2012 at CCA in Glasgow to record this two part work based on a set of instructions presented graphically, plus an extended free improvisation.
Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra
GIO poetics
(Creative Sources)
Glasgow's Improvisers Orchestra from the CCA Glasgow performing three free improvisations and a discretely structured piece by Raymond MacDonald.
Westbrook / Rossini
Westbrook-Rossini
(Hatology)
Mike & Kate Westbrooks 1986 album of Gioacchino Rossini interpretations, with Lindsay Cooper on sopranino sax, huge works that impart improv and humor into magnificent compositions.
Other Recommended Releases:
Eclectic Maybe Band
Bars Without Measures
(Discus)
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.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC