Chris Burn & John Butcher
© avril levi
ENSEMBLE cds
at Musica Genera ::
Horizontals White ::
Navigations ::
The Place ::
Cultural Baggage
4-tet cd :: The First Two Gigs
lp ::
Fonetiks
Burn and Butcher are probably most associated for their work in Chris Burn's
ENSEMBLE
- but their musical relationship goes back to the mid 1970s.
Early projects included Burn's
Jazz Ensemble
and numerous small groups that gradually moved towards free improvisation - abetted by weekly rehearsals and
concerts at the Workers' Music Assosiation in Notting Hill Gate.
For both, their first published recording was the 1984 LP Fonetiks. Around this time they also performed in John Corbett's Freelance with Elton Dean, and Embers with Jim Denley and Marcio Mattos.
Recently they have begun to revisit duo playing, but now focussing on electroacoustic techniques. A recording project is being planned.
Chris Burn's ENSEMBLE
1990 © ivan dias
Formed in 1984 to work with strategies to develop a more 'chamber' approach to large group improvising.
For the first dozen years the personnel was:
Chris Burn - piano
John Butcher - saxes
Jim Denley- flute
Stevie Wishart - violin, hurdy-gurdy
Phil Durrant - violin
John Russell - guitar
Marcio Mattos - cello
Matt Hutchinson - synthesiser
In 1997 ENSEMBLE expanded to an 11 piece - adding:
Rhodri Davies - harp
Mark Wastell - cello
Axel Dörner - trumpet.
ENSEMBLE is now a flexible unit of varying size, whose most recent recording, of a quintet concert in Poland in 2002, included:
Xavier Charles - clarinet /
Nicos Veliotis - cello.
Two recent concerts included Flemish musicians Adelheid Sieuw (flute), and Jan Huib Nas (guitar) - whilst two large group performances took place in Vienna and Berlin.
Vienna - March 2005

Chris Burn - piano: Cordula Bösze - flute: Xavier Charles - clarinet: Franz Hautzinger - trumpet:
Helge Hinteregger - sampler: Christof Kurtzmann - lloopp:
Burkhard Stangl - guitar: John Butcher - saxophones: Eva Reiter - viola de gamba & recorder:
Werner Dafeldecker - bass: Paul Lovens - drums:
Berlin - April 2006

Chris Burn - piano: Kai Fagashinski - clarinet: Diego Chamy - percussion:
Christof Kurtzmann - lloopp: Burkhard Stangl - guitar:
John Edwards - double bass: Burkhard Beins - percussion: John Butcher - saxophones: Boris Baltschun - computer:
ENSEMBLE
Concert recording from 2002: Teatr Kana, Szczecin, Poland
read ::
Paris Transatlantic ::
All About Jazz
Horizontals White
read ::
allmusic
Navigations
The Place 1991
Evan Parker guests on Blocks and Arches.Cultural Baggage
Gateway Studios, London: 1990
full info ::
EFIP
The First Two Gigs
As the title says - Walthamstow and Finsbury Park: 2000Fonetiks
LP recorded at Bark Studios, London: 1984
Mainstreamers should be warned.
Jazz Journal