A solo work from Australian pianist and composer Alister Spence, performing on piano with preparations and percussion across 16 wholly improvised pieces that expand the instrument beyond the keyboard, using accidents, texture, resonance and spatial detail as compositional forces in a deeply personal exploration of sound, perception and the piano's boundless acoustic possibilities.
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Alister Spence-piano, preparations, percussion, composer
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UPC: 132388542574
Label: Alister Spence Music
Catalog ID: ASM018
Squidco Product Code: 37522
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2026
Country: Australia
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Rancom St Studios, in Sydney, Australia, on September 28th, 2025, by Tim Whitten.
'Improvisation becomes exploration, not just of musical ideas but of space, texture, and perception itself...if art has any enduring function, it is not simply to move us. It is to unsettle us, just enough to make us listen again. Indispensable.' Thierry De Clemensat, Paris-Moves
'The title of Always Ever, the absorbing new album from Australian pianist and composer Alister Spence, suggests a wellspring of sound and inspiration that gazes beyond the present moment into the infinite. An ambitious, singular and deeply personal collection of inventions and experiments, the album ventures further down the path on which the pianist embarked with his acclaimed 2020 album Whirlpool, which All About Jazz hailed as "a good place to hear [Spence's] uncommon imagination at work."
Always Ever consists of 16 wholly improvised pieces, each one approaching the piano from a distinct perspective - some showcase the improvisatory versatility that have made Spence one of the preeminent jazz pianists in Australia stretching back to his days with the internationally renowned group Clarion Fracture Zone; others transform the sonics of the piano through a variety of eclectic preparations and approaches.
"Over time," Spence explains, "the playing of the piano for me has expanded to encompass the whole piano, more than just playing the keys. I'm interested in contingency. I'm interested in accidents and what they cause to happen in the music, and I deliberately try to create those accidents for myself."
Whirlpool marked the beginning of an investigatory new chapter in Spence's nearly four decade career, his first solo outing and the introduction of an expansive palette of singular approaches to the piano. He delves deeper into that exploration on Always Ever, documenting a process of discovery into the boundless possibilities of the instrument that he's played for his entire life.'-Shaun D Brady
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Alister Spence "Alister is recognized as one of Australia's most original, distinctive contemporary jazz pianists/composers. With a performing and composing career spanning more than 25 years, his wide-ranging talents have led him to perform with and compose for some of the world's most respected artists in the areas of contemporary music, improvisation, film and theatre. In recent years he has devoted his energy to writing and performing with his trio, The Alister Spence Trio with Lloyd Swanton (the Necks) on double bass and Toby Hall (formerly with pianist, Mike Nock) drums and glockenspiel. This celebrated group has recorded six CDs (Rufus Records and Alister Spence Music [ASM]) and has a growing international reputation. Their most recent CD, Alister Spence Trio: Live (ASM 2015) was recorded live at the Sound Lounge, Sydney in 2015 and received a 4 star review in Jazzwise Magazine. Far Flung (Rufus Records 2012) also received a 4 star review in Jazz Journal (June 2013) and was listed in Critics Poll 2013 (January 2014). It was also listed in The WIRE 2013 Rewind - Critics' reflections by Andy Hamilton as Album of the year. fit (Rufus Records 2009) was voted in the top 15 jazz/improv releases worldwide for 2009 by The Wire, UK. Both Mercury (Rufus Records 2006) and Flux (Rufus Records 2003) received ARIA nominations (Australian Record Industry Awards) for 2004, 2007. The trio toured in U.K and Canada in 2006 and Japan in 2008. Since performing at The Vilnius Jazz Festival 2009, with bassist, Joseph Williamson (Tobias Delius Quartet, Alex Ward) and drummer, Chris Cantillo (Nils Berg Cinemascope, Lena Nyberg), Alister has returned to Europe and the UK on a regular basis to tour with this lineup. Spence/Williamson/Cantillo released their debut CD, Begin (Alister Spence Music) in 2015. It was described as "Brilliant musicianship, masterful playing and imaginative improvisation" by Eyal Hareuveni, Salt Peanuts. Alister also performs with improvising groups Sensaround - Alister Spence/keyboards, Raymond MacDonald (Scotland)/saxophone and Shoeb Ahmed/samples releasing two CDs Isotropes (2014 HelloOsquare Recordings) and Travelogue (2016 HellOSquare Recordings).; and ch/an/ce - Andrew Fedorich/saxophone, Evan Dorian/drums, Alister Spence/piano. Since 2008, Alister has collaborated with acclaimed, Japanese pianist/composer Satoko Fujii performing a double bill at Tokyo International Jazz Festival - Alister Spence Trio and Satoko's ensemble Mah Doh Quartet. In 2011, they performed as a duo in Sydney at the Eugene Goosens Hall ABC and in 2015 performed as part of an improvisation concert at Kuhlspot Berlin wiht Magda Mayas, Natsuki Tamura and Andrea Parkins. In 2016, Alister toured in Japan with Sensaround and the Satoko Fujii Orchestra and performed several duo piano concerts with Fujii. Other collaborations include releasing an improvised duo recording with Scottish saxophonist, Raymond MacDonald, Stepping Between the Shadows (2013 Rufus Records); and Everything Here is Possible (2013 Alister Spence Music) with US pianist Myra Melford, winning the APRA/AMCOS Art Music Award for Excellence in Jazz 2014. Alister is a founding member of Wanderlust and a long-standing member of The Australian Art Orchestra (AAO). Alister was also co-leader/composer with the internationally acclaimed group Clarion Fracture Zone for 15 years from 1990 - 2005. Over the years he has played with many fine musicians including Satoko Fujii (Japan), Michiyo Yagi (Japan), Barre Phillips (US), Myra Melford (US), Mark Helias (US), Andy Sheppard (UK), Joe Williamson (SWE), Jim O'Rourke (Japan), Raymond MacDonald (Glasgow), Karraikudi Mani (IND), Bernie McGann, Sandy Evans, Chris Abrahams, Don Burrows, Dale Barlow, Peter O'Mara, Tony Buck, Phillip Slater, Paul Capsis, Archie Roach and Ed Kuepper (The Laughing Clowns). Alister has toured extensively in Europe, Asia and Canada and has performed radio broadcasts for ABC (Australia), BBC (UK), and WDR (Germany). His playing is featured on more than 40 CDs, many of which have either won or been nominated for Australian Record Industry (ARIA) Awards. His talents as a composer are well known in Australia. Alister has been commissioned to write for The Australian Art Orchestra and Claire Edwardes/Amy Dixon duo. Alister's work is also featured on Passion (The Australian Art Orchestra-ABC Classics) on Bernie McGann's 2001 ARIA winning CD Bundeena." ^ Hide Bio for Alister Spence
8/5/2026
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
1. Mystic 4:26
2. Determination 2:34
3. Play Of Light 5:17
4. Distant Cousins 4:09
5. Afternoon At Rancom Street 3:42
6. Begin From The Middle 6:32
7. Rain Phase 5:57
8. Semi-Formal Garden 3:41
9. Tonal Dance 2:55
10. Halo 5:20
11. Sparkler 3:06
12. Searchlight 5:53
13. Top Spinner 2:45
14. Random Access Counterpoint 2:53
15. Talking Slowly With Lorikeets 2:55
16. Scrape Rattle Strike 4:31
June 2026
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Australian Improvisers, Composers and Experimenters
Piano & Keyboards
Instruments with Preparations
Solo Artist Recordings
New in Improvised Music
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