John Edwards
John Edwards, born in 1964, is a double bassist from London and one of the most in-demand players in European improvised music. His staggering range of techniques, bowed and plucked, percussive and vocal, and his boundless imagination have redefined what the instrument can do and widened its role, whether he plays solo or in a group. He came up through the London scene of the late 1980s and 1990s, and his partnership with the drummer Mark Sanders, in trios with Evan Parker and many others, is one of the great rhythm sections of free music.
Journey To Parazzar
Recorded at Metallurgov House Of Culture in the Ukraine as the 2nd concert of their tour, the trio of Joe McPhee (trumpet, alto saxophone), John Edwards (double bass), and Klaus Kugel (drums) present a masterful concert that includes a 29-minute "Re-Hairing In Zaporozhye" a 19-minute "To Rush At The Wind", and a wonderfully unconventional tribute to Cecil Taylor
PEN
**500 copies** It is always a treat to see some major musical innovators in action. Especially in a mind-blowing line-up, at the top of their game and unrecorded until now on this impressive new Dropa Disc release.Evan Parker might be a member of some legendary trios – one with von Schlippenbach and Paul Lovens and one with Barry Guy and Paul Lytton – still this brilliant master of the saxophone and pioneer of free music managed to surprise us big time when he introduced his trio with John Edwar…
Jems
The extraordinary improvising duo of John Edwards and Mark Sanders have recorded together in countless groups, but only once as a duo [Nisus Duets Emanem 2002]. For this recording, Mark uses an unorthodox kit setup with horizontal orchestral bass drum. John's huge bass sound is captured in full by the old RCA ribbon microphone used in this recording. Constantly imaginative, thrilling playing.
3 Nights at Cafe Oto
Three CDs and a DVD from a Cafe Oto residency on 27-29 May 2013 by Evan Parker, John Edwards and Eddie Prévost, as a trio and with guests Alexander von Schlippenbach (piano) and Christof Thewes (trombone).
Beyond the Barrier
A concert by Nathaniel Catchpole (tenor saxophone), John Edwards (double bass) and Eddie Prévost (drums, bowed tam-tam), recorded at the Network Theatre, London, on 21 December 2014.
Soulfood Available
For their 3rd album together, the trio of saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, bassist John Edwards and drummer Steve Noble are caught live at the 2013 Ljubljana Jazz Festival for three blistering works of free improvisation. This is the second album by the Peter Brotzmann trio with John Edwards and Steve Noble, following “The Worse the Better” (they’re also together in a third one, “Mental Shake”, but with the addition of Jason Adasiewicz and his vibraphone). And just like that first opus, recorded …
All Change
A concert by Tom Chant (tenor and soprano saxophones), John Edwards (double bass) and Eddie Prévost (drums), recorded at the Network Theatre, Waterloo, London, on 13 June 2012.
Meetings With Remarkable Saxophonists - Volume 4
Volume 4 of Meetings with Remarkable Saxophonists: Bertrand Denzler (tenor saxophone), John Edwards (double bass) and Eddie Prévost (drums), recorded at the Network Theatre, Waterloo, London, on 12 December 2011.
White Cable, Black Wires
A stunning series of duo improvisations from two of the world's finest string players, whose shared dynamism and intensity of purpose produces fluid, powerful music that ranges from dense viscosity to swift effervescence.With all-strings improvisation there's often a danger of pseudo-classicism, of sounding vaguely like modernist chamber music, replete with refined flourishes and familiar motifs. Edwards and Lee don't just avoid this but go nowhere near it, heading off in another direction entir…
Meetings With Remarkable Saxophonists - Volume 1
First volume of Eddie Prévost's Meetings with Remarkable Saxophonists: Prévost on drums with Evan Parker on tenor saxophone and John Edwards on double bass, recorded live at the Network Theatre, Waterloo, London, on 30 May 2011.
Tsktsking
In improvised music, double bass and drums have a very different role to that in rock or jazz. Freed of the duties of “the rhythm section,” they are featured as much as any other instrument, without having to wait in line for their turn to solo. They are equal partners in the collective enterprise of music making. Bassists or drummers who have arrived at improv via rock or jazz often seem to relish the freedom they are afforded and become more extroverted. One need look no further than Ha…
Live at Café Oto
The live music experience is what it’s all about! Let’s face it, the recording, the thing (CD, vinyl, ipod), that you’re listening to now is a luxury – a convenient form of storing and a flawed attempt at revisiting the ecstasy of the live experience. Live music is at the heart of civilization and culture. Live music is real music – the recording is simply the run out groove of time, a means to try and capture the experience. This trio is defined by live performance. The relationship between the…
The Early Years
Lol Coxhill (soprano sax), John Edwards (double bass) and Steve Noble (drums). Recorded London 11 January 2004 by Mick Ritchie at Barefoot Studios.
Un llamp que no s'acaba mai
Agustí Fernández (piano), John Edwards (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums). Agustí Fernández's connection with the London scene grows stronger by the year. His trio with John Edwards (double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) brings him to the heart of things. Their set played at the Jazz Sigüenza 2007 festival in Spain comprised this free improvisation, which was captured by the fabulous ears of ace engineer Checa R Puértolas & mixer Feran Conangla.
Volume
The first solo cd by John Edwards, increasingly recognised as one of the most significant players of his generation. Recorded in splendid detail by John Wall in 2008, these nine tracks are a very fresh take on the possibilities of unamplified double bass playing, making it a major entry in the solo bass literature. This solo recording is an unusual and rare offering that comes from a musician who performs every day, every week, and appears on over 100 records. It's a selection of sounds, melodie…
Gateway To Vienna
This double CD pairs a studio recording from December 2003 (the Gateway part) with a May 2002 concert recording of two long improvisations (the Vienna part). When this trio released their previous Emanem CD Mercury Concert in 1999, Veryan Weston was described as "underrated and John Edwards and Mark Sanders were described as "younger, unacclaimed players who are regulars on the London improv circuit. In the intervening years, Edwards and Sanders have advanced in acclaim, to the point where they …
Mercury Concert
Digital concert recording Colchester (Mercury Theatre) - 1998 June 24 All of the music of the concert is included unedited, in the order of performance. All instruments were used without amplification or other electronics.
Optic
Two of the most adventurous musicians around today, John Butcher and John Edwards have been working as a very compatible duo for some years now. This CD contains concert performances from Brussels and Barcelona. 59 minutes -- previously unissued.
The First Two Gigs
An improvising quartet featuring four of the finest and most innovative musicians, who have extended the ranges of their respective instruments - piano, saxophones, harp and double bass - into new, uncharted territories. As well as having exceptional techniques, they are all virtuoso listeners, so that these first two performances as a quartet sound as if they have being working together for years. 68 minutes.
