Wednesday 17 May 2023, 8pm
"Pak Yan Lau, one of the most original pianists of the new European creative scene, has the ability to build complex formal architectures starting from minimal materials -- insistent rhythms, barely hinted melodies, electronic effects as evocative as they are mysterious. Darin Gray uses his long experience as the backbone of many improvisational groups with a painstaking work on timbre and a deep and multiform sound, providing a solid support to extemporary creations that have the solidity of pondered compositions. The music of the duo develops on wide structural strings, elegantly combining the continuous surprise of free improvisation with the material suggestions of electroacoustic experimentation, in a game of references and narrative developments almost cinematic, which tell a fascinating sound world, strangely familiar yet constantly new and surprising." --Nicola Negri, Centro d'Arte Padova, Italy.
With support from:
Pak Yan Lau, born in Belgium, with roots from Hong Kong and now based in Brussels is a sound artist, improviser, musician and composer, who has developed over the years a rich, dense and captivating sound universe from prepared pianos, toy pianos, synths, electronics and various sound objects. Skilfully blending electro-acoustic approaches, she explores sound in a bewitching way, merging different sound sources with poetry, magic and finesse.
Her solo efforts were documented among others on the excellent recording “BOOKS” (2015), magnificent wooden object-trilogy released on the Silent Water label where it explores in 3 distinct parts the world of synthesizers-samplers-electronics, then the world of harmonics and metallic basses of various “toy pianos”, and finally the interior of a prepared grand piano, transforming its conventional sound into an enveloping tense sound weave...[more]
Darin Gray is known as a solo artist, tireless collaborator, session bassist, improviser, composer, educator, Jim O’Rourke’s go-to bassist for over 25 years, as half of the long standing duo On Fillmore (with Glenn Kotche of Wilco), as the touring bassist for TWEEDY (2014-2019), as a member of Akira Sakata & Chikamorachi, and as the bassist for Grand Ulena, Dazzling Killmen, You Fantastic!, and Brise-Glace.
Darin’s discography includes over 150 releases. He has composed for film, theater, dance, radio, and podcasts, and toured extensively in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Russia, and Europe.
ALAN WILKINSON (alto, baritone saxophones, bass clarinet) has for many years been a leading figure in the British Improvised Music Community. His reputation of a full blast, take no prisoners approach was cast in the Leeds based trio Hession/Wilkinson/Fell. Based in London since 1990 his current groups include a long standing trio with John Edwards and Steve Noble, the quartet The Founder Effect with John Coxon, Pat Thomas and Noble, and many collaborations past and present with among others Derek Bailey, Peter Brötzmann, Thurston Moore, J.Spaceman, Chris Corsano, Konstrukt and Talibam!
"At its highest points, this session unleashes some of the most preposterously powerful energy jazz heard since Peter Brötzmann's Yatagarasu trio with Takeo Moriyama and Masahiko Satoh" - Daniel Spicer, The WIRE
Steve Noble is London's leading drummer, a fearless and constantly inventive improviser whose super-precise, ultra-propulsive and hyper-detailed playing has galvanized encounters with Derek Bailey, Matthew Shipp, Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Stephen O'Malley, Joe McPhee, Alex Ward, Rhodri Davies and many, many more.
In the early eighties, Noble played with the Nigerian master drummer Elkan Ogunde, Rip Rig and Panic, Brion Gysin and the Bow Gamelan Ensemble, before going on to work with the pianist Alex Maguire and with Derek Bailey (including Company Weeks 1987, 89 and 90). He was featured in the Bailey's excellent TV series on Improvisation for Channel 4 based on his book ‘Improvisation; its nature and practise’. He has toured and performed throughout Europe, Africa and America and currently leads the groups N.E.W (with John Edwards and Alex Ward) and DECOY (with John Edwards and Alexander Hawkins).
