No Bounds Festival in Sheffield, October 14th

Improv & avant-garde powerhouse Martin Archer is to run a one day festival in Sheffield on October 14th.

No Bounds Festival will take place at the newly refurbished arts centre at Sheffield's Nonconformist Chapel (Cemetery Road, Sheffield).

This festival within a festival is partly funded by Jazz North's Northern Line scheme. The event is split into three parts (with admission costing £5 for each part).

Line up -

Commencing 1.30pm

Maja Bugge - solo cello
Juxtavoices - 25 piece improv choir directed by Martin Archer and Alan Halsey
H Trio - Mark Hanslip/Otto Willberg/ Andrew Cheetham

Commencing 4.30pm

Charlie Collins/Ryoko Akama
Platform 4 - Sheffield based contemporary music composers collective
Beck Hunters - Mick Beck/Anton Hunter/Johnny Hunter

Commencing 8pm

Matthew Bourne - solo memorymoog
Corey Mwamba/Mark Sanders
Inclusion Principle - Martin Archer/Herve Perez/Peter Fairclough

And finally to top it all off, lurking in the cemetery ground between sets and alarming passers-by with sonic events will be maverick composer Steven Chase.

A date for the diaries for sure!

New from Discus - See One, Do One, Teach One

Martin Archer's label Discus Music released their 64th album on August 1st as the third in a series of quartet releases featuring new combinations of musicians from the Discus family.

Deep Tide Quartet features Martin Archer on tenor sax, Kim Macari on trumpet, Laura Cole on piano and Walt Shaw on percussion & live electronics.

Open ended jazz playing with no stylistic limits – written scores, graphic scores, improvisation – improvisation which is inclusive of melody and structure – whatever we feel like playing – plenty of space for the music to develop its direction – concentrated and careful listening - ultimately rooted in, and building on the tradition of, pure jazz skill no matter where the music takes us.

Though originally conceived as a recording project, the band quickly decided to work together and take the band out live. Their debut was at The Verdict in Brighton in July and dates are confirmed in Liverpool, Birmingham, Sheffield and Bristol in the coming months. 

For more information and to listen to/buy the album, visit the Discus Music website.

New Releases from Discus Music

The cogs in the Discus Music machine never seem to stop turning and already in 2017, they have a host of new releases available to buy.

Felicity's Ultimatum (artwork shown above) and Sunshine! Quartet are two albums in a series that feature small groups made up of members of the Discus Music family. Each group meets, writes, rehearses and records in one single session. Felicity's Ultimatum features Martin Archer, Graham Clark, Stephen Grew and Johnny Hunter. Sunshine! Quartet features Martin Archer, Seth Bennett, Corey Mwamba and Peter Fairclough.

All There Is is a duo album featuring Trevor Watts and Stephen Grew.  The combination of their playing styles leads for a very potent and visceral experience, but also has interludes of great tenderness.  The music has both a relaxed, and “on the edge” feel at the same time, as all truly improvised music has.

For information on these and all other Discus Music releases, as well as to hear excerpts and buy CDs, visit the Discus Music website.

NJN Jazz Advent Calendar - Juxtavoices (Dec 20th)

Behind door number 20 is our largest ensemble included in our calendar - Sheffield's premiere anti-choir, Juxtavoices.

Click here to watch Juxtavoices perform For You, Me & Krakatoa - https://youtu.be/wUC5aULd-dQ

Juxtavoices is a large antichoir which includes many familiar faces from Sheffield’s leftfield music, poetry and visual arts scene. Although the group performs structured scores, no fixed pitches are ever notated, and the group uses improvisation to shape the detail of the scores as the music progresses. Both trained and untrained voices are included. As well as playing normal concerts, the group is to be found in various unexpected public places and at poetry / text events. 

Juxtavoices are 

Julie Archer, Martin Archer, Jon Ashe, David Bartholomew, Ian Baxter, Mick Beck, Nathan Bettany, Geoff Bright, Chris Bywater, Clinton Chaloner, Julie Cole, Laura Cole, Emma Cooper, Paul Coupe, Edward Eggleston, Kat Fletcher, Sharon Gill, Alan Halsey, Matt Harling, Lyn Hodnett, Christine Kennedy, Bo Meson, Tamar Millen, Geraldine Monk, Rick Moran, Liam Murphy, Tim Plant, Marion Rout, Liz Searle, Wolfgang Seel, Walt Shaw,  Jan Todd, Jane Tormey, Caroline Veal, Peter Veal, Linda Lee Welch, Gillian Whiteley.

NJN Jazz Advent Calendar - Inclusion Principle (Dec 16th)

We're now into single digits before the big day and to celebrate, here is a wonderful trio compromised of Martin Archer, Peter Fairclough and Herve Perez - Inclusion Principle.

Click this link to hear an extract from the group's latest album, Third Opening released in 2015 - http://discus-music.co.uk/catalogue-mobile/dis49cd-detail

Inclusion Principle operates in a space between electronics, nu-jazz, contemporary electroacoustic music and free improvisation tending towards a minimalist approach.

Both Martin and Hervé play a similar set up of laptop and woodwinds and yet have a different approach to their instruments. Put together, there is a chemistry that inspire and drive their improvisations towards a wide range of soundscapes. the choice of instruments and sounds on their palette allows them to dramatically change their music between beat driven electro, minimal and microtonal improvisation via electroacoustic experimentation and nujazz. Now joined by master improvising percussionist Fairclough for this third album, there is something for all in their music and, first and foremost, an enjoyment of sound and performance, which carries across and touch their audience, whatever the style they may adopt.

Third Opening is recorded with an almost forensic focus on the small detail within the sound, revealing a seething quantum world of sound just under the surface.

A Day of Music at the Three Cranes, Sheffield - July 23rd

If the Dandy Warhols, Kelis and Dizzee Rascal aren't your thing, you probably shouldn't go to the Tramlines Festival in Sheffield. Instead, you should join Martin Archer and his musical comrades for a day of music ala Discus at the Three Cranes on July 23rd.

Martin has invited lots of Discus artists and friends to perform throughout the day, a celebration of improvisation, electronic music and the avant-garde. What's more, it is free to attend (donations gratefully received and a CD stall will be set up to purchase albums released by Discus) and refreshments will be available throughout the day.

Visit the Discus website to check out the artists and albums connected to the label, and see below for a schedule of the day.

Venue: The Three Cranes, 74 Queen Street, Sheffield

13.00 - Walt Shaw & Martin Archer - percussion / sax duo

14.00 - Das Rad - Nick Robinson (guitar) / Martin Archer (sax) / Steve Dinsdale (electronic drums) - melodic motorik
https://www.facebook.com/events/842902562506179/

15.00 - Chris Bywater - solo laptop abstraction
https://soundcloud.com/chris-bywater-2/chris-bywater-fuse-bradford-12-may-2016wav

17.00 - Modulator ESP - solo synths and electronics from Jez Creek
https://www.facebook.com/ModulatorESP/?fref=ts

18.00 - The Unkillable Clerics - song based post-metal Chamber Music

https://www.facebook.com/UnKillableClerics/?fref=ts

20.00 - frostlake - haunting songs and electronics
https://www.facebook.com/frostlakemusic/?fref=ts

21.00 - Inclusion Principle - Martin Archer & Herve Perez (laptops, saxes) / Peter Fairclough (drums) - in a space between electronics, nu-jazz, contemporary electroacoustic music and free improvisation
https://www.facebook.com/Inclusion-Principle-110752295685776/?fref=ts

22.00 - Meson - freewheeling floating collective improv and poetry under the misdirection of Bo Meson
https://www.facebook.com/Meson-235514343146751/?fref=ts
meson.me.uk

Upcoming Releases and a gig from Discus Music

The indefatigable Martin Archer has announced the two newest releases from his record label, Discus Music as well as a gig later in the month.

Readers of this blog will remember that we recently published an article about a crowdfunding campaign Discus will running to support the Keith Tippett Octet's new album. Well, the campaign was a success and the Nine Dances of Patrick O'Gonogon will be the 56^th release on the label. This can be listened to and ordered on the website.

Following that, release 57 will be an ambitious double album from a new project, Story Tellers. With Martin himself on woodwinds and joined by Anton Hunter, Corey Mwamba, Pete Fairclough, Kim Macari and Mick Somerset Ward, Story Tellers will be released in July. A group of strong improvising voices coming together to form something huge...

And if you'd like to hear music like this live, Martin is putting on a gig on June 24^th at Bishop's House in Sheffield featuring two sets of music. DAS RAD is a trio of musicians from the Discus Music roster performing together for the first time – Martin on saxophone & electronics, Nick Robinson on guitar and electronics and Steve Dinsdale on drums and electronics. They are joined by Jez Creek aka Modulator ESP who will perform a solo set.

Information on all of this and more can be found on the Discus Music website. (www.discus-music.co.uk)