News
A major tour with Inner Space, gigs with The Wobbly Rail 5, CD with Roger Turner, and a growing schedule of work for Two of a Mind.
Live recording of Two of a Mind in Welwyn on March 25th for broadcast on Jazz Now, BBC Radio 3, July 23rd 2018.
Two of a Mind with alto saxophonist Allison Neale and Chris on baritone sax is based on the freewheeling, wonderfully melodic interpretations of standard material recorded 50 years ago by Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond on Blues in Time and Two of a Mind. Then and Now, the band’s debut album on Trio Records, includes some tracks using arrangements from those original recordings, as well as new compositions and arrangements by Chris and Allison. In live performances Chris now features alto clarinet as well as baritone sax.
Excellent reviews have been coming in and are being matched by an increasing number of gigs around the country. Gigs coming up include Birmingham Legends Festival – Women in Jazz, Dorking, Cadogan Hall London, Berkhamsted and Portsmouth. A recent gig in Welwyn was recorded for BBC Radio 3 to be broadcast on Jazz Now, July 23rd. For full information, click on the CD image or go to the Two of a Mind page.
In January Didier Levallet’s new 10 piece band The Brotherhood Heritage dedicated to the music of Chris McGregor and musicians from the Blue Notes and The Brotherhood of Breath played highly successful gigs in 2017 and early 2018 including Crest, Malakoff (Paris), Perpignan. and Laon.
Inner Space
Loz Speyer's Inner Space featuring Rachel Musson has a new release on Leo Records (LR782) called Life on the Edge, and you can find out more by visiting www.lozspeyer.com/innerspace
A spring and early summer tour with financial support from Arts Council England takes the band from Devon to Ambleside and points between during May and June.
Blythe Spirits with Chris Batchelor, Gary Willcox and Steve Watts looks at improvising on the music of Arthur Blythe, Ornette Coleman, Fats Waller and Monk as well as some compositions from within the band. Look out for gigs later in the year. A reunion with Tony Kofi of the Profiles quartet is also scheduled for late 2018.
The recent trio gig in Newcastle with Chris, Roger Turner and bassist John Pope was recorded and will be released on the Confront label later this year. The band now has a name - Morphology, and is playing in Italy towards the end of the year.
See Chris's Diary for more details
Chris Biscoe
click on the image for a larger view
Wobbly Rail 5, the band co-led by Chris and Pete Hurt is getting into gear with gigs in Cheltenham and Birmingham. The repertoire is mostly by Chris and Pete, with contributions from pianist Liam Noble and choice selections from the Thelonious Monk songbook.
The Dave Jones Nonet featuring Henry Lowther and John Turville is going to record its first album this summer.
Then and Now, the band’s debut album on Trio Records, includes some tracks using arrangements from those original recordings, as well as new compositions and arrangements by Chris and Allison. In live performances Chris now features alto clarinet as well as baritone sax.
Allison Neale and Chris Biscoe