An extremely high-calibre collective of improvisers will be descending on Long White Cloud this week and we can’t wait! chemistry beats electricity will play improvised sets in various combinations, so expect an evening of sonic exploration from some of the most renowned musicians on the UK scene.
Caroline Kraabel saxophone
Cleveland Watkiss voice/electronics
John Edwards double bass
Mark Sanders percussion
Double LUME week has come round again! This time we’ve got multiple sizes of ensemble, original writing, plenty of improv and a reptile heading for the Vortex…
30th April @ Long White Cloud: Gus Garside/Annie Kerr & Byrne/Nash/Pursglove
A double bill this week, with an improvising duo of Gus Garside and Annie Kerr and a new trio with LUME’s own Dee Byrne…
Gus Garside has worked in a variety of musical settings – jazz, contemporary music, pop, cabaret, dance, theatre and, most importantly, improvised music where he has performed with many leading players. Inspired by the late John Stevens, Gus took to running creative music workshops. This led him into leading music projects with musicians of a wide range of abilities. He remains active as a musician, performing in a number of improvisation and contemporary music settings including his long standing string trio arc (with Sylvia Hallett and Danny Kingshill); The Static Memories, a duo with Dan Powell (on laptop and processed percussion and guitar) and the West Hill Blast Quartet, a free jazz quartet with Ron Caines, Dan Spicer and Andy Pyne.
Annie Kerr works as a violinist, pianist and composer. She is a music tutor, a writer and creative arts facilitator. She works with individuals and groups to generate and sustain tailor-made creative projects. She has a particular interest in working with adults who are exploring creative work for the first time. She writes poetry and fiction and has had work read on radio 3 by Juliet Stevenson. Her work received a commendation in the 2013 Sussex poetry competition and was long listed in the 2014 National poetry competition. Her own musical projects have included facilitating combined arts workshops at Brighton’s Fabrica gallery and a soundscape collaboration she performed in Rottingdean Windmill as part of 2014’s Brighton Festival Fringe.
‘You blow me away – this sort of improv is the type of art experience that gives back 110%’ Jeane Myers, abstract painter living in Washington State.
Byrne/Nash/Pursglove
Dee Byrne and Rebecca Nash met while studying for a Masters at Trinity College of Music. Their duo has evolved from weekly sessions in which they enjoy exploring the freedom and creative scope the duo format invites. This new trio welcomes the formidable talents of Percy Pursglove on double bass. In the spirit of true collaboration they’ll play a mixture of their own original compositions with lots of space for improvisation.
Dee Byrne alto saxophone
Rebecca Nash keyboard
Percy Pursglove double bass
3rd May @ ‘LUME Presents…’, Vortex Jazz Club: Jeff Spencer’s Crocodile & Nick Malcolm Quartet
Jeff Spencer’s Crocodile
Crocodile is the vehicle for compositions by bassist Jeff Spencer, featuring an all-star lineup of some of the best young jazz musicians around. The best of modern classical influences sit amongst infectious and raucous world rhythms and obtuse funk. With a healthy splattering of free improv and some almost rock bits, Crocodile is a crafty beast and it’s after your ears!
Gareth Lockrane flute
Laura Jurd trumpet
Gavin Broom trumpet
James Gardiner-Bateman alto sax
Josh Arcoleo tenor sax
Joe Wright tenor sax
Kieran McLeod trombone
Callum Au bass trombone
Elliot Galvin keys
Alex Munk guitar
Jeff Spencer bass
Dave Hamblett drums
Hugh Wilkinson percussion
Nick Malcolm Quartet
Nick Malcolm is a musician who happily inhabits multiple stylistic worlds, equally at home playing freely improvised music as he is in a more composed jazz setting. His quartet play his original compositions, exploring this love of both freedom and structure. The music merges and deconstructs rhythm, melody and all the points in between, resulting in an intense and thrilling performance. Featuring some of the leading improvisers on the UK scene, the quartet have released two albums to critical acclaim, the most recent being 2014’s excellent ‘Beyond These Voices’.
Nick Malcolm trumpet
Alexander Hawkins piano
Olie Brice bass
Ric Yarborough drums
Join us! This will be a fantastic night 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
As we tie up the last loose ends of our Spring programme at Long White Cloud, one thing we *can* tell you is that ‘LUME Presents…’ is back for a second season at the Vortex Jazz Club! Gigs kick off on Sunday 8th February, and we hope you agree the lineup looks pretty tasty…
Tickets will be on sale from the Vortex website very soon.
This week we’re closing 2014 with an exciting evening of music from some big names on the London improv scene – and definitely the most flutes we’ve ever had at a LUME gig so far. Rowland Sutherland brings this fantastic group comprised of players whose reputations precede them. Come and join us at Long White Cloud as we toast a great year of live music at LUME with three sets: trio, trio and double trio!
Trio:
Rowland Sutherland flutes (Henry Threadgill, Carla Bley)
Emi Watanabe Japanese flutes (Jah Wobble, David Toop)
David Leahy bass (Evan Parker, Louis Moholo)
Trio:
Tom Jackson clarinet (Squib Box, CRAM Collective)
Neil Metcalfe flute (Roscoe Mitchell, Lol Coxhill)
Daniel Thompson guitar (Javier Carmona, Benedict Taylor)
Sticking with last month’s theme of improv trio plus large ensemble, this month at the Vortex we’re very excited to be hosting Alphabets – Hannah Marshall, Nick Malcolm and Lauren Kinsella – and the first full-length outing of new saxophone octet Saxoctopus!
Alphabets is a new trio comprising three exciting voices in UK and Irish improvised
music, creating music inspired by language, vocalisation & landscapes. The group
aims to reach states of stillness and repose as well as fast instinctive rhythmic
interaction, and to tease out all possible sonorities from their instruments. They
embarked upon their debut UK tour in March 2014, and recorded in July. The three
musicians have distinctive and respected voices in jazz, free music and improvisation
and play together to share a passion for spontaneous music.
Hannah Marshall – cello
Lauren Kinsella – vocals
Nick Malcolm – trumpet
The Saxoctopus was inadvertantly formed when eight saxophonists found themselves
in a room together at a gig in Autumn 2013. A cautionary lesson on the dangers of
social networking banter, they underwent the transformation from Twitter joke to
Real Band when vibraphonist Corey Mwamba offered them a gig at his jazz night in
Derby. A cameo performance with Trio Riot at the Vortex in March 2014 sealed the
deal, and they are performing their first full set tonight. The group showcases original
compositions by its members, as well as being a vehicle for exploring graphic scores
and guided group improvisation. Featuring top improvisers from around the UK and
Scandinavia, this will be an exploration into the outer limits of the saxophone…
Julie Kjaer – alto
Oliver Dover – alto
Dee Byrne – alto
Rachel Musson – tenor
Tom Ward – tenor
Sam Andreae – tenor
Cath Roberts – baritone
Colin Webster – baritone
Grab some advance £8 tickets from the Vortex website, or show up on the night and it’s £10 on the door. We’d love to see you there!
For this year’s London Jazz Festival we’re presenting a special three night series of our own current projects, featuring some of the UK’s most exciting improvising musicians aka the LUME usual suspects…
Tuesday 18th November: Ripsaw Catfish ‘Shoaling’
Ripsaw Catfish is Anton Hunter (guitar) and Cath Roberts (baritone saxophone). The Manchester and London-based duo formed in 2013 to explore improvised and composed music, and whatever lies between those things. They employ a collection of pre-composed elements which can be drawn upon, or not, during the course of an improvisation. Tonight they launch ‘Shoaling’, a UK tour with a collaborative focus, with support from Sound And Music. The duo will assemble ad hoc ensembles (‘shoals’) of improvising musicians at each location to play spontaneous sets of new music informed by, incorporating or ignoring the Ripsaw Catfish composed material. For this performance they are joined by improvising vibes player Corey Mwamba and his trio.
Anton Hunter guitar
Cath Roberts baritone sax
Corey Mwamba vibraphone, small instruments
Dave Kane bass
Joshua Blackmore drums
Wednesday 19th November: Deemer & duck-rabbit
The brain-child of Merijn Royaards and Dee Byrne, Deemer started life in 2006 as a weekly improvisation/electronics session in a warehouse in Hackney Wick. The project has since evolved into an installation/performance based electro-acoustic ‘two-piece’ orchestra, whose aural narratives are created within fluid frameworks that map a trajectory in time, but leave the sonic textures and compositions entirely free and undetermined. Deemer employ, among other things, alto saxophone, drums, analogue electronics, tape, transducer microphones/speakers to instantly compose, activate space, and blur the boundaries between free jazz and sound installation.
Merijn Royaards electronics/percussion
Dee Byrne alto saxophone/electronics
This new improvising trio explores two contrasting and overlapping personalities; one acoustic, one electronic. Using unique electronic instruments, they interact with their acoustic improvisations to form a rich and varied dialogue. Their interaction creates an absorbing interplay between past and present, a constant re-imagining of ideas within an expanded sonic terrain. Two releases, ‘Path To Field’ and ‘Scattered Voices: Part 1’ came out in early 2014.
Joe Wright – saxophone/electronics
Tom Taylor – piano/electronics
James Opstad – double bass/electronics
Thursday 20th November: Entropi & Quadraceratops
Led by Dee Byrne, Entropi started life in 2010 as a vehicle for composition and improvisation. Dee’s compositions deal with the inconsistent nature of time, the transience of life, exploration of the unknown, pivotal moments of decision making, journeys in outer space and the unlikely symmetry of seemingly unrelated events.
Dee Byrne alto saxophone
Andre Canniere trumpet
Rebecca Nash keyboards
Olie Brice bass
Matt Fisher drums
Quadraceratops
Cath Roberts leads this septet playing her compositions, described by Jez Nelson as ‘suitably psychotic!’ The current set of music is inspired by insects, fairground rides, underground tunnelling machines and fictional serial killers. The first Quadraceratops album was released on Efpi Records in October.
Cath Roberts alto saxophone, compositions
Tom Ward tenor saxophone
Henry Spencer trumpet
Magnus Dearness trombone
Dave O’Brien keyboards
Jason Simpson bass
Olly Blackman drums
On all three nights it will be doors 8pm, music 8.30pm at Long White Cloud. We hope you can join us for three festive nights at LUME!
It’s another two-LUME week, so we’re back at the Vortex in Dalston this Sunday for a great double bill! The heavyweight improv trio of Rachel Musson, Liam Noble and Mark Sanders are sharing the bill with South East London’s nine-piece acoustic guitar group Broca Ensemble.
Broca Ensemble
Occupying the space somewhere between minimalism, classical and ambient, the
Broca Ensemble play soundscapes for large guitar ensemble. Formed in South East
London in 2010, the group has grown from an original four members to now having,
on occasion, up to ten players. The music is largely improvised and devised from a set
of simple rules; no piece is ever played the same twice. Influenced by the likes of Steve
Reich, Terry Riley and Rhys Chatham, the sound ranges from ambient soundscape to
a multi-guitar wall-of-sound.
Flexible lineup of acoustic guitars, including:
Ian Faragher
Jonathan Wood
Chris Watts
Nigel Bryant
Robin Prime
Victoria Wasley
Allan Seago
Richard Thompson
Matthew Russell
Rachel Musson / Liam Noble / Mark Sanders
The trio of Rachel Musson, Mark Sanders and Liam Noble played together for the first
time at the end of 2010, and since that time they’ve formed a thrilling group identity
with a distinctly original take on freely improvised music. Taken individually, these are
three highly creative musical deep-thinkers. Musson is a saxophonist capable of
switching from free-flowing lyricism to intense multiphonic skronk in the space of a
heartbeat. Sanders is a hugely experienced and in-demand free-drummer who plays
with an impeccable sense of internal swing. Noble is a pianist who brings a highly
original, acerbic intellect to the piano, and who has more recently begun to explore
the infinite possibilities of electronics. As a unit, they are making music that harks
back to the earthy roots of free-jazz while simultaneously gazing outwards into
galactic space. They have released an album, ‘Tatterdemalion’, on Babel Label.
Rachel Musson – tenor saxophone
Liam Noble – piano
Mark Sanders – drums
Tickets are still on sale from the Vortex website at £8, or you can get them on the door for £10. See you there!
‘LUME Presents…’ at the Vortex is back! This month it’s a double bill of medium sized ensembles from the roster of our favourite Manchester contemporary jazz/improv/experimental music label Efpi Records, to celebrate the launch of the debut album from Cath’s band Quadraceratops! The album is coming out on Monday 6th October, and the band will head up to Manchester on Tuesday 7th for the northern leg of the album launch. At the Vortex they are joined by trumpeter Nick Walters’ excellent Paradox Ensemble….this will be a great night!
Manchester and London-based nonet led by trumpet player Nick Walters (Riot Jazz,
Beats & Pieces Big Band). Bringing together many strands of his musical experience,
Nick has taken inspiration from jazz composers such as Gil Evans, electronic artists
such as Aphex Twin, and from artists who blur the lines between the two, such as Jaga
Jazzist and Tortoise. The result is, as Manchester Jazz Festival put it ahead of the
groupʼs live debut in 2013, ‘a coherent synthesis of electronics, live effects and
samples but retaining an earthy groove.ʼ Paradox Ensemble released ‘Entanglement’
in August 2013 on Efpi Records.
Nick Walters – trumpet + electronics
Tim Cox – trombone
Sam Healey – Alto sax
Ed Cawthorne – tenor sax + bass clarinet
Ben Kelly – sousaphone
Rebecca Nash – keys
Aidan Shepherd – accordian
Anton Hunter – guitar
Paul Michael – bass
Yussef Dayes – drums
Cath Roberts leads this septet playing her original compositions, described by Jazz On
3′s Jez Nelson as ‘suitably psychotic!’ Formed in 2011, the band have played at
numerous jazz nights around London as well as appearing at the London Jazz Festival
and ‘Jazz In The Round’ at the Cockpit Theatre. In Spring 2014 they recorded a
selection of music inspired by insects, fairground rides, underground tunnelling
machines and fictional serial killers. The result is their debut album ‘Quadraceratops’,
released on 6th October by Efpi Records and launched this evening at The Vortex.
Cath Roberts – alto saxophone, compositions
Tom Ward – tenor saxophone
Henry Spencer – trumpet
Magnus Dearness – trombone
Dave O’Brien – keyboards
Jason Simpson – bass
Olly Blackman – drums
Come down to the Vortex and check out these two bands playing great new music! Plus, Cath’s album will be on sale….just sayin’…
Doors 8pm, music 8.30pm and it’s £10 on the door, but £8 if you book tickets now on the Vortex website.
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…