Okkyung Lee, John Butcher and Mark Sanders
A new trio whose musical paths have crossed in many ways – duos and groups with Chris Corsano, Christian Marclay, Steve Beresford, John Edwards, Liam Noble and film makers Andrew Lamper and Sylvain George. These are their first concerts as a 3-piece.
“For
all
the
praise
they
receive
for
their
musicianship
and
challenging
approaches
to
sound
and
technique,
the
music
they
make
hits
you
on
a
real
base
level,
creating
atmosphere
and
feeling.
You’re
never
in
doubt
that
this
is
music
which
produces
an
emotional
response
and
is
there
to
be
enjoyed
and
not
just
appreciated.
Lee
and
Butcher
are
able
to
create
a
performance
with
real
pace
and
flow which explores music and sound both interesting and
touching.
And
you
can’t
ask
for
a
better
combination
than
that.”
SILENT
RADIO.
“Butcher
and
Sanders
create
a
kind
of
tone
poem,
if
we
take
that
phrase
up
on
its
poetic
implications,
rather
than
as
musical
terminology:
obliquely
echoing,
returning,
departing,
unfolding
within
a
structure
that
seemed
almost
to
create
itself,
participating
in
its
own
making
rather
than
forcing
more
mobile
elements
into
a
restrictive,
pre‐existent
mould.
Their
dialogue
was
respectful
but
not
’polite’
:
’solos’,
individual
statements,
were
not
look‐at‐me
virtuoso
displays
arising
from
a
false
structural
obligation,
but
appropriate
opportunities
for
particular
sonorities
to
be
explored,
new
directions
to
emerge.”
STREAMS
OF
EXPRESSION.
OKKYUNG LEE: Cello
Born in Daejon, South Korea, lives in New York, USA.
Okkyung Lee, a New York-based artist and South Korea native, has created a body of work blurring genre boundaries through collaborations and compositions while pushing the limitation of contemporary cello performance techniques. Her music draws from noise and extended techniques, jazz, Western classical, and Korean traditional and popular music.
Since moving to New York in 2000, She has released more than 20 albums including the latest solo
record Ghil produced by Lasse Marhaug on EditionsMego/Ideologic Organ, Noisy Love Songs (for George Dyer) on Tzadik. She has performed and recorded with numerous artists from wide ranges such as Laurie Anderson, David Behrman, Mark Fell, Douglas Gordon, Jenny Hval, Vijay Iyer, Christian Marclay, Ikue Mori, Stephen O’Malley, Jim o’Rourke, Evan Parker, Wadada Leo Smith, C Spencer Yeh and John Zorn to name just a few.
Okkyung was a recipient of prestigious Doris Duke Performing Artist Award in 2015 and received Foundation For Contemporary Arts Grant in 2010.
She received a dual bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Writing & Production and Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music in 1998 and a master’s degree in Contemporary Improvisation from New England Conservatory of Music in 2000.
JOHN BUTCHER: Saxophones
John Butcher was born in Brighton and lives in London. His music ranges through improvisation, his own compositions, multitracked pieces and explorations with feedback and unusual acoustics.
Originally a theoretical physicist, he left academia for music after publishing a Ph.D. in 1982. He has since collaborated with hundreds of musicians, mostly involved with improvisation – including Derek Bailey, John Stevens’ SME, AMM, Andy Moor (EX), Phil Minton, Christian Marclay, Gino Robair, Polwechsel, John Tilbury, John Edwards, Eddie Prevost, Rhodri Davies and Gerry Hemingway.
Compositions include “Penny Wands” for Futurist Intonarumori, two HCMF commissions, two saxophone quartets and “Good Liquor Caused my Heart for to Sing” for the London Sinfonietta. “Tarab Cuts”, a response to recordings of early Arabic classical music, was shortlisted for a 2014 British Composer’s Award. Alongside long term collaborations he values playing in occasional encounters; from large groups such as the EX Orkestra & Butch Morris’ “London Skyscraper”, to duo concerts with Fred Frith, Akio Suzuki, Peter Evans, Otomo Yoshihide, Sophie Agnel, Tim Hodgkinson and Matthew Shipp.
Butcher is also well known as a solo saxophonist who attempts to engage with a sense of place. The well received “Resonant Spaces” CD is a collection of site-specific performances recorded during a tour of unusual locations in Scotland and the Orkney Islands.
MARK SANDERS: Drums
Mark has played with many renowned musicians including Wadada Leo Smith, Roscoe Mitchel, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Henry Grimes, Roswell Rudd, Peter Brotzmann, Barry Guy, Otomo Yoshihide, Phil Minton, Harold Budd, Sidsel Endresen, Peter Evans and William Parker. With John Edwards, they work in a
duo and with groups John Wall, Foils Veryan Weston, John Tilbury, Agusti Fernandez and Mathew Shipp. Mark works in a regular improvising duo with John Butcher and also performing Johns compositionTarab Cutswhich has played festivals in Rio de Janiero, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Glasgow, Bristol and London. He also has a longstanding duo with Sarah Gail Brand which has featured on the BBCs The Stuart Lee Showand in the film Taking the dog for a Walk.
Working with Christian Marclay in his Everyday piece for film and live music, he has performed at festivals throughout Europe, also performing a solo concert for his London exhibition at The White Cube Gallery.
In situations using composition in one form or another Mark works in various projects including the large ensembles of Brian Irvine, Alex Hawkins, Simon Fell, Sid Peacock.