Category Archives: saxes

‘LUME Presents…’ at the Vortex, Sunday 7th September: Corey Mwamba & Deemer

After a fantastic first night in a packed Vortex, our ‘LUME Presents…’ series continues on Sunday 7th September. This time, rather than filling the stage with as many musicians as possible, we’re inviting experimental electro/acoustic duo Deemer to fill it with their signature array of weird and wonderful equipment and get stuck into some sonic cookery. They will be sharing the bill with the captivating improviser and friend of LUME, vibraphone monster and multi-instrumentalist Corey Mwamba. We hope you can join us for another ‘LUME-inous’ night of new music at the Vortex.

Corey Mwamba

Corey Mwamba creates music using vibraphone, dulcimer, electronics and small instruments. His music contains elements of jazz, folk from different countries, and electronica. Born in Derby and a former chemist and librarian, Corey is virtually self-taught in music, having made the decision to take up vibraphone in his late teens after seeing a picture of Orphy Robinson in a book and taking five lessons with the orchestral percussionist Lewis Dyson. Corey is renowned as a highly creative improviser with a wide stylistic range: he has performed with Orphy Robinson, Pat Thomas, Tony Kofi, the Master Drummers of Africa and Evan Parker among countless others.

Deemer

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-manned’ 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

Doors are at 8pm, with the music starting at 8.30pm. Tickets are £8 in advance from the Vortex website, or £10 on the night. See you there…

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…

10th July: Huw V Williams’ HON

This week we welcome Huw V Williams and his group HON.

Huw brings together some of the most impressive improvisers and composers of the young London jazz scene to play his quirky original music, with influences ranging from grunge rock to early 21st century minimalist jazz music. The band brings together Chaos Collective’s Laura Jurd and Elliot Galvin (making a rare appearance on accordion) and SE Collective co-founder Alam Nathoo on tenor saxophone.

Alam Nathoo saxophone

Laura Jurd trumpet

Elliot Galvin accordion / toy piano

Huw V Williams double bass

Rod Oughton drums

Doors 8pm, music at 8.30pm and £5 entry…see you at Long White Cloud!

‘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.

3rd July: Vicky Tilson Quartet (LUME 1st anniversary gig!)

A year ago this week, we put on the first LUME gig upstairs at Hundred Crows Rising near Angel. Since that first double bill of Redshift and Identity Parade we’ve hosted so many bands that we’ve lost count, and there are plenty more coming up!

We’re celebrating a year of presenting great ensembles playing new music by….presenting a great ensemble playing new music. Come down and join us this Thursday, 3rd July at Long White Cloud as we toast a year of LUME with:

Vicky Tilson Quartet

The VTQ is influenced by a range of musicians but in terms of the compositions, bassist Vicky Tilson has this to say: “My writing is constantly influenced by that of Charles Mingus, particularly his Changes I and II albums, which showcase his more esoteric side. The groove-based, odd meter tunes of Dave Holland and Steve Coleman have also inspired me and HEADLOVIN’ was the first piece I ever wrote in this style. More recently, Phronesis have inspired me to continue the groove-based odd meter side of things, whilst the influence of British pianist/composer Michael Garrick has led me melodically. Some of my harmonic ideas have even been awakened by listening to indie band Blur!”

TIME OUT say: “Bass-led modern jazz from this Guildhall trained bassist/composer, who combines deep Mingus-style grooves and pastoral melodies with gritty textures on top provided by guitarist Stuart Fiddler and alto sax ace Dee Byrne.” – 25th April 2012.

To hear what the band sounds like head over to their Soundcloud page.

Dee Byrne alto sax

Stuart Fiddler guitar

Vicky Tilson bass/compositions

Reinis Axelsson drums

Doors 8pm, music at 8.30pm, £5 entry. See you at Long White Cloud!

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!

12th June: Corey Mwamba/Olie Brice/Cath Roberts

The first meeting of a new group, as two of LUME’s favourite musicians join forces with our own Cath Roberts. Corey and Cath have played together before as part of a trio with Martin Pyne at the first Long White Cloud gig in February, while Olie and Corey have also worked together a few times in various ensembles. Who knows what will happen when they combine as a trio?

Corey Mwamba – vibraphone, small instruments

Olie Brice – bass

Cath Roberts – baritone sax

Doors 8pm, music starting at 8.30pm, £5 entry. Come along for an evening of improvised music from a never-heard-before band…

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…

1st May: Ant Law Quintet

We are delighted to welcome this high-calibre jazz quintet led by guitarist Ant Law, playing his compositions.

Ant Law Quintet

Guitarist Ant Law was a scholar at both Edinburgh University and Berklee College of Music until moving to London in 2008. He then picked up work with artists such as Tim Garland, Mica Paris, Gwilym Simcock, Leon Ware, Asaf Sirkis, Koby Israelite, Camille O’Sullivan, Britain’s Got Talent star Tony Laf, X-factor winner Steve Brookstein and Eileen Hunter, and members of Incognito and Level 42.

Ant’s debut album “Entanglement” was released on the 33Jazz record label in February 2013 to great critical acclaim. This project was awarded funding from the Jazz Services Recording Support Scheme. The album launch at Pizza Express Dean Street was sold out and the band then completed a 29-date UK tour, with further support from Jazz Services. Ant completed the second volume of compositions whilst on tour in Brazil this summer. The band are showcasing that music before recording the second album.

Ant Law – guitar

Michael Chillingworth – reeds

Rick Simpson – piano

Calum Gourlay – bass

Dave Hamblett – drums

Doors 8pm, music 8.30pm. Long White Cloud, 151 Hackney Road, E2 8JL. £5 entry.