Tuesday 19 June 2018, 6.30pm, OTO Project Space
CRAM is music collective & independent record label, formed in 2009. It is dedicated to the support, production, promotion and development of improvised and new music. It was founded by Benedict Taylor and is curated by Benedict Taylor, Tom Jackson & Daniel Thompson. It is made up of a fluid group of musicians/artists, at the forefront of the London improvising & new music community, alongside key figures in music throughout many countries in Europe, Asia & North America. The group have, over the course of 9 years, programmed numerous concert series, tours & international residencies, BBC Radio broadcasts, an ongoing three day festival of improvisation and many album releases. They are thrilled to be bringing some CRAM artists to Cafe Oto in 2018.
https://cramrecords.bandcamp.com
http://cramrecords.blogspot.com
Trio: John Edwards (bass), Daniel Thompson (guitar), Benedict Taylor (viola)
Duo: Stephen Crowe (guitar) & Tom Jackson (clarinets)
https://soundcloud.com/scrowe/honeyvoiced-mythweaver-sappho-songs
https://musictomjackson.com
http://stephencroweopera.org/about
Stephen Crowe is an English composer of operas and experimental music.
London performances of his work have been at Camden Arts Centre, The Courtauld Gallery, Kings Place, The National Portrait Gallery, The Place, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Riverside Studios, Tate Britain and The Vortex.
As a guitarist he performs free improv on an irregular basis in London and Berlin.
He sings in 'StreisBAND', a hardcore Barbra Streisand covers band.
“The future of new opera.” – The Independent
“Amazing stuff.” – BBC 6Music
“Pretentious nonsense.” – The Scotsman
“OK, I guess.” – Henry Rollins
Tom Jackson is a clarinettist and saxophonist active in London and Europe, largely dedicated to the fields of contemporary classical music and free improvisation. He maintains an extensive and eclectic performance schedule and has performed throughout Europe, Australia and Asia.
Tom has worked with various contemporary chamber groups such as Apartment House, Lontano, Plus-Minus, ChampdAction, Ictus and Splinter Cell. He has recently completed a PhD at Canterbury Christ Church University on relational aesthetics and free improvisation.
“Tom Jackson conjured a jaw-dropping array of sonic effects.” – Cusp Magazine
John Edwards is a true virtuoso whose staggering range of techniques and boundless musical imagination have redefined the possibility of the double bass and dramatically expanded its role, whether playing solo or with others. Perpetually in demand, he has played with Evan Parker, Sunny Murray, Derek Bailey, Joe McPhee, Lol Coxhill, Peter Brötzmann, Mulatu Astatke and many others.
"I think John Edwards is absolutely remarkable: there’s never been anything like him before, anywhere in jazz." - Richard Williams, The Blue Moment
Daniel was born in Norfolk, England. Largely self-taught, he moved to London in 2005 and studied with the guitarist John Russell for two years. Since then, he has performed at many venues and festivals across the UK and Europe. In addition, he has also been organising concerts including the ‘The Shoreditch Church Concert Series' with Benedict Taylor.
Currently you can hear and see Daniel performing solo, with other musicians in many ad-hoc improvising situations and in long-term collaborations or 'working groups'. Recent collaborations include performances and/or recordings with Neil Metcalfe, Steve Noble, Caroline Kraabel, Max Reed, John Edwards, Benedict Taylor, Tom Jackson, Vid Drasler, Evan Parker, Adam Bohman, Sue Lynch, Alex Ward, Kay Grant, Roland Ramanan, Adrian Northover, Marcello Magliocchi, Alan Wilkinson, Colin Webster amongst others.
Daniel is the founder and artistic director of 'Empty Birdcage Records', a label dedicated to releasing documents of free improvisation. emptybirdcagerecords.bandcamp.com
Benedict Taylor is a solo violist, violinist & composer, working in improvised and new music. As an improviser he likes to play and record with many super people, and over the years has worked with; Keith Tippett, Evan Parker, Terry Day, Lauren Kinsella, Lawrence Upton, Alex Ward, Cath Roberts, Tom Jackson, Renee Baker, Paul Dunmall, Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Dirk Serries, Steve Beresford, Angharad Davies, Neil Luck, John Edwards, Ivor Kallin, Anton Mobin, Hannah Marshall, David Leahy, Adam de la Cour, Alison Blunt, Chris Cundy, Daniel Thompson, Kit Downes, Yves Charuest, Alexander Hawkins, Tom Challenger, Miya, Tetsu Saito, Erika Sofia Sollo, Gianni Mimmo, Stephen Crowe, Marcello Magliocchi amongst others.
Festival, venue and radio appearances include; Spontaneous Music Festival Poland, BBC Radio 3, Jazz en Nord Festival France, BBC Radio Late Junction, Cafe Oto, The Vortex, London Contemporary Music Festival, Tete a Tete Opera Festival, Ronnie Scott's, Aldeburgh Festival, Galway Jazz Festival, Cantiere Internazionale d'Arte Montepulciano, Southbank Centre, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Fête de la Musique Berlin, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Manchester International Festival, Royal Court Theatre, Trafalgar Studios, Manchester Jazz Festival, Cheltenham Festival, BBC Radio 2, Resonance FM, Radio Libertaire - Epsilonia - Paris, Rotterdam Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Berlinale, Palm Springs Film Festival, London Film Festival.
He has an annual ongoing series of solo string albums, investigating the viola and violin in all manner of ways.
