Two monumental, apocalyptic works, Octavia E. Butler’s dystopian novel, Parable of the Sower, and The Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, were explored in two unique performances by formidable groups of musicians and vocalisers assembled by [...]
Anna B Savage has moved on considerably since last seen at Cafe Oto in June 2015, supporting Jenny Hval. That memorable solo acoustic performance made an impact with the powerful, reverberating quality of her voice and the incision of her [...]
This was a marathon. A remarkable marathon. As the lights dimmed, percussionist Tyshawn Sorey led out his illustrious trio partners, pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish Raghavan, and set out his terms of engagement. ‘It’s gonna be a long set,’ [...]
Electric bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma brought his distinguished brew of hefty jazz funk to Cafe Oto with flair, driven intensity and a glowing, light touch. Funk is deeply rooted in his DNA, and flows in his blood, no question. Ornette Coleman [...]
‘THE ART OF NOISE MUST NOT LIMIT ITSELF TO IMITATIVE REPRODUCTION’ declared the Futurist painter Luigi Russolo in 1913 in his radical manifesto, The Art of Noises, which challenged conventional ideas of musical composition, instrumentation and performance. Russolo sought to [...]
On this second night of the Schlippenbach Trio’s two day residency, the trio was augmented to form a quintet which, in two telepathically flowing sets, brought out the best from key players in the world of jazz and improvisation, some [...]
Paul Burwell was the driving force behind the legendary Bow Gamelan Ensemble, a performance collective who, literally, diced with danger, commandeering construction vehicles, combustible fluids and materials on locations including Bow Creek at night where, in the late 80s, I [...]
This wide-ranging programme, curated by composer and musician, Thanos Chrysakis, brought together ten highly versatile musicians, some studying at the Royal Academy of Music, some members of major orchestras, and others who are well advanced in their individual solo careers [...]
‘I have a two-track mind: one is about feeling, and one is about technique. After 50 years of blowing the horn on stage, I’ll take the feeling over the technical part every time ….’ Saxophonist David Murray, with his unparalleled [...]
This special afternoon performance at Cafe Oto, celebrating the launch of Evan Parker’s and Matthew Wright’s Transatlantic Trance Map recording, Marconi’s Drift, brought back together the British component of this momentous UK-US live collaboration which took place on 17 December [...]
