In late August I will be up in Sheffield doing a studio album with Martin Archer on saxes and Michael Bardon on bass. The trio will be out on the Discus label later in the year.

I’m really pleased to say that I have been selected as part of the top ten album art for 2020 by “A Closer Listen“

I have a collaboration with my good friend Laura Cole, pianist, composer and poet.

I have worked with Laura in the last few years in a small band, “Deep Tide Quartet”, along with Martin Archer and Kim Macari, and also in the larger groups Juxtavoices and “Engine Room Favourites”.

I am responding with paintings, drawings and constructions to poems and prose written by Laura. I use the word “response” deliberately, as my work will not be illustrations of the poems, but more internalised emotional dialogues with the texts. This is an inspirational source for me and it’s possible that another layer of the collaboration may be that Laura in turn produces some piano improvisations / compositions in response to my visual responses. This circularity of layering acts almost as a continuous, durational performance, almost a kind of synaesthesia.

In these difficult Covid times it’s more important than ever that artists continue to share, collaborate, and together innovate possibly new forms of digital creative process.

The collaboration will be documented as it unfolds.

We call the collaboration “Pursuance”, after one of the poems.

www.laura-cole.co.uk

I am working on an extensive series in the lockdown period. It’s called, “To The Future“.
It’s my way of dealing with isolation and the challenges of this difficult period in all our lives.
I’m painting my way through the dark tunnel.
Each piece is mixed media, but largely acrylics.
They are on heavy duty cartridge paper and are around 60 cm x 42 cm.

On BBC Radio 3, this coming weekend, I will have a track played on the ‘Freeness’ programme.
It will be hosted by the amazing musician Kim Macari, who is standing in for Corey Mwamba for a couple of weeks.
The programme goes out at midnight, first thing on the Sunday morning, the 28th of June.

I will be in isolation for the next few months, so no outside gigs or activities. Meanwhile, I will be in the studio working on paintings and of course doing some solo percussion. Stay safe and well everyone.