Tuesday 22 May 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
Duo: Blanca Regina (voice, visuals, electronics & objects) & Benedict Taylor (viola)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztYrNosbCRY
http://www.whiteemotion.com
https://benedict-taylor.blogspot.co.uk
Performance by Blanca Regina, Benedict Taylor and Pierre Bouvier Patron from Unpredictable Series & WM on Vimeo.
Trio: Daniel Thompson (guitar), Caroline Kraabel (saxophone) & Max Reed (movement)
https://www.danielthompsonguitar.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFSI2GG4sy8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Kraabel
Blanca Regina is an interdisciplinary artist, independent curator, and educator based in London currently involved in creating audio-visual performances, sound works, installations, films, and book arts. She is co-founder of Unpredictable Series focused on spontaneous music and experimentation, visual arts, and archives. With Steve Beresford, she has produced three albums, mixed and mastered by Dave Hunt in London. ‘What Blue’ (2020) Duets with Beresford; ‘Duets with Blanca Regina, Spontaneous Music’ featuring duets with Leafcutter John, Jack Goldstein, John Butcher, Benedict Taylor, Matthias Kispert, Aneek Thapar, Steve Beresford, Sharon Gal, and Hyelim Kim and ‘Art of Improvisers’ (2017) a collection album with several artists concentrating on women improvisers. With long-time collaborator and artist Leafcutter John capturing their live performances in 2017, they created ‘Miga’ limited-edition pen drive and digital release. Other collaborations include performances and projects with Matthias Kispert, David Toop, Matt Black (Coldcut), Art Terry, and Peter Cusack.
She is currently working on Terry Day's archives and finishing a documentary film about him.
Benedict Taylor is a solo viola player, violinist and composer active within string performance and improvised music in the British and European new music world. Described as a “virtuoso contemporary violist”, the central focus of his work is on the viola & improvisation, alongside composing for live performance, film, theatre, contemporary dance, art installation and creating multiple concept album projects.
https://benedicttaylormusic.com
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
Max Reed’s interest in improvisation started in jazz as a pianist and then on to dance. He has trained in a wide range of styles and traditions including contemporary, African, Javanese, Butoh, and was a student of expressionist dancer and choreographer Hilde Holger. Among the productions Max has performed in are national tours with dance-theatre companies and then coming home full circle to perform with improvising musicians.
