IMPROVISOR

This podcast conversation is extremely special as Carole Finer sadly passed away earlier this year. I had the great privilege of performing with Carole and in this conversation we talk about her beginnings in experimental and improvised music, going back to the 60’s in London, at the start of this fascinating scene. She mentions many musicians and interesting artists she collaborated with and I have listed them all in the show notes. She talks about her experiences of performing, as far ranging as a large ensemble concert in Hampstead Town Hall to performing at the Munich Olympics in 1972. It was insightful and incredibly inspiring to hear about Carole’s life as an artist, a musician and sound artist and her world travels collecting field recordings. She talked so effortlessly, as she did on her own radio show ‘Sound Out’ on Resonance FM for many years. Her generosity and humility as a musician touched many people including myself and I feel privileged to have met her and grateful to have had this conversation.

SHOW NOTES:

People and things mentioned:

Merce Cunningham Dance Troupe

Rauschenberg- scenery painter

Windsor Zither banjo

Cornelius Cardew (Cor)

John Cage

Murial Cardew

Christian Wolfe

Morley College

Graphic Scores

Stella Cardew

Tim Mitchell

Dave Jackman

Stephen Selkin (selcon- check spelling)

Chris Hobbs

Michael Parsons

Howard Skempton

John Tilbury

Dave Smith

The Great Learning -by Cornelius Cardew

The Scratch Orchestra

Hugh Shrapnel

Hampstead Town Hall

Chelsea Town Hall

‘Beethoven Today’ concert

Morton Feldman

Munich Olympic Games

Michael Chant

‘When I’m cleaning Windows’

Hugh Shrapnel’s Wood and Metal Band

Keith Rowe

Cardrew Treatise

Stephan Szczelkun

Porto in Portugal 2010

Hugh Shrapnel’s ‘Rain Raining’

David O’Connar

Eddie Prevost’s Workshop

Jane Alden’s Vocal Constructovist

AMM_Cornelius Cardew

The harsh Sound Version ( Treatise)

David Ryan

Sue Lynch

Banjo, Toys, Percussion

Zorse Trio- 2013-Sue Lynch, Hutch Demouilpied

North East States of India

Field recordings; train, bus journeys, bird song, rain

https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/essays/fari-bradley-remembers-scratch-orchestra-s-carole-finer

Live from The Iklectik Horse Festival. Conversations with musicians/composers: Dave Petts, John Butcher, Mark Sanders, Douglas Benford, Students from Leeds and Leeds Beckett, and Paul Sutton, at the IKlecktik Horse Festival of improvised and experimental music and sound. It includes some excerpts of music from the festival curated by The Horse Improv Club at IKlectik Art Lab in London SE1 in January 2018.

SHOW NOTES:

Iklectik Horse Festival

Show notes

Dave Petts:

Mentions:

Sue Lynch

Adrian Northover

Mark Sanders

Louise

Morton Feldman

Xenakis

Remote Viewers

Caroline Krabbel

John Edwards

Crystabel Riley

Abstract

Machine-like

Big Bands

Boulez

Stan Kenton

Mike Westbrook

Carla Bley

Composition as a craft

Conduction

The London Improvisors Orchestra

Mark sanders

Mentions:

Fish factory studio’s

Johnny Edwards

John Butcher

20 Johns

Paul Dunmore

Zurich

Evan Parker

The Vortex

Liam Noble

Women musicians

Strong melodic free jazz

Alex Hawkins

Paul Whatly

Crystal Riley

Mathilda Rolfsson- Norwegian Percussionist

Rachel Musson

Pat Thomas

Cafe Oto

The Mac- in Birmingham

Tony Dudley Evans- promoter

Douglas Benford

Mentions:

Incongruous sound

Art installations

Sculptor

Field recordings

2 sounds at once

Urban and natural sound

National trust

Forest of Dean

Bermondsey

Delia derbyshire

Radiophonic workshop

Dr who theme

Paradise yard ensemble

Sound collage

Steve beresford

Adam Bohman

John butcher

Crysabel riley

Rhodri davies

Bonnington centre

ticklish

richard Sanderson

Confront recordings

Mark wastall

Clive bell

Rachel mission

Ed lucas

Hundred years gallery

LIO

Snap to grid

Paul sutton

Mentions:

Saxophones

South london

Horn arrangements

Iklectik

Mopomoso

The clinker

Derek

Lol

Danial thompson

Cath Roberts

Conduction

John butcher

Mentions:

John Edwards

Mark sanders

Norway

Stoller Lavik Solberg- percussionist from Oslo

Lasse Marhaug- noise electronic scene

self formed tiny drum kit

John stevens

Derek Bailey

This is a conversations with Sharon Gal. She is a Interdisciplinary Artist ,Vocal Experimentalist, Performer and Composer. She performs solo, and has on-going collaborations with Steve Beresford, David Toop, Steve Noble, Alex Ward, John Edwards amongst others. She directs site specific compositions/performances examining the inter-relations between people and place. She is the co-founder of arts radio Resonance 104.4.FM.

I talk to her briefly before her performance at the Iklectik Horse Festival about her beginnings and collaborations and play excerpts of her music.

Show Notes:

People and Things mentioned:

Free improv and jazz records

Lana lovitch

Punk

Nina hagen

Kate bush

David bowie

Mouth crazy

Thurston Moore

Sonic youth

Byron Coley

Moshi Connin

Denis Austin

The Klinker

Hugh Metcalf

Loot( the paper)

Band called Voltage- Dennis and Moshi

Adam Bohman

Richard Sanderson and the club room

Sound Out

The V& A

Gals with guitars

Goldsmith’s_ ‘Fill The Noise’

Micro amps

Sculpting in space

Open call

Voices in staircase

Sound and Music

refreshments: Water

A conversation with John Edwards an incredible musician and double bass player. We talk about the Iklectik Horse Festival: https://horseimprovclub.wordpress.com and his views on the improvised and experimental music scene in London and Europe. Listen to excerpts of music he has recorded. His insights and experience of how the scene has evolved over 30 years. How women as musicians and audience members are now contributing to the ever increasing interest in this music and his own inspirations and future musical journeys.

Show Notes

People/things mentioned

Dave Petts

Mark Sanders

Elton Deane

Veryan Weston

John Butcher

Barf Phillips

Evan Parker

Crystal riley

Sue Lynch

Lol Coxhill

Bruce turner

Scandanavia

Norway

Drinks/ snacks consumed:

Pints of ale

Belgium white beer

A conversation with musician, composer and promoter Sue Lynch about her beginnings in experimental and improvised music in London UK, how she started The Horse Improv Club and her curating of The Iklectik Horse Festival in London SE1 in January 2018.

Refreshments consumed: Tea and later- Vegetarian Thai food in Lower March SE1

Show Notes:

mentions:

Steve Beresford

Clive Bell

David Toop

Eddie Prevost

Adam Bohman

Caroline Krabbel

Dave Petts

The Remote Viewers

Crystabel Riley

Adrian Northover

Steve Noble

Hutch Demouilpied

Iklectik Art lab

St Austell Sound

Sharon Gal

Greta Pectecci

John Butcher

John Edwards

Mark Sanders

Adam Bohman

These Lamps- Sue Lynch

Jennifer Alum

Ruth Marshall

Linear Obsessional Label

To mark the occasion of his 60th birthday - Improvisor releases a podcast talking to Adrian Northover, an inimitable presence on the improvised and experimental music scene in London UK for many years and in my view, an effortless master of the saxophone. (http://www.adriannorthover.co.uk).

Discussing his playing with electronic players we discuss tonality and the combination of ‘freedom and restriction’ in this environment- which Adrian summed up as 'having handcuffs on but still being able to jump out of the window’……

We talk about the function of playing improvised music live - the collaboration & interaction between players and ‘providing the meat and grist for the audience…. either successfully or unsuccessfully’.

He talks of his interest in ‘Sufi’ music and the idea of ‘the ecstasy’ behind the music and how he likes to know ‘the function of music’. The differences between processed and produced or un-produced music ‘a document versus a treated document.’

Improvised music has become ‘more acceptable and less weird…’……people in the past would say it ‘was just noise’ not music…..it was ‘really out there in terms of public awareness… now you can do anything and it is not so outrageous’….. ‘it has moved more centre stage………’

Show Notes and Mentions:

The Alligators

Adam Bohman

John Edwards

Sue Lynch

The Happy End

Triptik

Steve Noble

Tasos Stamou

Steve Beresford

John Stevens

Phil Vaxman

Berlin

Foley st

The Bonnington Club

Ronnie Laws

Steely Dan

Hard Evidence

Morley College

I’Klectik Art Lab

London Improvisors Orchestra

Linear Obsessional Label

Sufi Music

Jazz Thali

Bollywood

North Indian Classical Music

Lol Coxhill

Stockhausen

Edgard Varése

The Remote Viewers

Ann Homler

Refreshments: tea and pretzels

This conversation is with Adam Bohman who has been operating on the outer fringes of underground music for decades. Working with home-built instruments, found objects, tape cut-ups, collages, ink drawings and graphic scores. Favouring acoustic sounds over electronics, he explores the minute tendrils of sounds coaxed from any number of non-musical instruments and objects. He is a member of British experimental groups, Morphogenesis, The Bohman Brothers, Secluded Bronte, and The London Improvisers Orchestra. Adam's music is unique and experimental, incorporating Fluxus japery, musique concrete, sound poetry and free improvisation. 

Show Notes:

Adam mentioned the following:

Charles Fox- jazz critic

Toney Oxley

Howard Riley

Evan Parker

Clifford Douse

Robert Nut

The cranium bunch

Jonathan Bohman

the cockpit improvised music workshop

Cockpit Theatre

Ian Macqueen

Teddy Coleridge

Fred Frith

Keith Rowe

Paul Pevan- Du Fuy Collective

Hugh Metcalfe

The Clinker

Morphogenesis

Rodger Sutherland

Dave Jackman

Morley college

Ron Priefal

Barry Anderson

Phil Vaxman

Conspiracy

Nick Couldry

Eddie Prevost- Matchless Recordings

Intravenous- Album on Matchless Recordings

John Telfer

Andy Hammond

Phil Wachsmann at City Lit

Ian Smith- trumpet player

Red Rose Club- Seven Sisters Road

Time Out

Cafe Oto

Adrian Northover

Robert Powell

Tim Fletcher

Wiesbaden

John Russell

Dirk Midvll- saxophonist

Andy Holden (artist)

Richard Thomas (Secluded Bronte)

Bohman Brothers Extended Family

Andy Brown- Wine glass player

Dale Chilhuly (glass blower)

Tom Jackson

Michael Prime

Clive Graham

Clive Hall

Ron Briefel

Panos Ghikas

Vitrine Tapes

lan Mozek

Sharon Gal

My Dance The Skull

The Junkie- William Burroughs

Hornby

Dvorak The Dumkey Tri

Junkie Hornby Dumkey

LMC-London Musician Collective

The Clinker

This is a conversation with Caroline Kraabel who grew up in Seattle USA, and came to London as a teenager. She discovered saxophone and expressed her love for it via indie music and street performance.

I talked to Caroline about about how she began to play her instrument, her inspirations, collaborations and her experiences of the experimental music scene in London.

“it’s possible for somebody like me….in a state of complete ignorance about music to make sounds and put them together in a way that worked for me… & other people seemed to think it worked too..…”

Show Notes and mentions include:

Swell Maps

Ornette coleman

film making

soundtracks

tape loops & noises

Stormy weather

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat- by charles Mingus

working as a projectionist

Living in squats

John Stevens workshops in stockwell

Search and Reflect by John Stevens

Maggie Nichols

fake blood

Susan Alcorn- pedal steel player

Annie Lewandowski- musical saw prep piano accordion

Veryan Weston

John Edwards

Chemistry beats electricity

Mark Sanders

Bei Bei Wang

This conversation is with Richard Sanderson who is an improvising musician based in London. He has recorded with the groups; Ticklish, Minnow, Lost Robots and in duos with Mark Spybey and Steve Beresford. He has recorded for several labels including Grob, Textile and Duophonic. He has performed at festivals of experimental music throughout Europe.

He is the curator of Linear Obsessional Recordings.

I talked to Richard about how he began to play his instrument, his inspirations, collaborations and his experiences of the experimental music scene in London and we listen to some of his music.