KIT DOWNES - Take Five No: 66
Can you tell us about your new album?
It’s a collage record involving multiple improvisations in multiple locations with different guests (Tom Challenger - saxophone, Lucy Railton - cello, Stian Westerhus - guitar, Seb Rochford - drums and myself playing both piano and church organ). Quite a bit of editing took place after the improvisations where I then constructed themes and extra details to add to the architecture of the pieces. The idea sonically was to find a neutral space for all these different sized instruments to sit in - no one particular room sound, and to also mess with the idea of scale (a cello sounding with the same scale presence as a church organ). The title refers to a supposed quote from a documentary about the novelist W.G. Sebald - whose book ‘The Rings of Saturn’ I was greatly influenced by. The book itself embraces and documents the imagination and leaps of association of the wandering mind - written during a walking tour of Suffolk.
What other projects are you currently involved in?
I have made a live ensemble for this project which will tour throughout the next year. As well as that I am playing with the piano trio ‘ENEMY’, we will record next year also. I continue to collaborate with Ingebjorg Loe Bjornstad (with Tom), folk fiddler Aidan O’Rourke and composers Max deWardener and Shiva Feshareki.
It’s a collage record involving multiple improvisations in multiple locations with different guests (Tom Challenger - saxophone, Lucy Railton - cello, Stian Westerhus - guitar, Seb Rochford - drums and myself playing both piano and church organ). Quite a bit of editing took place after the improvisations where I then constructed themes and extra details to add to the architecture of the pieces. The idea sonically was to find a neutral space for all these different sized instruments to sit in - no one particular room sound, and to also mess with the idea of scale (a cello sounding with the same scale presence as a church organ). The title refers to a supposed quote from a documentary about the novelist W.G. Sebald - whose book ‘The Rings of Saturn’ I was greatly influenced by. The book itself embraces and documents the imagination and leaps of association of the wandering mind - written during a walking tour of Suffolk.
What other projects are you currently involved in?
I have made a live ensemble for this project which will tour throughout the next year. As well as that I am playing with the piano trio ‘ENEMY’, we will record next year also. I continue to collaborate with Ingebjorg Loe Bjornstad (with Tom), folk fiddler Aidan O’Rourke and composers Max deWardener and Shiva Feshareki.
Click on the album cover to read our review
What are you currently listening to and what was the last CD or download you bought?
I have been enjoying Phillip Gropper’s new CD - Consequences - I love that band. Also the new record out with Steve Lehman’s trio featuring Craig Taborn. Alongside that I have been listening a lot to Petter Eldh’s new record, an old favourite of mine Robert Stillman’s ‘Rainbow’ and then going back to some of my favourite Jimmy Giuffre recordings, as well some pretty amazing youtube clips of Martha Argerich playing Prokofiev. Josh Blackmore also released a cool new record too ‘Size’ - and also Alex Hawkins and Evan Parkers duo record is awesome.
What is your all time favourite album and why?
I don’t have one - but I do often keep coming back to various composers - Ravel is one, Messiaen is another.
Who has caught you attention recently that we should be listening out for?
JD Beck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82dLbcRBquA
I have been enjoying Phillip Gropper’s new CD - Consequences - I love that band. Also the new record out with Steve Lehman’s trio featuring Craig Taborn. Alongside that I have been listening a lot to Petter Eldh’s new record, an old favourite of mine Robert Stillman’s ‘Rainbow’ and then going back to some of my favourite Jimmy Giuffre recordings, as well some pretty amazing youtube clips of Martha Argerich playing Prokofiev. Josh Blackmore also released a cool new record too ‘Size’ - and also Alex Hawkins and Evan Parkers duo record is awesome.
What is your all time favourite album and why?
I don’t have one - but I do often keep coming back to various composers - Ravel is one, Messiaen is another.
Who has caught you attention recently that we should be listening out for?
JD Beck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82dLbcRBquA
