IMPROVISOR
Improvisor is a podcast examining the lives of experimental musicians and sound artists in London. Featuring conversations and music with artists from the thriving UK improvisation scene, this podcast explores the lives and creative practices of many of its performers.
I am fascinated to find out how artists came to be part of the improvisation scene, how they find their creative inspiration and what they see as being the future of improvised and experimental music.
Sign up below to get notified of each episode as they become available.
The Podcast – Episode 1
This is a conversation 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 and The Horse Trio. He has recorded for several labels including Grob, Textile and Duophonic. He has performed at festivals of experimental music throughout Europe. Richard has performed regularly at The Horse Music Club in London. 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.
The Podcast – Episode 2
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 how she began to play her instrument, her inspirations, collaborations and her experiences of the experimental music scene in London and we listen to some of her music.
The Podcast – Episode 3
This is a conversation 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.
The Podcast – Episode 4
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.
We talk about his many collaborations and experiences and discuss 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’
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 outrageous’….. ‘it has moved more centre stage…
The Podcast – Episode 5
This is a conversation with Sue Lynch an inspirational musican, artist, composer and promoter of The Horse Improv Club. We talk about her collaborations, listen to her compositions and I ask her about her ideas and motivation for curating The Iklectik Horse Festival which will take place in London SE1 in January 2018.
The Podcast – Episode 6
A conversation with John Edwards an incredible musician and double bass player. We talk about the Iklectik Horse Festival 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.
The Podcast – Episode 7
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, collaborations and play excerpts of her music.
I
The Podcast – Episode 8
Live from The Iklectik Horse Festival in London UK in January 2018. 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 performed at the IKlectik Art Lab in London SE1.
The Podcast – Episode 9
The latest episode of the podcast is a conversation with Carole Finer. This is an extremely special podcast, as sadly Carole 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 artists she collaborated with and who inspired her and I have listed everything 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 Olympic Games in 1972. It was insightful and incredibly inspiring to hear about Carole’s life as an artist, musician and sound artist and her world travels collecting field recordings. She talked so effortlessly as she always did in her long running radio show ‘Sound Out’ on Resonance FM. Her generosity and humility touched many people who were fortunate to have known her and I am so grateful to have been able to have this conversation.