An exploration of innovative approaches to song, improvisation and the crossover between the two.

LEAFCUTTER JOHN

Yorkshire come London lad, John Burton has graced the planet with his remarkable contributions to electronic, folk and experimental music since his primary exploring with an old computer he originally bought to write his Art School dissertation in 1998. Since then he's released 3 critically acclaimed albums which culminated in the release of "The Housebound Spirit" on Planet Mu Records. An Album which combined elements of music-concrete and electro-acoustic music with voice and guitar work more commonly found in folk music.

His forth album "The Forest and the Sea" (Staubgold) became a great success for artist and label alike and was nominated for best album (Quartz award 2007), with it he toured extensively throughout Europe and Australasia performing alongside; Matmos, Nick Cave, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Jarvis Cocker, Yo La Tengo, Grace Jones, Beth Orton, Otomo Yoshihide, Aki Onda, Phillip Jeck, Carsten Nicolai, Tujiko Noriko amongst others.

John is also a full time member of the Mercury Music Award nominated contemporary Jazz band Polar Bear, providing electronics, guitar, and vocals, and with the bands founder Sebastian Rochford John collaborates in the duo project 'Nails'. John's other duo project includes one with the accomplished Tabla player Talvin Singh (tabla / voice & electronics / guitar / voice).

"It's his haunting voice that has the most magnificent impact, on the likes of 'Dream III' and beautiful harmonised closer 'Now' - Tim Chester, NME

CLANG SAYNE

Directed by songwriter/improvisor Laura Hyland, Clang Sayne explore the boundaries between traditional song and free improvisation. The group began as a song-based collaboration between Laura, and guitarist, James O Sullivan in 2007, and later expanded to include bassist, Peter Marsh and percussionist, Paul May.

Their debut album, 'Winterlands', released in September 2009, has been described as
"exhillarating and modest, yet perverse in its refusal to conform"
(Clive Bell, The Wire)

"showcasing an uncategorisable approach to song craft that brings to mind the music of Tim Buckley, Jandek and David Sylvian's collaborations with Derek Bailey."
(Boomkat)

"Sandy Denny at her most fervent joining the sessions for Mark Hollis’ solo record"
(Baked Goods)

"an explicit and compelling example of music that interrogates traditional forms but explodes them due to some unnameable creative imperative”

(Scott McMillian, Mapsidaisical)

Both the album and their initial live performances focused on improvised interpretations of Laura's songs, however recently they have begun taking a more spontaneous approach to song craft, whereby they improvise melodies, rhythms and textures around lyrics and texts, and vice versa.

Clayne Sayne website


A Ritual To Read To Each Other by Clang Sayne

SARAH KENCHINGTON & MARK D'INVERNO

In this one-off experimental collaboration, Sarah Kenchington will be performing with London based jazz pianist Mark d'Inverno.

Sarah Kenchington is an instrument maker and musician, she plays a pedal-powered, semi-mechanical orchestra, made from adapted and invented instruments, including a double ended hurdy gurdy/banjo, a souped up brass band and a giant music box. She is part of the vibrant and fluid experimental music scene in Glasgow. Recordings include: Bellow Switch (Shadazz records) with Daniel Padden (Volcano The Bear), sing it softly to the pebbles (meagre resource) with Vernon and Burns and Dummy Jim (Unshaped Led) with The One Ensemble.

Mark d'Inverno started playing the piano when he was five and started playing jazz and improvised music when he was 12. He has worked in a variety of bands (pop, dance, jazz and improvised) in the last 30 years and his album Joy which was critically acclaimed by the national press (Guardian, Observer) and made album of the month by the Jazz critic and author Ian Carr. His current trio includes Larry Bartley and Winston Clifford and they will be releasing an album later this year.

Sarah Kenchington on Myspace