MP3s
Five Short Pieces (Solo Piano 2006)
King Bee (Percussion & Tape 2005)
An Unbroken Network Of Lines (Tape 1997)
Contact-Cuttings (Solo Piano & Tape 2001)
My Name Is John Mackay (Organ, Percussion & Tape 2003)
Journey To Horaizan (Percussion & Tape 2002)
You, Astronaut (Clarinet, Percussion & Tape 2001)
Untitled Improv Edit 1 (Tabletop Guitar & Electronics 2007)
Untitled Improv Edit 2 (Tabletop Guitar & Electronics 2007)
Untitled Improv Edit 3 (Tabletop Guitar & Electronics 2007)
Black River (Guitar & Perc Improvisation w/ A Emslie 2004)
Water Torture (Guitar & Perc Improvisation w/ A Emslie 2004)
Scratch 'n' Sniff (Guitar & Perc Improvisation w/ A Emslie 2004)
Trying To Find A Way (Guitar & Perc Improvisation w/ A Emslie 2004)
My interest in free improvisation comes from 2 formative years spent at Dartington College of Arts in the mid-80s. On one occasion in 1986 the college was visited by a late incarnation of the Cardew Scratch Orchestra - comprising Evan Parker, Keith Rowe, Keith Tippett & Rohan de Saram. Following this event I began to search out recordings on the Incus Records label (Derek Bailey et al) and took part in various student improv concerts during my few years at DCA.
In 2005 I was in contact with the guitarist Roger Smith - who sent information on his note-based system and sent several lengthy emails explaining various approaches/concepts he has used over his many years of playing. His work with John Stevens' Spontaneous Music Ensemble and his solo albums on Emanem have been hugely influential on my improvisation work and on recent compositions/thought. In recent years I have begun to embrace the hyper-minimalist school of improvised music coming out of Japan: Tetuzi Akiyama, Taku Sugimoto, Sachiko M, Toshimaru Nakamura. Other notable influences have arrived in the form of Gunter Muller, Norbert Moslang, Erikm, Keith Rowe, Olaf Rupp, Hans Tammen, Erhard Hirt and Hans Reichel. I've recently been playing with the bassist Armin Sturm and working with Bennett Hogg and post-grad students at Newcastle University. I also recently played with DIMP (Dark Improvised Music Project) at the Dark City Festival, Edinburgh.
My tabletop set-up with electronics - contact mic, sound generators, loopers, delays etc etc.
2008: 'Five Very Short Pieces' (Piano & Clarinet)
2008: 'A Hollow Place' (Piano Duet)
2006: 'Five Short Pieces' (Solo Piano)
2004: 'King Bee' (Solo Percussion & Tape)
2003: 'My Name Is John Mackay' (Organ, Percussion & Tape)
2002: 'Journey To Horaizan' (Solo Percussion & Tape)
2001: 'You, Astronaut' (Clarinet, Percussion & Tape)
2001: 'Contact-Cuttings' (Solo Piano & Tape)
1999: 'Strange Language' (Clarinet, Piano & Percussion)
1998: 'Unbroken Network of Lines' (Sop, Ensemble,Tape, Live Electronics, & MM)
1998: 'Preservation & Loss' (Percussion Quartet)
1996: 'Tokpela' (Small Orchestra)
1996: 'Epilogue' (Baritone & Small ensemble)
1995-97: 'Chemicals & Waves' (Large Orchestra)
1995: 'FZ' (Saxophone Quartet)
1995: 'Bridge at Mostar' (Small Ensemble)
1994: 'Contraries' (Violin & 2 Guitars)
1993: 'Jazz Piano Interludes' (Piano & Small Orchestra)
1992-97: 'Songbook' (Soprano & Classical Guitar)
IMPROVISATION
LIST OF WORKS
This site was last updated on 24/05/08
Copyright © 2004-2008 John Irvine Music
PROFILE
Welcome.
You might have arrived here from MySpace or the Living Composer's Project site looking to find out more information about my music-making activities. So here is some brief background on my studies, teaching and creative life.
I intially trained at Dartington College of Arts, for two years in the mid 80s, on the Preparatory Course in Music. This time in Totnes was profoundly influential on my musical thinking; coming into contact with Hindustani classical music (Armanath Mishra), the shakahachi playing of Yoshikazu Iwamoto, The Cardew Scratch Orchestra (Parker, Rowe, de Saram, Tippett), the music of Jim Fulkerson & Frank Denyer, jazz fusion gigs with John Etheridge, student improv concerts and
composition workshops, fellow students... the best education I ever had. Sadly, Dartington has its troubles at the moment. Please go here to learn more. What DCA gives its students is unique , the environment, attitude - all one of a kind. Breaks your heart...
My musical interests lie mainly in contemporary classical music composition and electro-acoustic improvisation.
The origins of my compositional thinking begin with the free-jazz and fusion movements in the 1960s as well as the European and London-centred free-improvisation schools.
Upon commencing my PhD with Nigel Osborne in 1992 the sphere of influence shifted to include the work of the New York School (Cage, Feldman, Wolff & Brown), the European ultra-modernists and, most recently, the hyper-minimalism of onkyo and lowercase improvisation - which has brought a returned interest in physical/immediate music-making that was formerly the function of my early classical/jazz guitar training.
My PhD was completed in 1999 and since then I have received commissions and performances from numerous ensembles and players both nationally and internationally
-most notably a performance of 'Contact-Cuttings' (piano & tape) by Ensamble Rosario, Argentina.
I have also worked in theatre throughout the UK creating music and sound designs for over 40 productions - 20 of which were for the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh (of note was 'Moscow Stations' w/ Tom Courtenay). I also worked a great deal with the director Guy Hollands' former company KtC in Glasgow on several devised theatre projects.
Enjoy the webpage.
'Recording Session' Photos (above): Marc Marnie
NEWS
The score from the 1st movement of 'Five Very Short Pieces' (for Clarinet & Piano) is at the left hand side of this webpage <----- The world premiere is at The Edinburgh Composers Collective concert at Stockbridge Parish Church, Edinburgh on the 30th May 2008 at 7:30pm. See you there.
LINKS
John Irvine @ MySpace
Edinburgh Composer's Collective
The City of Edinburgh Music School
The score from the 1st movement of 'Five Very Short Pieces' (for Clarinet & Piano) is at the left hand side of this webpage <----- The world premiere is at The Edinburgh Composers Collective concert at Stockbridge Parish Church, Edinburgh on the 30th May 2008 at 7:30pm. See you there.
LINKS