In a break from their usual programming Mopomoso presents an intriguing concert in two halves, with the first half from the Portfolio Improvisers group and the second featuring three fine guitar players from the UK, France and Canada.
Part One – Portfolio Improvisers
Seth Bennett (bass) / Shaun Blezard (electronics) / Anton Hunter
(guitar) / Rachel Musson (saxophone) / Shelly Knotts (electronics) / Julie Kjaer (saxophone / flute) led by Steve Beresford (piano)
Part Two – Three guitarists
Arthur Bull (electric) / Pascal Marzan (classical) / John Russell (archtop)
More Information
Portfolio Improvisers
In the words of Sound and Music their Portfolio scheme provides a key development opportunity for composers to create new work with and for some of the UK’s leading ensembles and presenters of new music. Portfolio enables them to develop their portfolio of compositions and gain vital artistic and practical insight and experience in working with professional ensembles and presenting organisations, and delivering new work to public audiences. We are delighted to host this fine group of improvisers mentored by Steve Beresford.
Seth Bennett (bass) combines study of the bass in improvised music with working with folk singer Mary Hampton, Afro/punk Dadaists Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp, the orchestra Sinfonia of Leeds, contemporary jazz with i.d.s.t., and own projects including 7 hertz, Nut Club the Bennett Cole Orchestra.
Shaun Blezard (electronics) currently plays solo under the Clutter name and in a variety of improvising bands – from Hugs Bison (iPad duo) to Kipple (6 piece free jazz/improv). Shaun is also a community musician and digital artist, helping people to explore their communities using improvisation, animation, film, sound art and has worked for companies such as Sound & Music, BBC & The National Trust.
Anton Hunter (guitar) From Manchester his music ranges from processing canvas sounds with Takahashi’s Shellfish Concern to the ambient and skronky riffs of HAQ as well as playing in The Beats & Pieces Big Band. He co- runs Efpi Records, a contemporary jazz record label, who also run regular gigs in Manchester and have links across Scandinavia.
Rachel Musson (saxophone) is involved with a variety of improvisation- based projects, icluding a trio with Liam Noble and Mark Sanders. Also a trio with Danish saxophonist Julie Kjaer and cellist Hannah Marshall, and a duo with bassist Olie Brice. She is a member of clarinetist Alex Ward’s new quintet and Eddie Prevost’s Atmospheric Disturbance. She has also written for and recorded with her own band, Skein, which released a highly acclaimed album on F-IRE Records at the end of 2010.
Shelly Knotts (electronics) A broad musical involvement ranges from electroacoustic tape music to live-coded dance music performing solo and as a member of various collaborations across the UK and Europe. Including a.o. BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre) 2007-2011 and sound art collective SOUNDkitchen 2010-2012.
Julie Kjaer (saxophone / flute) has toured internationally with Django Bates and his band StoRMChaser, and the Danish big-band “Blood Sweat Drum’n Bass” where she has played with amongst others: Dave Douglas, Arve Henriksen and Palle Mikkelborg. She plays with London Improvisers Orchestra and is a leader and sidewoman of several English and Danish ensembles including a new trio project with bass player John Edwards and drummer Steve Noble and on a project with the Danish-English sextet ‘Pierette Ensemble’.

Steve Beresford is internationally renowned as a free improviser on piano and electronics. He plays with and conducts the London Improvisers Orchestra and has worked with hundreds of musicians, including Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Evan Parker, Otomo Yoshihide and John Zorn. Photograph Andy Newcombe.
Three guitarists
Arthur Bull (electric) / Pascal Marzan (classical) / John Russell (archtop)
Arthur Bull has been active on the improvised music scene in Canada since the mid-1970s, & has toured and recorded extensively in a duo with fellow guitarist Daniel Heïkalo. He has performed in concert with a.o. Roscoe Mitchell, John Tchicai, Joe McPhee, Roger Turner, Peter Kowald, Paul Rutherford, Fred Anderson, Mike Cooper, Michael Snow, John Oswald, Paul Dutton, Bill Smith, Derek Bailey, Kidd Jordan and John Butcher. He is also a published poet, and an activist in the small-scale fisheries movement. He lives on Digby Neck in Nova Scotia.
Pascal Marzan is a classically trained guitarist active in Paris, his home city, both
as an improviser and organiser of improvised music events. He should be
well known to Mopomoso audiences where he has performed on a number of
occasions. As well as his duo with John Russell (CD Translations – Emanem 5019)
work with other English improvisers includes with a.o. Steve Beresford, Keith
Rowe and the London Improvisers Orchestra.

John Russell has played with many of the world’s leading improvisers and his work can be heard on over 50 CDs. In 1981, he founded QUAQUA, a large bank of improvisers put together in different combinations for specific projects and, in 1991, he started MOPOMOSO which has become the UK’s longest running concert series featuring mainly improvised music.
MOPOMOSO was founded in 1991 by guitarist John Russell and pianist, trumpeter and composer Chris Burn to promote freely improvised music in all its forms and where applicable its relationship to other forms of contemporary music making. From the outset the aim has been to present the music on a local, regional national and international basis and to involve relative newcomers as well as more established musicians.
Run by a team of volunteers we hold a passionate belief that improvised music, sometimes called free music or free improvisation offers many exciting opportunities both to players and listeners alike.
We are delighted to be hosting this excellent scheme with many thanks to Sound and Music