Evan Parker’s monthly Vortex residency with the master of free improvisation. Tonight Parker is joined by Sten Sandell (piano), John Edwards (bass) and Paul Lytton (drums).
‘If you’ve ever been tempted by free improvisation, Parker is your gateway drug.’ Stewart Lee
A major force in European improvising, Parker has collaborated with everyone from Cecil Taylor, Paul Bley & Anthony Braxton, to Scott Walker, Robert Wyatt and Squarepusher. He is one of Europe’s most innovative and intriguing saxophonists, which is why he keeps audiences coming back for more.
Swedish pianist Sten Sandell is one of the key figures in the Scandinavian free jazz and improvisation scene: a visionary and experienced musician who has developed a profound musical language. He is a member of the Gush trio, with saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and drummer Raymond Strid, celebrating this year its 20th year of activity, and leads his own trio, with bassist Johan Berthling and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, and collaborates with other innovative European improvisers as saxophonists Evan Parker and John Butcher.
John Edwards
John Edwards is a true virtuoso whose staggering range of techniques and boundless musical imagination have redefined the possibility of the double bass and dramatically expanded its role, whether playing solo or with others. Perpetually in demand, he has played with Evan Parker, Sunny Murray, Derek Bailey, Joe McPhee, Lol Coxhill, Peter Brötzmann, Mulatu Astatke and many others.
Paul Lytton
According to Evan Parker, Paul Lytton is “happiest with the weirdest shit possible – that’s where he seems to really love it.” One of the pioneers of European improvised music, Lytton is a percussion innovator who radically expanded the drum kit with the introduction of amplification and electronics. An incredibly sensitive and selfless improviser, he has collaborated recently with the likes of Ken Vandermark, C Spencer Yeh, Okkyung Lee, Agusti Fernandez and Ikue Mori, as well as being an essential interlocutor for Evan Parker for over forty years in their long standing duo, the legendary trio with Barry Guy, and with Parker’s Electro-Acoustic Ensemble.
