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Iain Ballamy

Ballamy established himself playing alongside notables including Hermeto Pascoal, the late Gil Evans, George Coleman, Dewey Redman, Mike Gibbs and the New York Composers Orchestra. Touring extensively world-wide, he has appeared at most international festivals and venues. Ballamy can be heard on over 40 CDs. A long time collaborator with Django Bates, since the days of Loose Tubes and Bill Bruford's Earthworks he is currently a member of Django's 'Human Chain' and 'Delightful Precepice'. Parallel to his international jazz career, Ballamy has pursued his interest in world music, playing concerts in India and Europe with the Karnataka College of Percussion. He has performed and forged strong working relationships with renowned musicians from Hungary, Norway, Spain, Sudan, Brazil and beyond... Combined arts projects include tours with Sankalpam the contemporary Indian Dance group and Ballamy's acclaimed role as 'Steve the prat' in Simon Black's stage play 'Out There' which toured Britain in 1995 and '96. His distinctive saxophone voice can be heard in his improvisations for the BBC Radio 4 play 'Signal to Noise' by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, the movie 'Legend' and a documentary 'Joseph Losey - the Man with Four Names'. Ballamy recently scored the award winning film Mirrormask directed by Dave McKean for the Jim Henson company. Ballamy's wide ranging musical interests add depth and creativity to his music which can be clearly heard on Veggie and Last Supper release by Rune Gramafon (featuring Norwegians Arve Henriksen, Mats Eilertsen and Thomas Stronen). He is also a specialist tutor at the Royal Academy and Trinity College of music in London.

Awards

1985 John Dankworth Cup, Best Soloist. 1995 BT British Jazz Award, John Dankworth Award Best Ensemble 2001 BBC Jazz Award for Innovation 2007 Paul Hamlyn Award


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8
Liner Notes

Bill Bruford: The Summerfold Collection 1987-2008

Read "Bill Bruford: The Summerfold Collection 1987-2008" reviewed by John Kelman


Intrepid percussionist/composer/bandleader Bill Bruford began his career in the late '60s art-rock arena with Yes and, later, King Crimson, but jazz has always moved underneath, like an eddying current. His early recordings, well documented on the companion Winterfold Collection, may not speak the language of jazz, but they possess its spirit. By 1986, Bruford was looking for a new path. Crimson had again dissolved, the 1981-'84 incarnation having provided him with the opportunity to explore nascent electronic drum ...

4
Album Review

Ian Shaw, Iain Ballamy, Jamie Safir: What's New

Read "What's New" reviewed by Chris May


What's new? Not the dozen songs on this enchanting trio album. Most of them have been around for well over fifty years and people will likely still be enjoying them in another fifty. The composers include Duke Ellington, Richard Rodgers, Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Van Heusen, Michel Legrand and Leonard Bernstein. Musically sophisticated and lyrically literate, the allure of their songs seems to grow, not fade, with age. What's New was recorded by vocalist Ian Shaw and tenor ...

34
Album Review

Bill Bruford's Earthworks: Earthworks Complete

Read "Earthworks Complete" reviewed by John Kelman


Since retiring as a professional musician in 2009, progressive/art rock turned jazz drummer Bill Bruford has successfully managed to maintained a place in the public eye. Beyond his engaging, informative and successful Bill Bruford: The Autobiography (Jawbone Press, 2009), the drummer/percussionist has more recently released a second, equally captivating book, Uncharted: Creativity and the Expert Drummer (University of Michigan Press, 2018).Initially stemming from the success of his autobiography but since assuming a life of its own (and no ...

5
Live Review

The Little Radio at The Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre

Read "The Little Radio at The Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre" reviewed by Ian Patterson


The Little Radio Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre Bray, Ireland February 6, 2013 There were hymns, ancient folk tunes, a Gaelic anthem, pop songs and TV themes, all delivered with the joie de vivre of those performing not for an audience , but for their own pleasure--and that was just the Welsh rugby fans from Cardiff who had descended on the pubs of Dublin and its environs in anticipation of the weekend's Ireland-Wales match. ...

11
Extended Analysis

June Tabor / Iain Ballamy / Huw Warren: Quercus

Read "June Tabor / Iain Ballamy / Huw Warren: Quercus" reviewed by John Kelman


Awaiting release for more than seven years, Quercus is not the first time ECM has branched into the realm of traditional British music combined with jazz improvisation. Unlike the rawer and more unfettered freedom of producer Steve Lake's inspired pairing of singer Robin Williamson with improvisers including violist Mat Maneri, bassist Barre Phillips and Swedish traditionalist Ale Möller on recordings like The Iron Stone (2007), however, Quercus is a more refined, elegant and dark live recording that pairs renowned British ...

7
Extended Analysis

June Tabor, Huw Warren, Iain Ballamy: Quercus

Read "June Tabor, Huw Warren, Iain Ballamy: Quercus" reviewed by John Eyles


June Tabor has been superb for so long that it is easy to take her for granted as England's finest female traditional folk singer. Despite holding that status for many years, she has never seemed to rest on her laurels. Alongside the traditional folk songs on which she built her reputation, Tabor has a repertoire broad enough to include John Lennon's “In My Life," Lou Reed's “All Tomorrow's Parties," Elvis Costello's “Shipbuilding" and Joy Division's “Love Will Tear Us Apart," ...

202
Album Review

Food: Quiet Inlet

Read "Quiet Inlet" reviewed by John Kelman


A reduction in personnel rarely results in a broader musical expanse, but that's just what happened to Food, since trumpeter Arve Henriksen and bassist Mats Eilertsen departed in 2004. Molecular Gastronomy (Rune Grammofon, 2008)--Food's first duo recording, though the use of guests fleshed the group out to a trio--was Food's most accessible album to date, without sacrificing any of its inherent risk and sound of surprise. Quiet Inlet--Food's first for ECM, and featuring Austrian guitarist Christian Fennesz on three tracks ...

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Photos

Concerts

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

What's New

Silent Wish
2020

buy

Earthworks Complete

Summerfold Records
2019

buy

Heavenly Bodies –...

Summerfold UK
2019

buy

Quercus

ECM Records
2013

buy

Swings Both Ways

Island Records
2013

buy

Quiet Inlet

ECM Records
2010

buy

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