whi
music is dedicated to promoting the power and beauty of improvised and
experimental music. Based in Liverpool, UK, it's largely based around
my activities and collaborations.
the
catalogue now includes thirteen items, the most recent being 'Human' by
Maggie Nicols & Phil Hargreaves (see below). 'where we were' by
Caroline
Kraabel & phil hargreaves is currently available on Leo Records. for
more information
on this release, see the dedicated
website.
I've
got
a blog
to which i add my pearls of wisdom to from time to time.
.
Malchamech is Richard Harding (Chapman
Stick), Phil Hargreaves (Saxes/Flute) and Richard Harrison (Drums). The
Malchamech sound draws on classic metal and the unpredictability of
improvised music to create a swirling maelstrom of sound that still
isn't afraid of its tender side. So if you like your sounds on the
intense, slightly noisy side - this one's for you. CD is forthcoming,
but in the meantime, check out the SoundCloud stuff:
'Human by
Maggie Nicols & Phil Hargreaves is now out.
It's hard to overstate how
happy we are with this
CD - it took two years to make, and it doesn't sound like one
that you already own. It's a tapestry of so many things, ranging from
dense audio collages to intimate improvised duos recorded in Dark
Places. You can listen to the first ten minutes below.
This
is a proper silver disk (ie not a CDr) in a very handsome six-panel
cardboard sleeve, and available for the bargain price of £7 including
p&p. Well, i think it's a bargain, anyway.
The second amere3 CD is now
out on Bruce's Fingers.
Over to Simon Fell - "Firstly, I feel this music finds yet another way
of investigating the saxophone / bass / drums format, without repeating
the approach of any of its illustrious forebears in the BF catalogue.
Phil Hargreaves has developed a quite unique and extremely personal
voice on the saxophone - one which allows him to contribute freely but
without ever dominating or railroading the ensemble through sheer
physical power. Over the years Rob and I have worked hard to find a
language
which would best contextualise this language, with the opportunities it
presents; this excellent CD is the result.
Whilst this music is probably free jazz for the majority of the time,
it remains non-hierarchical throughout - which is a particular
pleasure. Secondly, Phil (who recorded this music) has excellently
captured the acoustic sound of my bass. The BF catalogue contains
numerous CDs where for whatever reason I regret the recorded bass sound
(I'm sure the bass players among you will understand...) - but this is
most definitely not one of them!"
-------------------------
You can find more about this CD, along with the opportunity to purchase
said disc at the Bruce's
Fingers website, or here for
the Bandcamp site.
The
second CD by Graculus, 'Small Things', is an album of miniatures, each
improvised, each under 2:30 long (some a lot under). As well as being
available as a download via Bandcamp, there's a silver disk in a
hand-made package, which is yours for £6, including postage.
Plus,
i've now enabled the e-commerce side of things, so you can buy this,
and other titles, from the comfort of your chair (assuming your chair
is comfortable in the first place, that is):
Including
several of the tracks off of 'Small Things', a trio of Maggie Nicols,
Phil Minton & Steve Boyland, and some interesting things with
the
inside of a piano frame...
The
performance by the Infinite Monkey Orchestra in 2009, with Simon Fell,
was recorded,
and has now been released on Ian Simpson's Electronic Musik netlabel.
Go to http://www.archive.org/details/InfiniteMonkeyOrchestraem100 for a free listen and/or
download
This is a vid of Graculus at the very wonderful If Only night at
the Bluecoat Arts
Centre in Dec 2011. For more like this, see the YouTube
Channel.
Keep in touch!!
If
you live in the North West of the UK, why not
subscribe to
the New Music North West egroup, where you'll find out just what's hot
locally without lifting a finger? This mailing list has been operating
for a while now, and it's a genuinely useful resource if you're at all
interested in improvised/experimental music.