Category Archives: bass clarinets

LUME at EFG London Jazz Festival 2015

For this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, LUME is curating an afternoon of music on the Barbican freestage on Saturday 14th November. Join us on a voyage of contemporary sounds! As the stage name suggests, it’s free entry, so just come down to the Barbican foyer and settle in for the ride…

12 noon: Corey Mwamba & Rachel Musson

Spontaneous, living music in-the-moment from two of the UK’s finest improvisers.

Corey Mwamba vibraphone
Rachel Musson tenor saxophone

12.30pm: Colin Webster & Andrew Lisle

Fiery, free-wheeling sax and drums duo from DIY improv/noise label Raw Tonk Records.
Colin Webster saxophones
Andrew Lisle drums

2pm: Entropi

Space jazz quintet led by Dee Byrne, currently making waves with their debut album ‘New Era’. Juggling order and chaos, composition and improvisation, they take listeners on an exploration of the musical cosmos.

Dee Byrne alto saxophone
Andre Canniere trumpet
Rebecca Nash keyboards
Olie Brice bass
Matt Fisher drums

3pm: Sloth Racket

Brand new group formed for Gateshead Jazz Festival 2015 by Cath Roberts. Improvisers from Manchester, Leeds, Macclesfield and London navigate a set of experimental graphic scores, using them as a jumping-off point for freely improvised group explorations.

Sam Andreae tenor saxophone
Anton Hunter guitar
Cath Roberts baritone saxophone
Seth Bennett bass
Johnny Hunter drums

6pm: Madwort’s Menagerie

Intricate compositions and delicate textures from Tom Ward’s chamber jazz sextet, with a diverse collection of instruments played by high-calibre improvisers from across the London creative music scene.

Tom Ward bass clarinet, composition
Julie Kjaer flute, alto flute
Alex Bonney trumpet
Magnus Dearness trombone
Adam Spiers cello
Tim Fairhall double bass

12th March: Alex Bonney Quartet

This week we welcome back Alex Bonney to LUME, with his excellent quartet. The group plays Alex’s original compositions, influenced by 60s and 70s American and European free jazz and 20th century classical composition, with lots of space for melodic and textural improvisation and interaction. Featuring an exciting lineup of in-demand London and New York based musicians.

Alex Bonney – cornet, trumpet

James Allsopp – bass clarinet, clarinet

Olie Brice – double bass

Jeff Williams – drums

Double LUME week: small group improv at Long White Cloud and large jazz ensembles at the Vortex…

The two sides of LUME are combined in one double-gig week! Small groups of free improvisers will take the stage at Long White Cloud on Thursday 26th February, and we’ll be hosting some medium/large sized jazz ensembles at ‘LUME Presents…’ on 1st March.

26th February @ Long White Cloud: Alec Harper/Tom Wheatley/Andrew Lisle & Ti/om

An evening of improvisation from some of London’s top creative musicians…

Alec Harper/Tom Wheatley/Andrew Lisle

Harper, Wheatley and Lisle have been improvising together and also on the circuit for a few years in London, over the UK and throughout Europe and the U.S. This newly formed trio met through mutual friends on the London scene. The group play lengthy sweeping improvisations exploring sound worlds with abstract forms and textures. Strong rhythmic interactions are a key part of the trio’s identity.

Alec Harper tenor saxophone
Tom Wheatley bass
Andrew Lisle drums

Ti/om

Tom Ward and Tim Fairhall first met in about 2007 while studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and soon began meeting for duo sessions, exploring the dynamic and rapport between woodwinds and bass through free improvisation. There followed a hiatus of several years whilst they both pursued other musics, but the duo have recently reunited for a variety of musical activities including their infamous ‘Tour of North London’ in 2014.

Tom Ward bass clarinet, flute
Tim Fairhall double bass

with special guest the Swedish percussionist Matilda Rolfsson (bass drum, bells, gongs, bows, fingers, hands and brushes), who is spending a few months in the UK as part of her Masters course.

1st March @ ‘LUME Presents…’, Vortex Jazz Club: JJ Wheeler’s ‘Come Back Stronger’ & Ralph Wyld’s Mosaic

Two exciting medium/large sized jazz groups playing original music…

JJ Wheeler’s ‘Come Back Stronger’

JJ Wheeler’s Come Back Stronger is a 10-piece band formed to play the highly emotive suite, A Question of Hope. Written about the bandleader’s life-threatening battle with Cancer, the suite explores themes of desperation, anger, frustration and the search for hope through engaging, sometimes dark, sometimes light-hearted yet always sophisticated music. Weaving together influences from composers such as John Hollenbeck, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler to Radiohead, The Invisible and Peter Gabriel, the group’s sound ebbs and flows seamlessly between driving grooves, epic soundscapes, delicate melodies and intricate rhythmic constructs.

Jess Berry vocals
Tom Dennis trumpet, flugelhorn
Tom Green trombone
Matthew Herd alto and soprano saxophones
Sam Rapley tenor saxophone
Rob Cope baritone saxophone, flute
Ralph Wyld vibraphone
Sam James keyboards
Misha Mullov-Abbado bass
JJ Wheeler drums

Ralph Wyld’s Mosaic

Featuring an array of young talent and a diversity of influences, Mosaic was created as a means of bringing together people, ideas and genres. The lineup provides vibes player/composer Wyld with a spectacular textural and timbral palette, from glistening, transparent treble to powerful, earth-shuddering bass. The unique character of each player is also highly valued, with improvisation taking a central role. Inspiration for the music includes Shostakovich, Copland and Piazzolla as well as Gil Evans, Vince Mendoza, Kenny Wheeler and Bill Frisell.

Ralph Wyld vibraphone
James Copus trumpet
Sam Rapley clarinets
Cecilia Bignall cello
Misha Mullov-Abbado bass
Scott Chapman drums/percussion

13th November: Destination Out & Paul Baxter Trio

Composer, arranger and double bassist Paul Baxter brings together Leeds and London based musicians this week in an exciting double bill featuring two of his projects. Both groups will also perform a short improvised set together at the end of the evening.

Destination Out!

Formed in 2012 when Paul was studying for a Masters in Jazz Performance at Trinity College of Music, the ensemble explores the cosmos with free improvisation and group interaction using Paul’s idiosyncratic compositions as their astrological map. Think Ornette Coleman meets Tim Berne.

Dee Byrne – alto saxophone

Ian Bumstead – tenor & bass clarinet

Paul Baxter – bass/compositions

Corrie Dick – drums

Paul Baxter Trio

Premiering new material drawing on influences from Bojan Z, The Bad Plus and even Bartok. The group combine rhythmic complexity and propulsion with a joyous freedom reminiscent of the 70’s Jarrett trio all this enveloped by their unique blend of accessible, melodic compositions with fiery and expansive improvisation.

John Tomlinson – keyboard

Paul Baxter – bass/compositions

Kris Wright – drums

Doors 8pm, music starts at 8.30pm. £5 entry.

Long White Cloud,
151 Hackney Road,
E2 8JL.
Nearest station: Hoxton Overground (less than 5 mins’ walk)

See you there!

11th September: Flea Circus

This week we’re hosting the first gig in a while from Flea Circus, the acclaimed quartet led by trumpet player Jack Davies.

Their dark, nocturnal sound draws on the canon of European jazz and contemporary music, and in 2012 they released their debut album on Davies’ own label V&V Music. In an impressive burst of productivity that year, he simultaneously released three albums by his own projects: the Flea Circus album, a big band record, and an album by his quartet Southbound. London Jazz News described the Flea Circus debut as ‘a thoroughly absorbing, thoughtful and lively set from a subtly interactive and accomplished band’. After a brief hiatus, the band are back and we look forward to having them at Long White Cloud.

Jack Davies trumpet

Rob Cope bass clarinet

Aidan Shepherd accordion

James Opstad bass

Not long until ‘LUME Presents…’ at the Vortex!

Our ‘LUME Presents…’ series at the Vortex kicks off on August 3rd with a double bill of Overground Collective and Madwort’s Menagerie. It’s all very exciting and advance tickets are available now from the Vortex website! Here’s some background on the two bands…

Overground Collective

Paulo Dias Duarte is an award-winning Portuguese composer, based in London since
2003. Paulo’s compositions mix styles and frame musical clichés in very unusual way,
guiding audiences through rarely-visited musical fields. The Overground Collective is
an unorthodox big band composed of some of the wildest improvisers on the London
jazz scene. The combination of Paulo’s music and these improvisers makes each
concert a unique experience….as you can see from this video!

Guitar/composition – Paulo Dias Duarte

Alto saxophone/soprano/flute – Chris Williams
Alto saxophone/flute/piccolo – Julie Kjaer
Tenor saxophone – Rachel Musson
Tenor saxophone – Dan Mays
Bass clarinet – Tom Ward
Baritone saxophone – Joseph Stout

Trumpet – Noel Langley
Trumpet – Yazmeen Ahmed
Trumpet – Andre Canniere
Trumpet – Henry Spencer

Trombone – Paul Taylor
Trombone – Ed Reiband
Trombone – Raph Clarkson
Bass Trombone – Olivir Haylett
Tuba – Ben Kelly

Bass – Ben Bastin
Keyboards – Danny Keane
Drums – Jon Scott

Madwort’s Menagerie
After a momentary glimpse in a misfiring big band rehearsal, Tom Ward has been
bugged by an overheard snippet of a weird quartet comprising bass clarinet, flute,
trumpet and trombone. Transmogrifying some of his compositions for sax quartet,
hybridising this with his free improv duo Ti/om and finally balancing woodwind, brass
and strings with the addition of a cello, Tom is proud to present Madwort’s
Menagerie. Featuring some incredible improvising musicians with a full spectrum of
credits ranging from the London Improvisers Orchestra through Brass Mask, the
Overground Collective, Quadraceratops and The Imaginary Delta to Sinfonia Cymru
and the London Tango Orchestra.

Tom Ward – bass clarinet, flute, composition
Julie Kjaer – flute, alto flute
Alex Bonney – trumpet
Magnus Dearness – trombone
Adam Spiers – cello
Tim Fairhall – double bass

We hope you’ll agree it’s going to be a fantastic night of new music. Join us as we venture into a new chapter of LUME with these amazing musicians!

Artwork by the ever-awesome Peter Beatty…

‘LUME Presents…’ at the Vortex

We’re very excited to announce a new venture for late Summer and Autumn 2014: ‘LUME Presents…’ at the Vortex in Dalston! We will be hosting monthly double bills of our favourite musicians every first Sunday of the month starting on August 3rd. Join us for an extra dose of great original and improvised music…and a great excuse for some brand new artwork from the amazing Peter Beatty! Tickets are on sale from the Vortex website.

26th June: Shatner’s Bassoon

An exciting finale for the month of June with the notorious Leeds-based sextet Shatner’s Bassoon, bringing their distinctive brand of ‘controlled pandemonium’ to LUME as part of their UK tour. We’re in for a treat! Here’s the biog….

Shatner’s Bassoon are a group of six Leeds based composers/improvisers. Since forming in 2010 they have embarked on two tours of the UK, completed a PRS funded residency program, had a live show featured on BBC Jazz on 3, released their debut album ‘Aquatic Ape Privilege’ on their own label – ‘Wasp Millionaire’ and have been selected by Jazz North as ‘Jazz Ambassadors of the North’ on their ‘Northern Line’ program.

Influenced by contemporary artists such as Tim Berne, Mr. Bungle, John Zorn, Frank Zappa, Tyshawn Sorey and a range of rock and electronica; and with a combined experience that includes eastern European folk, Hindustani music, Brazilian music, straight ahead and free jazz, reggae, metal, contemporary classical and musique concrete; Shatner’s Bassoon have developed a unique collective sound based on developing complex compositional structures through improvisation – allowing the music to be naturally infused by their experiences. The results can range from dense free noise through intense riffs and ambient textures. They play with musical clichés and conventions to produce music that negotiates a path from the beautiful to the sinister, humorous and surreal.

Michael Bardon – bass/electronics

Ollie Dover – sax/clarinet

Joost Hendrickx – drums/electronics

Andrew Lisle – drums

Johnny Richards – keys/electronics

Craig Scott – guitar/electronics

This will be a packed night with a BIG lineup, so make sure you get to Long White Cloud early to avoid having to climb over the band! Doors 8pm, music starting at 8.30pm, £5 entry…join us!

19th June: Stories

For this week’s gig we’re looking forward to presenting Stories. Most of the band members have played at LUME before in different projects, so it will be great to hear them in this configuration. The ensemble plays the compositions of drummer Simon Roth, who writes:

Stories is an outlet for new music, uniting five of London’s most exciting improvising musicians. Their combined force creates an emotionally charged music, full of nifty melodies, fruity harmony and propulsive grooves.

Have a listen to a live recording on their Bandcamp page.

“An overflow of creative juices, with each musician allowed the freedom to express their personality through a selection of finely tuned angular grooves and intricate melodic writing” – Jazz UK

Joe Murgatroyd clarinets

Laura Jurd trumpet

Joe Wright tenor sax

James Opstad bass

Simon Roth drums

Doors 8pm, with the music starting at 8.30pm at Long White Cloud. £5 entry as usual. It promises to be a great gig!

5th June: Metamorphic & Nut Club

This week we have a double bill of fantastic bands, featuring musicians from the Leeds and London scenes. Pianist Laura Cole brings her sextet Metamorphic, and bassist Seth Bennett will play a set with his new trio Nut Club. We caught Metamorphic’s set at the Vortex in April (with Seth guesting on second bass!), so we know we’re in for a great night of music!

Metamorphic

Metamorphic are a contemporary jazz/folk sextet based in London. They have released two album on the ‘F-ire presents’ label to critical acclaim: The Rock Between (2011) and Coalescence (2013). The instrumentalists in the group all met while studying on the Jazz Degree at Middlesex University in London in 2001, and vocalist Kerry Andrew became involved with the group through the promoter Moose Factory. Kerry also sings with the highly respected vocal trio Juice, whose album ‘Songspin’ recently won Best Contemporary Classical album of the year at the Independent Music Awards. Alto sax player Chris Williams is part of 2009 Mercury Prize nominated group Led Bib, and tenor/soprano sax player John Martin is a successful bandleader in his own right. Drummer Tom Greenhalgh also plays in the acclaimed group World Sanguine Report, led by Andrew Plummer, and double bass player Paul Sandy has worked with various groups such as The Rude Mechanicals.

Laura Cole – bandleader, piano/composer/arranger
Chris Williams – alto sax
John Martin – tenor/soprano sax
Kerry Andrew – vocals/loops
Tom Greenhalgh – drums
Paul Sandy – bass

Nut Club

Nut Club are an exciting new Leeds-based trio. Seth Bennett writes:

‘We set up Nut Club at the beginning of 2013, because we wanted to have a band that could workshop ideas for new tunes together, and could take their time over developing new material and a group aesthetic. We fit loosely into the mould of a jazz band, but play mostly original material with an emphasis on groove – groove in the New Orleans sense, not repetitive figures, but three people juggling music and rhythm between them. We explore the idea of jazz as a dance music – even in its most avant-garde manifestations; We still hear dance rhythms in free jazz and free improvisation.’

Ollie Dover – reeds
John Arnesen – drums
Seth Bennett – bass

As usual it’s doors 8pm, with the music starting at 8.30pm, and it’s £5 on the door. Some of you might remember the Stolen Project gig in April: when we have a sextet playing it can be tricky to get into Long White Cloud if you arrive after the gig has started! Plus, we’ve heard on the grapevine that a certain pianist/bandleader will be celebrating a special birthday on the night too. We advise showing up nice and early…