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Freedom of the City/The Necks in London/Midnight Sun
by John Eyles
May was an amazing month for live improvised music in London, with three contrasting events highlighting the range and diversity of the music. Over the holiday weekend at the start of the month, the third annual Freedom of the City festival was a showcase for the home-grown style of free improvisation, with the London Improvisers Orchestra ...
Pinski Zoo/Confront Recordings/Freedom of the City
by John Eyles
Back in the 80s, Nottingham-based group Pinski Zoo arrived like a breath of fresh air on the revitalised British jazz scene. With the energy and values of punk rock, their amalgam of funk and fusion with harmolodic-inspired free jazz was unpredictable and unprecedented. Albums such as Rare Breeds and East Rail East, defined their own unique ...
Charlotte Hug: Neuland (2001-2)
by John Eyles
In a relatively short time in London, Swiss violist Charlotte Hug (pronounced Hoog) made a big impression through her work at All Angels, with Tony Wren's Quatuor Accorde, at the Freedom of the City festival with Maggie Nichols & Caroline Kraabel and with the London Improvisers' Orchestra.She is somewhat renowned for performing in unusual ...
Evan Parker
by John Eyles
One of the many benefits of being a music fan in London is the opportunity to see Evan Parker perform regularly. Parker is one of the giants of improvised music, with a career that stretches back to the dawn of the music in the mid sixties. But he is always pushing forward, and appears in a ...
Philip Glass in London
by John Eyles
January was one hell of a month for live gigs in London, with Spring Heel Jack on tour more than living up to expectations, Han Bennink & Steve Beresford magnificent while launching a new club space on a boat moored on the Thames, Joe McPhee (in London for the first time in 20 years) ...
Spring Heel Jack: John Coxon and Ashley Wales
by John Eyles
Two of the most innovative and impressive albums of the past two years have been Masses and Amassed by Spring Heel Jack, both on the Thirsty Ear label. These albums were particularly notable for the duo—individually, John Coxon and Ashley Wales—joining forces with some of jazz's most cutting edge players. On Masses, they were ...
Pocket: Pocket
by John Eyles
John Bisset and Alex Ward are both renowned free improvisers. Bisset organised the annual Relay improvisation festival, set up the 2-13 club and led the London Electric Guitar Orchestra. Ward, who also plays clarinet, famously appeared in one of Derek Bailey's Company Weeks when he was only 14. All of which makes Pocket even more remarkable ...
Bill Frisell: The Willies
by John Eyles
Recently, Bill Frisell seems to be averaging at least two new albums per year. Fortunately, there is no sign of this increased quantity equating to decreased quality. This album is full of all the familiar Frisell trademarks--compelling playing, quirkily familiar melodies, eclecticism, loops, swing, tradition, innovation, and, yes, fun. On this outing, Frisell opts ...
Mujician: Spacetime
by John Eyles
Within improvised music, there are (at least) two very different traditions. In one tradition (exemplified by groupings such as Company and Relay) musicians who are relatively unknown to each other are thrown together to make what they will of the meeting, sometimes negotiating a common language in the process, often with astonishing results. At the other ...
Art Pepper: Winter Moon
by John Eyles
Recorded in 1980, Winter Moon is Art Pepper's “with strings" album. I know that phrase will strike fear and loathing into the heart of many a jazz fan, but this album is as sympathetic a meeting as it is possible to imagine. Pepper never sounds compromised or constrained by the strings (as has been the case ...
