The Squid's Ear Magazine

Anthropology Band

Scald - Live 2022 [3 CDS]

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.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Martin Archer-tenor saxophone, saxello, melodica, electronics

Charlotte Keeffe-trumpet and flugelhorn

Pat Thomas-piano, keyboards, electronics

Orphy Robinson-xylosynth

Chris Sharkey-guitar, electronics

Anton Hunter-guitar, electronics

Dave Sturt-bass guitar, electronics

Adam Fairclough-drums


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UPC: 5051078002620

Label: Discus
Catalog ID: DISCUS155CD
Squidco Product Code: 33489

Format: 3 CDs
Condition: New
Released: 2023
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels
CD1 and CD 2 recorded live at Cafe Oto, in London, UK, on October 26th, 2022, by Chris Penty.

CD3 recorded live the Newcastle Festival Of Jazz And Improvised Music, in New Castle, Uk, on September 29th, 2022, by John Martindale and Bedford Stuyvesant.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"The band's current 8 piece line up was on fiery form for both gigs, playing a mixture of both old and new material to full houses. With the electric 70s music of Miles Davis as its starting point and the improvised abstraction of AACM as its end point, these recording show a band growing out of the studio and going from strength to strength as it hits the stage."-Discus



"In addition to the composed tunes, there are pieces title 'drums introduction', or 'piano introduction'. The opening track, 'Mauger Hay' could have been called melodica introduction with its mournful introduction of the theme were it not for the rumbling bass that segues into 'Give me back some truth'.

Here, Archer is on ebullient form with his tenor saxophone muscling the other musicians into line. The tune slows to blend into 'The dancer and the spark', give Thomas space to place his trademark rumbling arpeggios carefully into the mix. The first of the drum introductions urgently usher in the ensemble into the 'Blade juggler' building to full, free onslaught.

Here giving Robinson and Keefe space to relish the dynamics of the piece and find individual ways of interpreting this. The trumpet solo continues into 'Lazy Susan' but the rhythm section performs a volte face from prog workout to sauntering skank.

Pat Thomas lyrical piano solo leads into a Randy Weston composition 'African Village / Bedford Stuyvesant', from the classic 'Blues to Africa' release and the only piece not written by the band members. On this piece, the octet seem to swell in numbers and build to a huge orchestra.

They capture the vivacity of the original composition but layer it with the blend of prog rock, free jazz, astral travelling and energy that, live, the band always exudes. It was at the end of this piece that the audience (who had either been edited out of the recording or were captivated by the playing) burst into well-earned applause.

As if one live set was not enough, the Café Oto set is paired. The Café Oto gig ends with 'Fire on 88th', Thomas, Robinson and Archer are all on sterling form and the piece ends in a riot of sound before the audience responds warmly.

In the Newcastle set, the same pieces are played in a different order. And to a more raucous audience which drives the band to up the tempo a little and play more fiercely in their solos. For instance, Thomas' closing coda to 'African Village / Bedford Stuyvesant' which closes the show has his hallmark pummelled chords and scuttling arpeggios bursting from the piano before the ensemble rejoin with the theme.

I envy the audiences at either gig the opportunity to catch the dynamism of the playing of the band and the tightness of their rhythms and passion of their improvisations. Two great gigs captured on a single album and one that will find its way into my best of the year list with ease."-Chris Baber, Jazz Views


Get additional information at Jazz Views

Artist Biographies

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-All Music, Discus Records (http://www.allmusic.com/artist/martin-archer-mn0000146946)
12/11/2024

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)
12/11/2024

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

"Born 27 July 1960; Piano, electronics. Pat Thomas started playing at the age of 8 and studied classical music and played reggae. He began playing jazz at sixteen after seeing Oscar Peterson on television then listened to snatches of jazz on the radio before, in 1979, playing his first serious improvised gigs. From 1986 he played with Ghosts which was Pete McPhail and Matt Lewis.

In addition to programming his keyboards, Pat Thomas also utilises prerecorded tapes. He told Chris Blackford (1991), 'As far as the tapes are concerned I'll probably just sit in front of the TV and tape whatever's going on and so some editing afterward to decide what might be useful. ...But I don't actually put a label on each tape saying what's on there, so when I come to use them I don't know what I'm going to be playing. That obviously prevents me from setting things up. I pick them at random and see what happens. So I'm just as surprised as anybody else at what comes out'.

In 1988 he was awarded an Arts Council Jazz Bursary to write three new electroacoustic compositions for his ten-piece ensemble, Monads: Roger Turner and Matt Lewis, percussion; Pete McPhail, WX7 wind synthesizer; Neil Palmer, turntables; Phil Minton, voice; Phil Durrant, violin; Marcio Mattos, bass; Jon Corbett, trumpet; Geoff Searle, drum machines. The intention was to feature different aspects of electronics using improvisation so, for example, one piece - Dialogue - featured Pete McPhail and Neil Palmer, another concentrated on the interaction of percussionists and drum machines, and a third piece had Phil Minton and Jon Corbett improvising with a computer. The pieces were performed at the Crawley Outside-In Festival of new music in 1989.

Pat Thomas was invited by Derek Bailey to play in Company Week in 1990 and 1991 and he also took part in the Ist International Symposium for Free Improvisation in Bremen with the guitarist. He has been a member of the Tony Oxley Quartet (documented on Incus CD 15) and played in Oxley's Angular Apron along with Larry Stabbins, Manfred Schoof and Sirone at the 8th Ruhr Jazz Meeting and in the percussionist's Celebration Orchestra. He plays with Lol Coxhill in a range of combinations from duo to being a member of 'Before my time', is a member of Mike Cooper's Continental Drift, and he has a well established duo with percussionist Mark Sanders and a trio with Steve Beresford and Francine Luce. In 1992 Pat Thomas formed the quartet Scatter with Phil Minton, Roger Turner and Dave Tucker; funded by the Arts Council they toured the UK in 1993 and again at the beginning of 1997.

On the 'Festival circuit', Pat Thomas has appeared at: the Young Improvisors Festival at the Korzo Theatre, Den Haag (with Jim O'Rourke, Mats Gustafsson and Alexander Frangenheim); Angelica 95 in Bologna, Italy; the Stuttgart 5th Festival of Improvised Music 96 (with Fred Frith, Shelly Hirsch, Carlos Zingaro and others); and the 3rd International Festival 96 in Budapest (with Evan Parker, Phil Minton, John Russell and Roger Turner).

-EFI (http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mthomas.html)
12/11/2024

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

"Orphy Robinson (born 13 October 1960) is a British vibraphonist and multi-instrumentalist,of Jamaican descent who also plays the saxophone, trumpet, drums, piano, marimba and steel pans. He has written music for television, film, theatre, opera and contemporary classical music. Robinson is from London, UK, and works across a variety of eclectic musical forms (jazz, free jazz, free improvisation, jazz fusion, and funk music)."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphy_Robinson)
12/11/2024

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

"Chris Sharkey is a musician from the north-east of England.

Based in leeds since 1999, chris has dedicated the last 20 years to making forward-thinking new music that blurs boundaries between improvisation, production, composition and the associated genres of these often separated fields.

He is an active national and international performer as a member of Acoustic Ladyland, Triovd, Shiver, The Geordie Approach, Roller Trio and as a solo artist.

Chris is a also a producer and has recorded, mixed and remixed music for for ACV, Mole, Taupe, Seb Rochford, Oliver Coates, Troyka, World Service Project, Triovd, Shiver, Beyond Albedo, Session Fries, The Geordie Approach, Roller Trio, The Orchid And The Wasp and more."

-Chris Sharkey Website (https://www.chrissharkeymusic.com/media)
12/11/2024

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/)
12/11/2024

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

"Dave Sturt began playing bass guitar and recording at the age of 17. In 1982 he moved to London and soon broke into the session scene working alongside film composer Michael Kamen, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, Roxy Music drummer Andy Newmark, and David Bowie sideman Earl Slick amongst others. In 1987 Sturt joined Jade Warrior, recording two albums as bass player, composer and co-producer alongside Tom Newman (Tubular Bells). He went on to compose themes and incidental music for film and television as well as playing sessions for Pol Brennan (Clannad), BeatsystemUK and Theo Travis. Live work developed with Cuban/American guitarist Isaac Guillory, Thee na Shee, The Fraser Sisters, Andy Sheppard, Bosco D'Olivera and Bill Nelson. Sturt's current main projects are Cipher (with Theo Travis), producing three albums and several scores to silent films, and Jade Warrior, who released their album, NOW in 2008 on the WindWeaver record label.

During 2009 and 2010, Dave toured Europe playing bass for both Gong and Steve Hillage. In 2011 he played bass with Bill Nelson on the Classic Rock Legends live DVD.

In 2012 Dave composed soundtracks for 'Ben Rushgrove - a documentary' for Channel 4 and for 'Past Lives' - (along with Theo Travis) - a touring live performance with archive footage from The Media Archive for Central England. He also toured Europe, the UK and Japan with Gong

2013 saw Gong playing in Sao Paulo, where the recording of the new album began - which continued throughout the year. Also the Past Lives Project started - a two year film and music project funded by the Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery Fund.

Gong performed again in Brazil in March 2014 - with Kavus Torabi on guitar - and the album 'I See You' was completed in July. Apart from playing the bass, Dave also co- composed several of the tracks, contributed soundscapes and co - produced the album. Also the album Discretion by Theo Travis and Robert Fripp was released - mixed by Dave and Steven Wilson and mastered by Andy Jackson."

-Dave Sturt Website (https://www.davesturt.co.uk/bio/)
12/11/2024

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

"Adam Fairclough is a drummer/drums and popular music theory teacher born in Sheffield, and based in Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield. Having been playing drums in bands since he was a young teenager, and since attaining his enrolment at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts based purely on his audition and music theory grade, he has become known for being versatile in performing many genres convincingly and with passion. Fairclough toured extensively with Liverpool based Hard Rock band Black Diamond in 2015 with a total of over 80 shows around the UK within the 10 months of being in the band before deciding to push himself musically and experiment with other genres.

Having received drum tuition from Luke Flowers, Vidar Norheim, Dave Weckl, Antonio Sanchez, Virgil Donati, and Mark Guiliana, Fairclough has gained insight into the styles of Soul, Rock, Pop, Funk, Jazz and R&B drumming in order to be able to turn his hand to almost all styles of music.

Over the summer of 2018, Fairclough performed as the drummer in the run of Shakespeare shows in the Rose Theatre, York.

With the technical ability and theoretical knowledge he has gained from his teachers, Fairclough can aid other musicians' progress and also help students to gain contacts to get their foot in the door with some of the most talented, and active, musicians and music students in the UK.

With the aid of his music theory teacher Jamie Taylor, Fairclough achieved Distinction at Grade 7 London College of Music Popular Music Theory (which is one of the prerequisites of enrolling at LIPA) and could teach this syllabus to others effectively .

Known for his passion for improvement, technical skill, and musical knowledge alongside his personability and encouraging nature, Adam Fairclough is a talented artist with a bright future in the music industry."

-Adam Fairclough Website (https://adamfaircloughmusic.wordpress.com/about/)
12/11/2024

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


Track Listing:



CD1



1. Mauger Hay (Cafe Oto) 01:33

2. Give Me Back Some Truth (Cafe Oto) 13:06

3. The Dancer And The Spark (Cafe Oto) 06:02

4. Drum Introduction (Cafe Oto) 00:43

5. Blade Juggler (Cafe Oto) 07:36

6. Lazy Susan (Cafe Oto) 07:25

7. The Candidates (Cafe Oto) 21:14

8. Piano Introduction (Cafe Oto) 01:19

9. African Village / Bedford Stuyvesant (Cafe Oto) 07:17

CD2



1. Bass Introduction (Cafe Oto) 02:55

2. People Talking Blues (Cafe Oto) 10:31

3. Improvisation / Build / Burst / Soap (Cafe Oto) 14:31

4. Fire On 88th (Cafe Oto) 15:00

CD3



1. Drum Introduction (Newcastle) 0:57

2. Blade Juggler(Newcastle) 4:55

3. Lazy Susan (Newcastle) 5:51

4. The Candidates (Newcastle) 17:37

5. Mauger Hay (Newcastle) 1:31

6. Fire On 88th (Newcastle) 15:24

7. Piano Introduction (Newcastle) 1:22

8. African Village / Bedford Stuyvesant (Newcastle) 10:23

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Octet Recordings
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(577 Records)
The first of two planned volumes from the quartet of John Dikeman on tenor saxophone, Pat Thomas on piano, John Edwards on bass and Steve Noble on drums, bringing the American saxophonist working throughout Europe together with this nearly telepathic collaborative grouping of UK frequent collaborators, captured in concert at Cafe OTO in 2019 for two absorbing improvisations.
Das Rad (Archer / Robinson / Dinsdale)
Laik Tors
(Discus)
The third album from the Sheffield-based trio Das Rad of Nick Robinson on guitars, keys & electronics, Martin Archer on woodwinds, keys & electronics, Steve Dinsdale on drums & keyboards, influenced by progressive rock, kosmiche, and fusion forms, here evolving and refining their melodic approach to genre-crossing styles merging composition and improvisation.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

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