Tuesday 4 February 2020, 7.30pm
A first time meeting for two giants of post-Coltrane improvised music, Paul Dunmall and Jeff Williams. Dunmall and Williams have never played together before this tour, despite being of the same generation and both playing significant roles in the history of the music. They have been brought together in the group by two younger musicians who have extensive playing relationships with both Dunmall and Williams, Olie Brice and Percy Pursglove.
Paul Dunmall / tenor
Percy Pursglove / trumpet
Olie Brice / double bass
Jeff Williams / drums
“A robust and heavy hitting performer who has gone on to concentrate largely on free improvisation without sacrificing a rigorous melodic logic, a sparing lyricism and the technique to drop in on bebop occasionally.” – John Fordham, The Guardian
For 30 years Paul has carved out a reputation for himself and is now widely recognized as one of the most uncompromising and talented reed players on the International jazz/improvised music scene. Whether playing in Small or large groups, his musical sensitivity and imagination, combined with a powerful sound, make him one of the most distinctive improvisers playing today. He has performed with Alice Coltrane, Johnny Guitar Watson, Danny Thompson, LJCO, Mujician, Henry Grimes/Andrew Cyrille and a duo with Chris Corsano.
Olie Brice is a double bassist, improviser and composer. Raised in London and Jerusalem, he now lives by the sea in Hastings.
Olie Brice leads and composes for two groups, a trio (with Tom Challenger & Will Glaser) and an Octet (with Alex Bonney, Kim Macari, Jason Yarde, Rachel Musson, George Crowley, Cath Roberts & Johnny Hunter). Both of these groups were featured on the critically acclaimed double album ‘Fire Hills’. Previously Brice lead a quintet – “one of the most interesting and satisfying bands on the current UK scene” – which released two albums, ‘Immune to Clockwork’ and ‘Day After Day’. He has also composed a piece for improvising string quartet, ‘From the Mouths of Lions’, which will be released in 2024.
Brice is a committed free improviser, who has performed, toured and recorded with many of the leading names in the music. Frequent collaborators include Mark Sanders, Paul Dunmall, Rachel Musson, Tobias Delius, Cath Roberts and Luis Vicente, and he has also appeared with the likes of Evan Parker, Tony Malaby, John Butcher, Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark, Eddie Prevost and Louis Moholo. He is part of several ongoing improvising ensembles including Somersaults (with Tobias Delius & Mark Sanders) and The Acrylic Rib (with Albert Cirera & Nicolas Field).
Brice is also in demand as a bass player in creative ensembles led by many artists, including Dee Byrne’s Outlines and Out Front (Nick Malcolm’s quintet playing the music of Andrew Hill and Booker Little). He regularly performs at venues and festivals across Europe. Brice has been the recipient of Arts Council England funding multiple times and in 2021 received a composition commission from Jazz South.
“Brice makes the entire body of his bass sing. He has the ability to deliver a fractal line that is as purposeful as any by the great jazz bassists, but to do so within an entirely abstract setting” - Brian Morton, Point of Departure
Percy Pursglove is a multi-instrumentalist trumpeter, double bassist, educator, improviser and composer, working internationally across a broad spectrum of jazz, contemporary classical and creative musical settings.
“Somehow Pursglove created a completely whole musical world all of his own. That is a rare achievement.” – Jazzwise
Born in Mount Vernon, Ohio, Jeff began his professional jazz drumming career in New York in 1971. By '72 he was playing with Stan Getz, followed by Dave Liebman and Lookout Farm through 1976. His other associations include Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, Paul Bley, Bill McHenry, Ethan Iverson, Tony Malaby, Leo Genovese and a host of others. Since making a second home in London some years ago Jeff has performed with Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Martin Speake, Nikki Illes, Olie Brice and more, in addition to leading his own bands, whose members have included Phil Robson, Kit Downes, Finn Peters, Josh Arcoleo, Sam Lasserson, John O'Gallagher, Duane Eubanks and John Hébert. Jeff has recorded five albums for the Whirlwind Recordings label showcasing his original compositions. The latest, Bloom , features Carmen Staaf-piano and Michael Formanek-bassand is available in both CD and 180 gram LP formats. Having benefitted from much experience, and extensive study with the great Alan Dawson, Jeff has given jazz drumming instruction at a number of universities and currently teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
