Jazz Articles about John Russell

About John Russell

Album Review

John Russell / John Butcher / Dominic Lash: But Everything Now Left Before It Arrived

Read "But Everything Now Left Before It Arrived" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
December 28, 2021

Released towards the end of 2021, the year of guitarist John Russell's death, this recording dates from December 2010, a time before Russell was seriously ill and needed heart surgery. As such, this recording is very welcome as it recalls happier times. The album's five tracks, totalling about forty-one minutes, were recorded at the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra Festival III at the Glasgow Centre of Contemporary Arts. As the YouTube footage below (filmed on 16th August 2010, ...

Album Review

John Butcher / Dominic Lash / John Russell / Mark Sanders: Discernment

Read "Discernment" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
November 5, 2021

As part of his 40th birthday celebration at Cafe Oto in January 2020, bassist Dominic Lash convened a quartet of some of the UK's finest improvisers, completed by guitarist John Russell, saxophonist John Butcher and drummer Mark Sanders. With such experienced practitioners, there are any number of prior connections which help ensure a successful and empathetic outing. Russell, who died in January 2021, was one of the so-called second generation of British improvisers, often working closely with Butcher ...

Building a Jazz Library

John Russell

by John Eyles
July 12, 2021

On Tuesday 19th January 2021, one month after his 66th birthday, guitarist John Russell died peacefully at home after a long battle against cancer. A flurry of obituaries furnished details of Russell's life and fifty-year career as an improvising musician, some also praising his many music-related achievements far beyond his skills as a guitarist. Some obituaries alluded to key recordings and landmarks from Russell's long recording career. The selection below goes from the start of that recording career ...

Album Review

Evan Parker/John Russell/John Edwards, Pat Thomas, Alison Blunt/Benedict Taylor/David Leahy, Kay Grant/Alex Ward: Making Rooms

Read "Making Rooms" reviewed by John Eyles

by John Eyles
January 13, 2016

Originated by guitarist John Russell and pianist/trumpeter Chris Burn, Mopomoso is an improvised-music organisation that has run a series of monthly concerts in London ever since 1991, making it the longest-running such series in the UK. Between April 23rd and 30th 2013, Mopomoso embarked on a tour of England which visited seven cities outside London. At each stop, local improvising musicians supported the core group of musicians--Russell, saxophonist Evan Parker, bassists John Edwards and David Leahy, pianist Pat Thomas, violinist ...

Album Review

John Russell: With...

by John Eyles
July 6, 2015

This album is a faithful record of John Russell's sixtieth birthday concert which took place at Cafe Oto, London, on Friday 19th December 2014. Everything is included here except for announcements, applause and less than half a minute of music which were all edited out to fit it onto one CD; at a few seconds short of seventy-eight minutes, it just manages that. Thanks to the sterling efforts of Helen Petts, the entire concert was filmed and can be viewed ...

Multiple Reviews

Catching Up With Guitarist John Russell

by John Eyles
December 2, 2012

2012 has been a memorable year for guitarist John Russell. It marked the twenty-first anniversary of his concert series Mopomoso which meets monthly at The Vortex jazz club in Dalston, London, making it the city's longest-running improvised music series. The year was also the thirtieth anniversary of Fete Quaqua, his annual festival of improv. Both Mopomoso and Fete Quaqua have an international feel, with musicians from across the globe regularly visiting them, Russell always making them very welcome. London has ...

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Multiple Reviews

In Praise of John Russell

by John Eyles
August 24, 2010

English guitarist John Russell is from the wave of free improvisers who came after the so-called first generation typified by such “founding fathers" as guitarist Derek Bailey, saxophonist Evan Parker, trombonist Paul Rutherford and drummer John Stevens. In his teens, Russell played at the Little Theatre Club, the cradle of free improv in London, and took lessons from Bailey. His first recording, Teatime, was issued on Incus in 1975. Since 1977, Russell has exclusively played acoustic guitar, developing ...