London Improvisers Orchestra: 20 Years On
Author: Edwin Pouncey
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Musicians: |
Philipp Wachsmann (vn, elec) |
Label: |
LIO |
Magazine Review Date: |
March/2019 |
Catalogue Number: |
LIO 001 |
RecordDate: |
2018 |
In the tradition of such former free music ensembles as John Stevens’s The Spontaneous Music Orchestra, Cornelius Cardew’s Scratch Orchestra and Amsterdam’s Instant Composer’s Pool (to name just a few), London Improvisers Orchestra’s unique brand of (mostly) conducted orchestral improvisation is a highly regarded lasting survivor. To celebrate their 20th anniversary, they have released a selection of performances, recorded at IKLECTIK in South London between 2015 and 2018. Made up of conducted compositions (or “conductions”, as Butch Morris named them in 1997) and flurries of subconsciously crafted improvisation, the pieces push and pull in different directions, each pulsing with a distinctive life force. Featuring such notable players as Veryan Weston, Phillip Waschmann and Steve Beresford among its ranks, this live (and occasionally lively) two-disc set showcases LIO at the height of their creative prowess – as they channel strange strains of modern composition, disjointed jazz, drone music and urgent blasts of noise through their vast arsenal of instruments, objects and voices. For those who are curious to know where UK improvisation has been and the direction it’s taking today, this sprawling collection is the ideal primer.

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