LUFT+ 1 & Quartet FECK
This afternoon’s session sees two debuts – the trio LUFT (Alan Newcombe/James O’Sullivan/Chris Hill) and Quartet FECK (Faradena Afifi/Ed Shipsey/Chris Hill/Kostas Chondros). No messing around, straightforward ensemble improvisation! LUFT will be joined today by percussionist Dave Fowler.
Doors 3.30 | music 4pm | £10 cash
James O’Sullivan – is a London- based experimental guitar player and improvisor who employs a playful but meticulous approach to the instrument through the bringing-together of physicality, resonance, detail, and dynamics. He seeks to co-create a rich, layered, and engaging music that entwines the excitement of the moment with a creative, focused exploration, so as to shape an enduring document of the guitar’s potential.
His interest in improvisation, recording and performance has led him to record and perform across the UK and internationally, both solo and with numerous improvised music groups. More longstanding arrangements include Muster, a duo with Dan Powell (electronics), a duo with Paul May (percussionist), the improvising trio Found Drowned, and a string of collaborative releases on the Aural Terrains imprint. He has released three solo albums, feedback couple, released in 2011, IL Y A, in 2017 and Lovely Error in 2022. More recent releases include Repetition Disguises, an electric guitar duo with Nathan Moore, and CHORD, with Ross Lambert, Nathan Moore, and Eddie Prévost.
Alan Newcombe – was a member of the London Musicians Collective in the mid 80’s. But he mainly was part of a fluid grouping of musicians over a ten-year period playing a range of uncategorisable genres – the music was always spontaneous. Performances included definitely the last free improv gig in Railton Road before the Brixton riots. In the past few years, he returned to live playing and has been involved in MOWO, Skronk, the London Improvisation Workshop, Babble&Squeak, No Computers, and the 50/50 project. Recent gigs in the past year include a quartet with Eddie Prevost, Dominic Lash and NO Moore, a nonet curated by James O’Sullivan, and duos with Chris Hill and Keisuke Matsui. Just over a year ago he played in a trio with Paul May and James O ’Sullivan.
Chris Hill – is an improvising musician, sound artist and event promoter. Based in London he regularly plays with the London Improvisers Orchestra, Eddie Prévost’s workshop group and many others on the London scene. More recent collaborations and releases have been with Phil Morton (Project 50:50), Matt Atkins (Map & Territory; Moonside Tapes, 2023), Stephan Barrett (Dawn and Soil Bound: MRM 75, 2023), Microtonal Music (Moonside Tapes, 2023) and Ed Shipsey with whom he records as Egg & Crisp (Suckle Time; Astral Sewage, Epiphany No.1, 2023).
discountgnostic.bandcamp.com
Kostas Chondros – plays alto saxophone, rabab, recorder, trumpet, melodica, and sundry objects. He has been involved with free improvisation for 15 years as a listener, filmmaker and player cutting his Reeth with John Russel’s Mopomoso. A regular attendee at Eddie Prevost’s Workshop and the Siobhan Davies Studio I have performed at the Vortex, Skronk, the Horse Hospital and the Hundred Years Gallery with musicians as diverse as Dave Tucker, Slyvia Hallett, Rick Jensen and Verity Lane and poets Roddy Lumsden, Alex Bell and Tom Bland.
With a background in social and visual anthropology he has made a number of films exploring improvisation, most notably, Notes on Gesture (2008) – with narration by Steve Beresford), Suspended (2015 – a collaboration with Italian sound artist Giovanni Lamie) and Waterpulse (2017 – part of longer film Zero by American composer Coleman Zurkowski). For many years he documented the regular improvisation sessions at the Vortex which may be viewed on the Mopomoso Youtube channel.
Ed Shipsey – is a musician active on the improvisation scene and has recently fallen in love with Leigh On Sea.
Faradena Afifi – Is a British Afghani community musician, a full time T’ai Chi teacher and practitioner, is influenced by nature (especially birdsong), improvisation and any musical form that involves unusual rhythms. Free improvising singer Maggie Nicols is an important mentor. When not playing folk music, Faradena co-ordinates The Noisy Women, an unpredictable mixed-media collective. She performs in the UK and internationally. She is one of the conductors and musicians in the London Improvisers Orchestra, and recently started working with international artist, Coco Mbassi, playing multifaceted and beautiful songs from Cameroon.
https://faradenaafifi.bandcamp.com/album/flash-of-blue-ep
Dave Fowler – Has collaborated with an endless list of players including Jim Dvorak, Alan Wilkinson, Roberto Bellatalla, Harrison Smith, Neil Metcalfe, Elton Dean, Maggie Nicols, Jerry Wigens, Sue Lynch, London Improvisers Orchestra, Yabasta, The Glowering Figs, Jim Dvorak, John Grieve, Marcio Mattos, Neil Metcalfe, Phil Minton, Julia Doyle, Ntshuks Bonga, the Porkestra. He is one of the finest, most responsive, dynamic, listening drummers out there, but far too busy playing and enjoying music to maintain an online presence!
shrikerecords.bandcamp.com
