We’re very excited to be hosting Mopomoso for this special show. Guitarist John Russell founded Mopomoso in 1991, along with trumpeter and composer Chris Burn, and they have since put on over 300 shows at London’s Vortex club. This night brings together some of the key players that have made Mopomoso what it is over the years: Evan Parker, John Russell, John Edwards, Pat Thomas, Alison Blunt, Benedict Taylor, David Leahy, Alex Ward and Kay Grant.
We’ve chosen a different venue for this show – the Friends Meeting House in Ship Street. It has an excellent acoustic and more space than our usual venue, and also a grand piano which should come in handy for Pat Thomas’s set.
The show starts a bit earlier than usual as well – doors are at 7pm and the first act is on at 7.30pm.
Tickets are £6 (or £5 for members and unwaged) and are available online here: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/213461, and at Resident Records (01273 606312), and will also be on the door on the night .
Workshop
There is also an afternoon workshop which will be led by John Russell. It runs from 3-5pm, and is also at the Friends Meeting House. Tickets are £10, or £8 for Safehouse members. You can find out more about it here.
Tickets: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/213463
Update: There are also now discount tickets online for both the workshop and evening show, priced at £12 – http://www.wegottickets.com/event/218638
House Full of Floors:
Evan Parker: saxophones
John Russell: guitar
John Edwards: bass
They played a storming set at Safehouse in 2008, so we’d say this one is pretty much guaranteed to set your ear hairs on fire.
Pat Thomas: piano, keyboards
Pat Thomas is a mesmerising presence on stage and we’re really delighted to have him play at Safehouse. He has an intriguing discography, in that he’s played with many of the well-known UK improvisors such as Phil Minton, Lol Coxhill and Derek Bailey (as part of Company Week), but also with musicians from further afield such as Jim O’Rourke, Eugene Chadbourne, Rhys Chatham and Fred Frith.
Alison Blunt Trio
Alison Blunt: violin
Benedict Taylor: viola
David Leahy: bass
“Alison Blunt’s playing is unique. Eerie gut-ripping rattles and chokes from hell are interrupted by ringing notes of heavenly hope. I have never heard anything like it” – Jeffery Taylor.
Alex Ward: clarinet
Kay Grant : vocals
Fast Talk, the title of the album Ward and Grant released last year, neatly captures the instant rapport they have as a live duo, the human-like squeals and moans of Ward’s clarinet perfectly responding to Grant’s ululations. “Like the conversations of a long-married couple who both talk at once, finishing each other’s sentences and occasionally contradicting or explaining what the other one meant” – John Eyles, All About Jazz.
The Wildcard Quartet
At the end of every Safehouse open session four members are picked at random to form a one-off quartet to play at the show at the end of the month. This is them.