Wednesday 16 March 2022, 8pm
Around a year ago, Bloomsbury published ‘Pianos, Toys, Music and Noise’ by Andy Hamilton. Based on a series of conversations with Steve Beresford, it also included notes putting the chats in context and contributions from many of Steve’s collaborators. There was also a section of very good photographs. The cover photo and title (used for the three days at Café Oto on Steve’s 70th birthday) were supplied by Unpredictable’s Blanca Regina.
As Bloomsbury classified the book as academic, its price was quite high. But now there’s a paperback edition at a much lower price.
Now, Unpredictable presents Pianos, Toys, Music, and Noise: an evening that includes a 30-minute conversation with Steve Beresford and author Andy Hamilton and performances by Steve Beresford, Angharad Davis, Pat Thomas, Terry Day, Blanca Regina, and visuals by Pierre Bouvier Patron.
Steve Beresford has been a central figure in the British and international spontaneous music scenes for over fifty years, freely improvising on piano, objects, electronics and other things with people like Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Han Bennink and John Zorn. Long-standing groups have included Alterations (with David Toop, Terry Day and Peter Cusack), The Melody Four (with Lol Coxhill and Tony Coe, both RIP) and London Improvisers Orchestra.
He has written songs, composed for large and small ensembles, and scored short films, feature films, TV shows and commercials. He was part of the editorial teams of ‘Musics’ and ‘Collusion’ magazines, writes about music in various contexts, and was a senior lecturer in music at the University of Westminster.
Steve has worked with Christian Marclay on various Marclay mixed media pieces. He has also worked with The Slits, Najma Akhtar, Stewart Lee, Ivor Cutler, Prince Far-I, Alan Hacker, Tania Chen, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Faradena Afifi, Blanca Regina, Ray Davies, Mandhira De Saram, The Flying Lizards, Zeena Parkins, The Portsmouth Sinfonia, Ilan Volkov, Rachel Musson, Vic Reeves, Lore Lixenberg, Valentina Magaletti and many others.
Beresford has an extensive discography - around 500 releases - as performer, arranger, free-improviser, composer, conductor and producer. He was awarded a Paul Hamlyn award for composers in 2012.
In 2021, Bloomsbury published a book by Andy Hamilton: ‘Pianos, Toys, Music and Noise: Conversations with Steve Beresford’.
In 2022, Siglio published the book ‘Call and Response’, which partnered photographs by Christian Marclay with notated improvisations by Beresford.
Andy Hamilton has been writing for The Wire since 1985, probably a record of continuous service. His day job is teaching Philosophy at Durham University, UK. His books include Lee Konitz: Conversations on the Improviser's Art and Aesthetics and Music (both 2007) and Pianos Toys Music and Noise: Conversations with Steve Beresford (2020).
Angharad Davies is a Welsh violinist based in London working with free-improvisation, compositions and performance. Her approach to sound involves attentive listening and exploring beyond the sonic confines of her instrument, her classical training and performance expectation.
angharaddavies.com
Pat Thomas studied classical piano from aged 8 and started playing Jazz from the age of 16. He has since gone on to develop an utterly unique style - embracing improvisation, jazz and new music. He has played with Derek Bailey in Company Week (1990/91) and in the trio AND (with Noble) – with Tony Oxley’s Quartet and Celebration Orchestra and in Duo with Lol Coxhill.
"Sartorially shabby as Thomas may be, and on first impression even rather stolid, he has a somewhat imperious charisma that’s immediately amplified when he starts to play. Unlike other pianists whose virtuosity seems to be racing ahead of their thought processes Thomas always seems supremely in command of his gift, and his playing, no matter how free and ready to tangle with abstraction, always carries a charge of authoritative exactitude." - The Jazzmann
Terry Day is a first generation pioneer improviser from the 1960s: an improviser, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, songwriter, visual artist and poet.
A self-taught musician in a family of musicians, he began improvising on the drums with his brother in 1955. In the early ‘60s he formed the Hardy Holman Day trio, focusing on free improvisation. Later he became part of the band Kilburn & the Highroads, with Ian Dury. Sharing their interest in visual art and painting they both studied at Walthamstow School of Art and later at the Royal College of Art, London. As an art student in the ‘60s he was also a pioneer of free improvisation, free jazz & experimental music.
He formed a duo with guitarist Derek Bailey in the late ´60s and was a regular member of The Continuous Music Ensemble,The People Band and, later on, Alterations with David Toop, Steve Beresford & Peter Cusack.
Terry has collaborated with many musical luminaries, groups, dancers, painters, poets and performed in theatre. He now plays bamboo reed flutes, drums, recorders, balloons & improvises with his lyrics, prose and verse. Since 2000 he has been part of London Improvisers Orchestra. In recent years he has toured twice in both Japan and Brazil, and has performed with improvising orchestras in Malaga, Tokyo and Madrid.
Blanca Regina is a dynamic interdisciplinary artist, educator, and independent curator celebrated for her work in multimedia, projection art, experience design, and book arts. She creates captivating audiovisual performances, sound pieces, installations, and films that invite audiences into her imaginative world, using voice, objects, and visuals to craft spontaneous compositions. Blanca specializes in immersive and interactive experiences through multimedia installations and projection mapping, and she has taught many video mapping workshops. Her live performances blend sound, visuals, and spatial performance, making each event a unique experience. In addition to multimedia art, she creates experimental publications in book arts and curates events like the "Unpredictable Series," highlighting diverse voices. Blanca’s collaborations include working with Leafcutter John on "Miga" and producing albums with Steve Beresford, Laetitia Sadier, Matthias Kispert, Benedict Taylor, Peter Cusack, Terry Day, Aneek Thapar and others. Her work has been showcased internationally at venues such as Turner Contemporary, Barbican, and Tate Modern, and she has led engaging workshops at Roundhouse and other creative spaces. Blanca Regina's artistic journey is all about exploration and collaboration.
Pierre Bouvier Patron is a visual artist based in London. He is currently working with different media, such as digital video and analogue film, exploring the boundaries between them and creating moving image works, performances and installations. He has developed various practices and skills in experimental film, expanded cinema, and documentary films.
He is involved in video screenings and video performances, solo or in collaboration. His work has been shown in France (L'ATELIER MTK), Spain (Cruce, Proyector Festival), the United Kingdom (Cafe Oto, Iklectik, etc.), Mexico, Berlin (Sowieso), Amsterdam (Zaal100) etc.
