We had a fantastic night at the last LUME of 2022. A lovely busy gig to finish off our year! Watch this space for more…
Cath Roberts and Bill Thompson
Matt Fisher and Dee Byrne
Olie Brice ‘From The Mouths of Lions’ string project
Organisers’ end-of-year selfie
November’s EFG London Jazz Festival special offers the following treats…
Adam Fairhall & Dee Byrne
Accordion, toy piano and alto saxophone collision.
adamfairhall.co.uk | deebyrnemusic.com
Tom Ward solo
Flute, saxophone and clarinet odyssey.
madwort.co.uk
Dominic Lash & Cath Roberts
Baritone saxophone and double bass summit.
dominiclash.blogspot.com |cathrobots.co.uk
Advance tickets available from the Luminous website or you can pay £10 cash on the door!
For the last gig in this season we welcome this excellent selection of artists…
Rebecca Nash & Dee Byrne
Keyboard and alto saxophone duo explorations.
rebeccanashmusic.com | deebyrnemusic.com
Andrew Lisle solo
Improvised sonic landscapes on drum kit.
www.andrewlisle.com
Dirk Serries/Tullis Rennie/Cath Roberts
Interrogating the acoustic spaces of guitar, trombone and baritone saxophone.
newwaveofjazz.com| tullisrennie.com | cathrobots.co.uk
Join us at HYG: doors 19:30, music at 20:00, and it’s £10 on the door.
We’ve come to our final gig this season and have a very special evening in store: the album release set for ‘Hold Music’ (Luminous label) by cr-ow-tr-io: Cath Roberts (baritone saxophone), Otto Willberg (double bass) and Tullis Rennie (trombone). First meeting duo set from Elliot Galvin (keyboards) and Dee Byrne (alto saxophone/effects), plus a solo set from Hannah Marshall (cello).
Doors 19:30, music starts at 20:00. £5 or more – pay what you can. Tickets are on sale now – limited capacity of 20. buy tickets
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson Street, London, E2 8JD. Nearest station: Hoxton (Overground).
Dee Byrne
Dee Byrne is a London-based saxophonist, composer and improviser with an interest in pushing the boundaries of jazz. Dee collaborates with artists from the UK and Europe who occupy the area of contemporary jazz, avant-garde and free improvisation. deebyrnemusic.com
Elliot Galvin
Pianist Elliot Galvin is one of the rising stars of UK jazz. A superbly gifted composer and pianist, whose maverick imagination and magpie like ability to blend a disparate world of influences into his own unique musical vision has seen him compared to Django Bates although in truth he sounds like no one except himself. elliotgalvin.com
Hannah Marshall
One of the leading improvising string players in the UK, Hannah Marshall has been active on the free improv scene across Europe for many years. As well as experimenting with approaches to the cello through improvisation, she is a sound designer and co-creates theatre, dance and performance projects. hannahmarshall.net
Tullis Rennie
Tullis Rennie is a composer, improvising trombonist, electronic musician and field recordist. His work has been presented at concerts and festivals across 20 countries, alongside UK national broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and Resonance FM. He is co-founder of Walls On Walls with visual artist Laurie Nouchka, and a member of the Insectotròpics audio-visual collective, based in Barcelona. He curates the multi.modal label with Claudia Molitor. tullisrennie.com
Cath Roberts
Cath Roberts’ work explores free improvisation, composition and the music at their meeting point. Her band Sloth Racket has toured widely and released several albums, and she collaborates with many other artists as an improviser, primarily on baritone saxophone. cathrobots.co.uk
Otto Willberg
Otto Willberg plays and improvises on electric and double basses, and has aspirations of playing other low end instruments too. Like many musicians he often plays in various groups, which all sound different. Otto also maintains the website bootlegspatialrecall.net, a collection of public space reverbs and sporadically releases music via the Heavy Petting label. ottowillberg.com
Our autumn series continues on 16th November with another musical feast: a trio set from the Swiss/UK trio of Oli Kuster (modular synthesiser), Cyrill Ferrari (guitar/effects) and Dee Byrne (alto saxophone/effects), celebrating the release of their album ‘Motherboard Pinball’ (Efpi Records). First meeting duo set of Ruth Goller (bass) and Cath Roberts (baritone saxophone), plus a solo set from Will Glaser (drums).
Doors 19:30, music starts at 20:00. £5 or more – pay what you can. Tickets are on sale now – limited capacity of 20. buy tickets
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson Street, London, E2 8JD. Nearest station: Hoxton (Overground).
Dee Byrne
Dee Byrne is a London-based saxophonist, composer and improviser with an interest in pushing the boundaries of jazz. Dee collaborates with artists from the UK and Europe who occupy the area of contemporary jazz, avant-garde and free improvisation. deebyrnemusic.com
Cyrill Ferrari
Inspired by scientific methods, mathematics and physics, Cyrill Ferrari constantly explores new musical frameworks by questioningthe standard role of the guitar with a focus on sound and amplication. Using different pickups and few effects, he amplifies the guitar as a whole object and explores new sounds hidden within the instrument. He is mainly active as co-leader of the projects OORT CLOUD, Leib and Alarcón/Ferrari, and as a sideman with various projects. cyrillferrari.com
Ruth Goller
Hailed by the Guardian for her “thunderous bass-guitar hooks”, Ruth Goller is a bassist, vocalist, composer, environmentalist and now solo artist. Goller helped lay the foundation for the UK’s jazz renaissance, from her years on stage with Acoustic Ladyland and Melt Yourself Down, to more recently Let Spin and Vula Viel, whilst performing and recording with the likes of Shabaka Hutchings, Mercury-Award nominee Kit Downes, Sam Amidon, Bojan Z, Marc Ribot, Rokia Traoré, and Paul McCartney. ruthgoller.com
Will Glaser
London based drummer Will Glaser is a highly in demand sideman to a vast array of the British Jazz scene. His influences draw eclectically from across jazz history, improvised music and anywhere else, from Baby Dodds to Milford Graves, Max Roach to Paul Motian, Roy Haynes to Joey Baron or Ed Blackwell to John Bonham. Will can be heard playing anything from traditional Jazz, in straight ahead settings to improvised music or avant rock. willglaserdrums.com
Oli Kuster
Bern-based pianist, keyboardist and composer Oli Kuster has realised various projects in the field of tension between jazz and electro. With his band Menschmaschine Kuster provided jazz interpretations of Kraftwerk songs in 2011. His work with synthesisers is also reflected in the pop project AEIOU. He has also composed music for film and released three albums as bandleader for the Oli Kuster Kombo. olikuster.ch
Cath Roberts
Cath Roberts’ work explores free improvisation, composition and the music at their meeting point. Her band Sloth Racket has toured widely and released several albums, and she collaborates with many other artists as an improviser, primarily on baritone saxophone. cathrobots.co.uk
WE’RE BACK! We’re excited to announce a new LUME mini-series at Hundred Years Gallery on 15th July and 12th August. Looking back at our gig archive, our last gig there was on 1st December 2017…
Places are limited, so email info@hundredyearsgallery.com to reserve a seat. Doors 7.30pm, music starts at 8pm. Tickets are £5.
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson Street, London, E2 8JD. Nearest station: Hoxton (Overground).
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15th July 2021
Cath Roberts
Cath Roberts’ work explores free improvisation, composition and the music at their meeting point. Her band Sloth Racket has toured widely and released several albums, and she collaborates with many other artists as an improviser, primarily on baritone saxophone. cathrobots.co.uk
Sam Andreae
Sam Andreae is an artist working in the area of free improvisation. “Andreae delves into an impressive vocabulary of skilfully controlled overtones, rapid keypad flutters and fragile harmonics, glistening like filaments held up to the light.” Daniel Spicer, The Wire (2015) samandreae.com
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Graham Dunning
Graham Dunning’s work explores sound as texture, timbre and something tactile, drawing on bedroom production, tinkering and recycling found objects. He also makes visual work, video and installations relating to these themes. grahamdunning.com
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Deemer + 1
Dee Byrne is a London-based saxophonist, composer and improviser with an interest in pushing the boundaries of jazz. Dee collaborates with artists from the UK and Europe who occupy the area of contemporary jazz, avant-garde and free improvisation. deebyrnemusic.com
Merijn Royaards is a sound artist guided by convoluted movements through music, art and architecture. The interaction between space and sound in cities with a history/present of conflict has been a recurring theme in his multi-media work. merijnroyaards.com
Johnny Hunter is a northern UK-based drummer and composer who comes from a background of both the avant-garde and more mainstream jazz. Johnny leads a number of his own projects from quartet to large ensemble, all of which showcase his fast-developing compositional practice. johnnyhuntermusic.com
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12th August 2021
Cath Roberts
Cath Roberts’ work explores free improvisation, composition and the music at their meeting point. Her band Sloth Racket has toured widely and released several albums, and she collaborates with many other artists as an improviser, primarily on baritone saxophone. cathrobots.co.uk
Benedict Taylor
Benedict Taylor is a British avant-garde violist, violinist and composer. He is a leading figure within the area of contemporary string performance, at the forefront of the British & European classical and new music world. benedicttaylor.bandcamp.com
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Tom Ward
Tom Ward is a musician, composer and computer programmer from Yorkshire, currently based in London. His primary instrument remains the saxophone, but in recent years he has increasingly focused on bass clarinet and flutes. madwort.co.uk
Charlotte Keeffe
Charlotte Keeffe’s unique approach and passion for jazz, experimental and freely improvised music sees her performing regularly as a soloist and as part of a variety of different ensembles, including her own quartet. charlottekeeffe.com
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Dee Byrne
Dee Byrne is a London-based saxophonist, composer and improviser with an interest in pushing the boundaries of jazz. Dee collaborates with artists from the UK and Europe who occupy the area of contemporary jazz, avant-garde and free improvisation. deebyrnemusic.com
Olie Brice
Olie Brice is an improvising double bassist from London. He leads two bands – a quintet that plays his original compositions and a freely improvising trio featuring Tobias Delius and Mark Sanders. He has also worked with musicians including Paul Dunmall, Tony Malaby, Steve Swell, Achim Kaufmann, Alex Ward and Ingrid Laubrock. oliebrice.com
Andrew Lisle
Andrew Lisle is a drummer working in the field of jazz and improvised music. He strives to create music within the avant-garde, pushing the limits of what is possible on the drums (technically and musically) while drawing influence from the jazz tradition. andrewlisle.com
At this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival, LUME will showcase two new projects that reflect the adventurous spirit of our music-making. Come down to the Barbican foyer (free entry!) on the afternoon of Saturday 23rd November to hear sets from:
5pm: Rachel Musson / Cath Roberts / Andrew Lisle
All active as collaborator, bandleaders and composers in their own right, Musson, Lisle and Roberts have joined forces in this new trio. Rachel Musson is a distinctive voice on the European scene, regularly collaborating with artists including Julie Kjær, Hannah Marshall, Olie Brice, Pat Thomas, Louis Moholo-Moholo and many more. Andrew Lisle is in demand as an improvising drummer in London and further afield, with ongoing projects including Kodian Trio, Alex Ward’s Item ensembles and his own trio with Charlotte Keeffe and Otto Willberg. LUME’s own Cath Roberts primarily plays baritone saxophone and can be found leading her ensembles Sloth Racket and Favourite Animals, in established duos with Anton Hunter and Benedict Taylor, and as bandmate in groups including Article XI, Vole and Madwort Saxophone Quartet.
Rachel Musson – tenor saxophone
Cath Roberts – alto saxophone
Andrew Lisle – drums
6pm: Deemer + 1
The brain-child of sound artist Merijn Royaards and saxophonist/composer/LUME co-conspirator Dee Byrne, Deemer started life in 2006 as a weekly improvisation/electronics session in a warehouse in Hackney Wick. Over the years the project has evolved into a continuing conversation that is always inquisitive, searching and fresh. The duo released their debut album ‘Interference Patterns’ on Luminous Label in 2015. Their second release ‘Live At The Vortex’ was released on cassette in 2016. They are currently working on their next release on Luminous, which will feature guest artists involved in their new Deemer + 1 project. For this special London Jazz Festival performance Deemer invites Manchester-based drummer, composer and bandleader Johnny Hunter as special guest for a heavy dose of sonic cookery.
Dee Byrne – alto saxophone
Merijn Royaards – electronics
Johnny Hunter – drums
LUME is thrilled to announce an Entropi/Sloth Racket double bill at Kings Place on 13th March. It’s part of the Venus Unwrapped series, which throws a spotlight on female composers and is a great opportunity for LUME co-founders Cath Roberts and Dee Byrne to showcase their projects in such an amazing venue. This performance at Kings Place marks the start of exciting LUME plans in the pipeline for later on this year. Cath and Dee have spent 2018 concentrating on their own musical projects and are pleased to share the stage with their bands for this special occasion! Cath’s band Sloth Racket will be coming fresh from a recording of their next album, to be released on Luminous in September. Dee’s band Entropi will perform a few recently penned compositions as well as material from their previous albums.
Grab your tickets to this one-off event!
Here’s a bit about the bands:
Sloth Racket
Sloth Racket is a band of UK improvisers led by baritone saxophonist Cath Roberts, with Sam Andreae on alto saxophone, Anton Hunter on guitar, Seth Bennett on bass and Johnny Hunter on drums. They play Cath’s compositions, combining written fragments with graphic notation to explore the balance between freedom and structure. The results are always different, and so far have ranged across musical territories taking in fiery free jazz, minimal improv textures and heavy riffs.
The band formed in 2015 when Jazz North East invited Cath to present a new project at Gateshead International Jazz Festival. Everyone agreed this had to be more than just a one-off, and they went on to appear at London Jazz Festival, Brighton Alternative Jazz Festival and LUME Festival, as well as doing four UK tours so far. Sloth Racket’s third studio album A Glorious Monster is out on the Luminous label.
‘Lurching between riff and abstraction…maintains an elegant balance between emergent melody and the wilder activity at its fringes’ The Wire
‘Consider this an important contribution to the debate about spontaneity versus form.’ ★★★★ Jazzwise
Photo credit: Agata Urbaniak
Entropi
Entropi has been steadily developing its own dynamic band sound since its beginnings in 2010. Placing a high importance on improvisation, Dee Byrne’s compositions allow breathing space for depth of communication and interaction between the band members. Juggling order and chaos, composition and improvisation, the group takes listeners on a journey with compelling group interplay, strong themes, open-ended improvisation, dark grooves and interweaving melodic textures.
The ensemble comprises bandleader and alto saxophonist Dee Byrne, trumpeter Andre Canniere, keyboardist Rebecca Nash, drummer Matt Fisher and bassist Olie Brice. Having performed live together for some time, the band has achieved a striking empathy and freedom to take risks. Entropi’s second album Moment Frozen was released on Whirlwind Recordings in September 2017. Their performance at Marsden Jazz Festival in October 2018 was broadcast on Radio 3’s Jazz Now programme on Christmas Eve.
‘Intense, muscular jazz voyage.’ ★★★★ The Guardian
‘Byrne’s second album possesses both maturity and complexity but crucially it’s imbued with its own cohesive energy.’ ★★★★ All About Jazz
Photo credit: Carl Hyde
LUME is on hiatus this Autumn while Cath and Dee are working hard on other projects. Two of these are particularly relevant this month, so here’s the lowdown…
Entropi Moment Frozen album launch
The eagerly-anticipated second album from Entropi, Moment Frozen, is released this month on Whirlwind Recordings. To celebrate the release, Dee is taking the band on a UK tour including a special album release show at Kings Place on Friday 29th September. It promises to be a lovely evening and a great chance to hear the band playing their new album on home turf. Tickets are moving fast, so we advise getting yours as soon as you can: they’re available from the Kings Place website.
LUME regulars will know that Entropi explores a narrative of life-pondering, space-gazing and risk-taking through Dee’s striking compositions. Juggling order and chaos, composed material and improvisation, the group takes listeners on a journey with compelling group interplay, strong themes, dark grooves and interweaving melodic textures. Joining Dee in the band are four fantastic musicians, all of whom are in demand on the UK scene and beyond. It makes for a heavyweight lineup:
Dee Byrne alto saxophone
Andre Canniere trumpet
Rebecca Nash keyboard
Matt Fisher drums
Olie Brice bass
This gig will be something of a LUME social, so we’d love it if you can join us. Make sure you’re part of it by buying your tickets now!
Favourite Animals large ensemble album crowdfunder
While Dee is releasing and touring a new album this month, Cath is in the midst of the production of her own. Favourite Animals, the ten piece group originally formed for Cath’s residency at Lancaster Jazz Festival last year, went into the studio this August with Alex Bonney. They spent three days working at City, Uinversity of London – thanks to trombonist Tullis Rennie who works as a lecturer there – and recorded new versions of all the music from the Lancaster commission.
Favourite Animals is an extended version of Cath’s regular band Sloth Racket. The ten piece version adds woodwind and brass, and just generally more improvisers:
Graham South – trumpet
Tullis Rennie – trombone
Julie Kjær – flute/bass clarinet
Tom Ward – flute/bass clarinet
Dee Byrne – alto saxophone
Sam Andreae – tenor saxophone
Cath Roberts – baritone saxophone
Anton Hunter – guitar
Seth Bennett – bass
Johnny Hunter – drums
With a set of great takes waiting patiently on a hard drive, the next stage is raising the money to get the album out there. Cath is running a crowdfunding campaign this month to cover the musicians and engineers’ fees, the mixing and mastering, and the production of physical CD albums. The plan is to release the album on Luminous this December, to coincide with Favourite Animals’ joint tour with Article XI. With your help, we can finish the Luminous year with our most ambitious release to date! Check out the campaign page for more info about the project, photos from the session, and lots of backer perks to get your hands on…
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, and keep any eye on the LUME social media channels through the month for more about these projects and some extremely exciting giveaways…
A handy schedule to help you plan your weekend at LUME Festival 2017….
Advance tickets on sale from the Luminous Bandcamp site.
