The Squid's Ear Magazine


Rose, Jon / Chris Abrahams: Peggy (Recommended Records)

"As Frogworth says in one review: 'Two giants of Australian avant-garde music getting together here, dedicating their record to Australian composer Peggy Glanville-Hicks, whose house in Paddington, Sydney is used for residencies/sabbatic...
 

Price: $16.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units


EU & UK Customers:
Discogs.com can handle your VAT payments
So please order through Discogs

Sample The Album:





product information:

Personnel:



Jon Rose-violin (G, D, A, E), tenor violin (semi-amplified): scordatura G, E-flat, A, E), "The Bird" (tenor Hardanger violin: scordatura A-flat, G, A-flat, At1/4).

Chris Abrahams-grand piano Steinway model L


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




UPC: 752830269569

Label: Recommended Records
Catalog ID: RER JRCA
Squidco Product Code: 32109

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2018
Country: UK
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at The Peggy Glanville-Hicks House, in Sydney, Australia, on November 20th and 21st, 2017.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"As Frogworth says in one review: 'Two giants of Australian avant-garde music getting together here, dedicating their record to Australian composer Peggy Glanville-Hicks, whose house in Paddington, Sydney is used for residencies/sabbaticals for Australian musicians. Here Chris Abrahams brings his piano into the most challenging territory, free of traditional melody or rhythmic glue, to match the adventurous extended techniques of Jon Rose on violin.'-Recommended Records



"Some couples are so different from each other you wonder how the hell their relationship works. Violinist Jon Rose (for 40 years an epicentre of Australian free improvisation) and pianist Chris Abrahams (one third ofThe Necks) are a bit like that. Often you feel this tension - almost a tug of war - pulling the music in two directions at once, and yet rather than undermining the outcome, it is precisely what makes the music so compelling. Whereas Rose tends to extrapolate an idea in the least expected direction, Abrahams pursues more overtly logical sequences, yet still eschews predictability. He grounds the music to some degree, implying harmonic contexts; he holds the kite, if you like, while the violin is the kite. And what extraordinary sonic acrobatics it executes. Rose still finds sounds and combinations that have the thrill of the new, and that explode into showers of unforeseen options. Meanwhile, Abrahams can make such telling statements with so few notes, and then suddenly open a gate on to a lush melodic garden just as improbable as Rose's sonic starbursts. Furthermore, just as Rose can startle with a sudden glinting beauty of tone, Abrahams can flirt with noise as music."-John Shand, The Sydney Morning Herald



This album has been reviewed on our magazine:

The Squid
The Squid's Ear!

Get additional information at The Sydney Morning Herald

Artist Biographies

"Chris Abrahams was born in Oamaru, New Zealand but grew up in Sydney, Australia.

He became very active in the Sydney jazz scene in the early eighties playing with modern jazz groups including Mark Simmonds' Freeboppers and The Keys Music Orchestra. With Lloyd Swanton he formed the 60's modern jazz-influenced The Benders in 1982. During its day, the band released three albums - E, False Laughter and Distance.

In 1984 Chris recorded and released his first solo piano album - Piano, followed in 1986 by Walk.

In 1985 Chris became a founding member of the Sydney indie rock band The Sparklers. As a result of this, Chris began working regularly with the singer and songwriter Melanie Oxley. Chris collaborated with Melanie, writing songs and producing albums, throughout the nineties. There are five releases with her: Resisting Calm (1990), Welcome to Violet (1992), Coal (1994), Jerusalem Bay (1998) and Blood Oranges (2003).

Chris released a third solo piano album, Glow, in 2001. This was followed in 2003 by Streaming, and then Thrown (2004), Play Scar (2010) and Memory Night (2013).

Chris has collaborated, in both recording and performance, with many contemporary improvising musicians including Burkhard Beins, Mike Cooper and Anthony Pateras. He performs regularly in the improvising music scenes both in Australia and Europe."

-The Necks Website (http://www.thenecks.com/bio)
6/11/2025

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


Track Listing:



1. Peggy1 9:26

2. Peggy2 3:37

3. Peggy3 8:55

4. Peggy4 6:23

5. Peggy5 10:26

6. Peggy6 22:26

Related Categories of Interest:

Recommended Records

Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Stringed Instruments
Piano & Keyboards
Australian Improvisers, Composers and Experimenters
Rose, Jon
The Necks
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
New in Improvised Music

Search for other titles on the label:
Recommended Records.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Necks, The
Bleed [VINYL GREEN + DOWNLOAD]
(Northern Spy)
The ever-chameleonic Australian trio The Necks — featuring Chris Abrahams on piano and keyboards, Tony Buck on drums & guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass — explore electronic stillness in this 42-minute, single-track composition, evolving from a meditative opening through rich textures and sonic spaces to a beautifully structured conclusion, offering a rewarding and captivating journey.
Necks, The
Bleed [VINYL BLACK]
(Northern Spy)
The ever-chameleonic Australian trio The Necks — featuring Chris Abrahams on piano and keyboards, Tony Buck on drums & guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass — explore electronic stillness in this 42-minute, single-track composition, evolving from a meditative opening through rich textures and sonic spaces to a beautifully structured conclusion, offering a rewarding and captivating journey.
Necks, The
Bleed
(Northern Spy)
The ever-chameleonic Australian trio The Necks — featuring Chris Abrahams on piano and keyboards, Tony Buck on drums & guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass — explore electronic stillness in this 42-minute, single-track composition, evolving from a meditative opening through rich textures and sonic spaces to a beautifully structured conclusion, offering a rewarding and captivating journey.
Abrahams, Chris
Appearance
(Room40)
Distilling his work with the trio The Necks, Australian pianist Chris Abrahams extends his solo discography with this gorgeous album of two extended improvisations recorded in the studio in Sydney, performing on a beautifully resonant acoustic piano as he unfolds each work, intensely personal and rich in Abrahams' unique way of evolving melody and form.
Kahn, Jason
Open Space [VINYL 2 LPs]
(Editions)
Jason Kahn developed these graphic scores, commissioned by the 2012 now NOW Festival in Australia, to push these specific players into situations outside of their comfort zone, as heard in this double LP which includes copies of the score plus notes and interviews.
Necks, The
Townsville
(Recommended Records)
A long, lovely and flowing improvisation from the Necks in a 54 minute live recording recorded in Townsville, Northern Queensland in February, 2007.
Necks, The
Chemist
(Recommended Records)
Biota
Measured Not Found
(Recommended Records)
A deeply immersive and meticulously crafted work from the reclusive Biota collective, blending microtonal instruments, electroacoustic techniques, and a wide array of ancient and modern timbres into a richly layered and human sound-world of instrumental and delicate song forms, unfolding across shifting textures and suspended time-the result of more than seven years of collaborative studio experimentation.
Rose, Jon / Mark Dresser
Band Width
(Relative Pitch)
Two phenomenal string players improvising remotely across two continents using SonoBus real-time streaming software: former Downtown NY pioneering double bassist Mark Dresser, now located in San Diego, and Australian violinist Jon Rose positioned between the Australian deserts at Alice Springs, presenting eight recordings from their animated and inspired intertwining.
Rose, Jon
Aeolian Tendency
(Room40)
Aeolian instruments, which create sound by the action of wind, have been an occupation of Australian violinist Jon Rose since 1979, using central Australia's winds to exite vibrations on self-invented instrumented using piano wire and fishing line, here presenting beautifully exotic recordings from two instruments he created in 2021 (The Monolith) and in 2022 (The Tube).
Cassiber
The Cassiber Box redux [6 CDs, 1 DVD and Book]
(Recommended Records)
Reissuing the 2013 box set of the 1980s UK/Euro improvising rock band Cassiber, including their 4 remastered studio albums + 2 additional CDs, a 2 hour DVD, and a 32-page color book, revealing an amazing band merging experimental rock, fringe jazz, punk, pop, plunderphonics, improvisation, & musique concrete with an energetic and complex form of studio composition - superb!
Drake, Bob
Legendary Lore Of The Holy Wells Of England
(Recommended Records)
A unique exposition of an 1893 text by Robert Charles Hope exploring the legends of England's "holy wells", the water of which was purported to have healing properties, adapted to atmospheric songs by Drake and performed on a 1940 Hammond model BC organ and a Challen upright piano; delicate and descriptive songs that detail the legends and the hope they inspired.
Rose, Jon
State of Play [2 CDs]
(Recommended Records)
An expansive double album from Australian violinist and mad genius Jon Rose, in solo, duo and odd orchestral settings, including tracks with Jim Denley, Clayton Thomas, Robbie Avenaim, &c.; a project with a 32-string automaton violin + string ensemble; a work for a casino-music driven player-piano; a dueling banjo and interactively bowed violin, &c. &c.; masterfully inexplicable!
Avenaim, Robbie / Chris Abrahams / Jim Denley
Weft
(Relative Pitch)
The Australian trio of percussionist Robbie Avenaim, keyboard player Chris Abrahams performing on a Waldorf Q+ Synthesiser and bass flutist Jim Denley, all compatriots in a variety of groupings, in an extended studio improvisation of spacious textures and rapidly understated percussive elements, aptly titled for the weaving and cris-crossing threads on a loom.
Bosetti, Alessandro / Chris Abrahams
A Heart That Responds From Schooling
(Unsounds)
The 2nd release from Italian composer/performer Alessandro Bosetti and Australian pianist Chris Abrahams (The Necks), a very intimate album of sonic explorations that spans improvised fragments and original renditions of compositions like Steve Lacy's "Esteem" with Bosetti's lyrics.
Abrahams, Chris / Clare Cooper
Germ Studies For Guzheng & DX7
(Splitrec)
The Australian duo of pianist Chris Abrahams (Necks) & Berlin harpist Clare Cooper in a series of 198 short improvisations performed on Yamaha DX7 and the 14th century Guzheng harp, presented with 198 illustrations in an unusual and obsessively rewarding project.
Rose, Jon
Rosin [3 CDs + 1 Data Disk + Book]
(Recommended Records)
A 3 CD box set with a booklet and bow hair marking violinist/conceptualist Jon Rose's 60th birthday, all previously unreleased works ranging from radio documentary and radio fiction to virtuoso performances using acoustic violin and his hyperstring interactive bow system.
Bosetti, Alessandro / Chris Abrahams
We Who Had Left
(Mikroton Recordings)
Necks pianist Chris Abrahams teams up with electronic artist and sound poet Alessandro Bosetti for 6 introspective and mysterious tracks that mix Necks-like playing with ambient electronics and curious monologs, plus one waltz.
Necks, The
Mindset
(Recommended Records)
The Necks 16th release layers polyrhythmic material to form seething blocks of sound, in two long pieces, one more stripped back to the live trio, the other featuring multiple strata of swirling Hammonds, noise-guitar and electronics.
Slawterhaus (Rose / Hollinger / Bauer / Diesner)
Live
(Les Disques Victo)



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Mazurek, Rob Exploding Star Orchestra / Small Unit
Spectral Fiction
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Compressing his Exploding Star Orchestra to a sextet, Chicago trumpeter Rob Mazurek presents two expansive works of ecstatic, exploratory electric and groove-oriented jazz, performed with Damon Locks (voice, electronics), Tomeka Reid (cello), Angelica Sanchez (Wurlitzer electric piano), Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten (double bass) and Chad Taylor (drums).
Schindler / Zwang Eriksson / Rehling
Ritual Sound Exposures
(FMR)
The long-standing duo of German multi-reedist & brass player Udo Schindler and drummer Eric Zwang Eriksson are joined by percussionist Erwin Rehling (HAMMERLING) for the 4-part free and eclectically authoritative improvisatory work "Ritual Sound Exposure", recorded live at the music venue and bookstore BASIS_Klangraum at the Munich Community Arts Center.
Sakata, Akira / Toshimaru Nakamura / Raiga Hayashi
Kinjo no Tabibito
(Meenna)
A wild live improvisation at Apollo, in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo from legendary Japanese reedist Akira Sakata on alto sax and clarinet, Raiga Hayashi on drums, and Toshimaru Nakamura on no-input mixing board, the latter adding unusual electronic elements to otherwise characteristically energetic free jazz from the Tokyo scene, making this a wonderfully unique album.
Omawi (Warelis / Gvaert / De Joode)
Waive
(Relative Pitch)
The band name Omawi is a conglomerate of this Dutch trio's name, appropriate for the nearly telepathic interaction of pianist Marta Waleris, drummer Onno Govaert and double bassist Wilbert de Joode, captured in their first live performance after the pandemic lockdown at Zaal100, in Amsterdam, their enthusiasm and pent-up expression clearly evident in five extraordinary improvisations.
Schouten / Courtois / Doronzo / Janssen
VOSTOK: Remote Islands
(Relative Pitch)
Inspired by Judith Schalansky's book "Atlas of Remote Islands: 50 islands I never set foot in and never will", the debut of the chamber improvising trio of Fie Schouten on clarinet & basset horn, Vincent Courtois on cello and Guus Janssen on piano, organ, harmonium & harpsichord reflect on these pristine and untouched areas of the earth in sublimely sophisticated conversation.
Nakamura, Toshimaru / David Lee Myers
Elements
(Surface World)
Two like-minded electronic sound & feedback artists, David Lee Myers, aka Arcane Device from NYC and Toshimaru Nakamura from Japan, use feedback matrices & modular electronicsÊ(Myers) and No-input Mixing Board (Nakamura) in a remote collaboration of alien overlays, sonic extensions and disruptive digressions through 12 complex and varying compositions.




The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC