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Faith Heleene Brackenbury

Faith Brackenbury is a violinist, violist, vocalist and composer based in the UK. She plays and sings with American drummer Tony Bianco and the duo released 'Rising Up' in 2021, 'Wayward Mystic- Improvisations on the Music of St.Hildegard von Bingen' in 2022 (Discus Records), 'Sentient Beings' (with Paul Dunmall, Tony Bianco and John Pope-(Off) 2023, Prema (FMR-2023, Paul Dunmall, Olie Brice, Tony Bianco, Faith Brackenbury). Sentient Beings 'Truth is not the enemy', (Discus 2024) with John O'Gallagher alto sax, John Pope bass and Tony Bianco drums.

From 2015-2017 she played and sang with British alto saxophonist Martin Speake in his quartet 'Mafarowi' (Rob Luft guitar and Will Glaser drums)and the two also released a duo album 'Zephyr' in 2016 (Pumpkin Records).

Her 'KnifeAngel' sextet ep was released in 2019, in response to the Knife Angel sculpture by Alfie Bradley, bringing attention to the rising rate of knife crime in the UK .

In 2022 Brackenbury and Bianco toured their St.Hildegard von Bingen project performing music from their album 'Wayward Mystic' in churches around the Shropshire/Herefordshire/Powys borders.

Sentient Beings Tour 2024 with John O'Gallagher alto sax, Tony Bianco drums, John Pope bass culminated in a live recording from the Vortex, London, and the album 'Truth is not the enemy' (Discus)

Faith completed post-graduate studies in jazz at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2014, and before that also studied violin making with luthier John Langstaffe, and now performs on a violin she made herself.

https://faithbrackenbury.bandcamp.com

http://brackenburybianco.bandcamp.com

Sentient Beings: Truth Is Not The Enemy

Read "Truth Is Not The Enemy" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
October 29, 2024

"Hills And Valleys," “Valleys And Hills." The titles of the two lengthy tracks on Truth Is Not The Enemy furnish oft-used metaphors for the flowing changes in intensity, volume and dynamics of long-form improvisations. However, on this occasion the hills seem more like summit plateau while the valleys are narrow and deep, as the four piece Sentient Beings maintains an almost unbroken stream of engaging high-energy interplay. At the heart of the outfit lies the pre-existing duo of British violinist ...

Album Review

Faith Brackenbury / Tony Bianco: Wayward Mystic-Improvisations inspired by the music of St.Hildegard von Bingen

Read "Wayward Mystic-Improvisations inspired by the music of St.Hildegard von Bingen" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
September 10, 2023

Violin and drum duos are something of a rarity in the jazz and improvised music arena. Swift Are The Winds Of Life (Survival, 1976) by Leroy Jenkins and Rashied Ali, and Bangception (Hat Musics, 1983) by Billy Bang and Denis Charles come to mind, but few others. However, violinist Faith Brackenbury and drummer Tony Bianco make a convincing case for the format on Wayward Mystic. In fact it is their second outing following Rising Up (Discus Music, 2019), but this ...

'There is not a wasted or ill-placed sound from this quartet across the two pieces and the quality of the playing easily puts contention for one of the best recordings of the year.' Chris Baber-Jazz Views

Brackenbury, on violin and viola, provides a challenging and refreshing freedom to the jazz violin...At times, (her) playing is reminiscent of Ornette Colemans....(she) has developed her own voice in jazz...' ~Jazz Times

'Faith Brackenbury's violin playing is an absolute force of nature; at times like a dervish that seems to sweep straight from her heart and out in to the universe, unencumbered by structure or regime, just a natural flow like a river that heads onward.'~Mr Olivetti Freq