Tony Marsh
Level Two
1993 release ** Free improv quintet led by saxophonist George Haslam, who is joined by trombonist Paul Rutherford, pianist Howard Riley, bassist Marcio Mattos and drummer Tony Marsh, plus vocalist Liz Hodgson on two tracks. “George Hasam's Level Two has been in existence, with various personnel changes, since 1987. It plays improvised music, a form Haslam describes as located between Level One (the performance of compositions) and Level Three (completely abstract sonic textures). Of course even …
News From The North
1993 release ** "This aggressive trio of improvisers is unified by one idea throughout this session: that none of them gives a damn what the other thinks. It's a liberating notion and one not often seen on the other side of the Atlantic. In this set of tracks, the ancient drummer of British free jazz, Tony Marsh, is pitted in with the ever-youthful Paul Rogers and the energetic youngster Simon Picard on tenor. Marsh is the key to the communication as well. His swooping cymbal work and shifting f…
Treader Duos
Recorded February 2008, this album captures a specially organised Treader concert at St Giles-in-the-Fields church in London's West End. A series of duos played at the event, each improvising over the course of a twenty-five minute set. First up, the excellent John Butcher (on tenor and soprano saxophones) pairs with drummer Mark Sanders for 'Tooth Pivot', an incredible opener that stumbles into life through the reverberant performance space, with Butcher at first sounding measured and contempla…