John Pope is a composer, improviser and bass player living in the North East of England. His work explores the boundaries of jazz, free improvisation, rock and experimental music. He is the leader of his own chord-less quintet inspired by the music of Ornette Coleman, Misha Mengelberg and the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. John is also a founding member of award winning alt-jazz group Archipelago, and in 2020 was selected as one of the artists on Serious’ prestigious Take Five program. John is deeply committed to the exploration of improvised music as a vehicle for both collective and solo expression. He has performed extensively as a soloist and in collaboration with internationally recognised artists including Joe McPhee, Evan Parker, Alexander Hawkins, Richard Dawson and many others. He has performed at festivals across the UK and Europe, including London Jazz Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival, TUSK and Gateshead International Jazz Festival, Bimhuis (Netherlands) and Area Sismica (Italy).