Born: February 12, 1974 Primary Instrument: Multi-instrumentalist
Alex Ward was born in 1974. He is a composer, improviser, and performing musician. His primary instruments are clarinet and guitar, and he has also performed in public and on recordings on alto sax, piano/keyboards, bass guitar, and as a vocalist. He was based in Oxford from 1992-2000, and since then has lived in London.
His involvement in freely improvised music dates back to 1986, when he met the guitarist Derek Bailey. As an improviser, he was initially principally a clarinettist (sometimes also playing alto sax), but since 2000 he has also been active as an improvising guitarist. Both as a clarinettist and guitarist, his longest-standing collaborations in the field of improvised music have been with the drummer Steve Noble.
From 1993 to 2001, most of his activity as a composer took place in collaboration with Benjamin Hervé, mainly in the context of the rock band Camp Blackfoot. From 2002-2005, his writing was mostly done solo, and was primarily focused on songs. Since 2006, he has been heavily involved in both solo and collaborative composition, predominantly (though not exclusively) of instrumental music. His main writing and performance vehicle during this time has been Dead Days Beyond Help, a duo with drummer Jem Doulton. Other bands he currently leads include Predicate and Alex Ward & The Dead Ends.
He has been a member of many other groups including ensembles led by Eugene Chadbourne, Simon H. Fell and Duck Baker, and has also done considerable work as a session musician and in collaboration with other media. Since 2005, he has co-run the label Copepod Records with composer/performer Luke Barlow. He does the recording, mixing and/or mastering of most of his own music, and for many of the groups he plays in.
1999 - CAMP BLACKFOOT: CRITICAL SEED VS. THE SPARTAN SOCIETY (Pandemonium PAN 031)
2005 - ALEX WARD: HAPLESS DAYS (Copepod POD01)
2009 - DEAD DAYS BEYOND HELP: UNWRITTEN RULES (CD-R, no label)
2009 - DEAD DAYS BEYOND HELP: ACCESS DENIED! (Copepod POD04)
2010 - GOD'S MAMA (SM Press)
2011 - ALEX WARD & THE DEAD ENDS: LIVE ENDS DEAD (CD-R, no label)
2012 - PREDICATE (FMR CD318-0811)
As free improviser (clarinet):
1991 - STEVE NOBLE/ALEX WARD: YA BOO, REEL & RUMBLE (Incus CD06)
1996 - THE XIII GHOSTS: GIGANTI REPTILICUS DESTRUCTO BEAM (Scatter O4 CD)
1997 - THE XIII GHOSTS WITH DEREK BAILEY AND THURSTON MOORE: LEGEND OF THE BLOOD YETI (Infinite Chug CHUG 5 CD/LP)
2000 - DEREK BAILEY/ALEX WARD: LOCationAL (Incus CD37)
2003 - LIMESCALE (Incus CD56)
2005 - ALEX WARD/LUKE BARLOW/SIMON FELL/STEVE NOBLE: HELP POINT (Copepod POD02)
2006 - T.H.F. DRENCHING/SONIC PLEASURE/ALEX WARD: $1,000,000.00 MAY SCARE VOTERS (Fenland Hi-Brow FH- B040CD)
2008 - ALEX WARD: CREMATED THOUGHTS (Treader trd011)
2008 - BARKINGSIDE (Emanem 4147)
2009 - JOE MORRIS/SIMON H. FELL/ALEX WARD: THE NECESSARY AND THE POSSIBLE (Victo CD 116)
2010 - DEREK BAILEY/ALEX WARD/MATT WAND/PAT THOMAS: SIGNS OF DAMP (Hot Air airhole 009 CD-R - limited edition of 45)
2011 - LOL COXHILL/ALEX WARD: OLD SIGHTS, NEW SOUNDS (Incus CD61)
2011 - KAY GRANT & ALEX WARD: FAST TALK (Emanem 5021)
2012 - GANNETS: TRANSMISSIONS OF NOT (Babel BDV12106)
Also appears on:
2002 - DEREK BAILEY: VISITORS BOOK (Incus ST1 CD-R) - AW on one track only, quartet with DB/T.H.F. Drenching/Sonic Pleasure
2004 - MILO FINE: IKEBANA (Emanem 4213) - AW on three tracks only, duos with MF
2009 - TREADER DUOS (Treader trd013) - AW on one track only, duo with Roger Turner
2011 - WEASEL WALTER: OMINOUS TELEPATHIC MAYHEM (ugEXPLODE ug51) - AW on three tracks only, duos with WW (AW on clarinet and guitar)
As free improviser (guitar):
2001 - NOBLE/EDWARDS/WARD: FALSE FACE SOCIETY (Incus CD 47)
2003 - ALEX WARD/JOHN BISSET: CRYPT (2:13 CD016)
2008 - WEAVELS: AT NETHER EDGE (Discus 34CD)
2008 - N.E.W.: DEADEYE TRICKSTERS (Bo'Weavil 30CD)
2009 - N.E.W.: NEWTOONS (Bo'Weavil SIDRA01 LP)
2011 - DEAD DAYS BEYOND HELP: THE VERBING (Copepod POD05 CD-R - limited edition of 100)
As sideman:
1997 - EUGENE CHADBOURNE/HELLINGTON COUNTRY: FROM THE HELLINGTUNES (Intakt CD 052)
1998 - EUGENE CHADBOURNE/HELLINGTON COUNTRY: TOTAL TUESDAY (House Of Chadponk/Home Recordings HRCD 002)
2000 - NOUGHT (Shifty Disco SHIFTY0000)
2000 - LONDON IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA: PROCEEDINGS (Emanem 4201)
2001 - LONDON IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA: THE HEARING CONTINUES (Emanem 4203)
2002 - LONDON IMPROVISERS ORCHESTRA/ STRINGS WITH & WITHOUT EVAN PARKER : FREEDOM OF THE CITY 2001 - LARGE GROUPS (Emanem 4206)
2002 - SFQ: THIRTEEN RECTANGLES (Bruce's Fingers BF 43)
2002 - POCKET (2:13 CD013)
2004 - SFQ: FOUR COMPOSITIONS (Red Toucan RT 9236)
2005 - SIMON H. FELL: COMPOSITION NO. 62 - COMPILATION IV (Bruce's Fingers BF 57)
2005 - LUKE BARLOW BAND (Copepod POD03)
2009 - DUCK BAKER TRIO: THE WALTZ LESSON (Les Cousins LC011)
2010 - JOE WILLIAMSON & THE INCONVENIENCE: EVERYTHING SHOULD HAVE BEEN JUST FINE (Jedso #1)
2010 - ROLAND RAMANAN TENTET: LONDON (Leo CD LR 556)
2011 - SFE: POSITIONS & DESCRIPTIONS (Clean Feed CF230CD)
2012 - DUCK BAKER TRIO: AMNESIA IN TRASTEVERE (Les Cousins LC014)
Also appears on:
2002 - LOL COXHILL: SPECTRAL SOPRANO (Emanem 4204)
2003 - LOL COXHILL: OUT TO LAUNCH (Emanem 4086)
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