RECORDINGS - OTHER PROJECTS
CURVE - ALISTER SPENCE, JOE WILLIAMSON, CHRISTOPHER CANTILLO (2021)
Alister Spence Music ASM012
Curve is the second release by Australian pianist Spence, and Canadian born ex-pat Joe Williamson, and Christopher Cantillo from Sweden. It follows their debut release Begin in 2014.
‘…an intriguing, sometimes mysterious journey through textures, moods and melodic ideas…’ Barry Witherden BBC Music Magazine
‘Curve pays unequivocal rewards with repeated listening.’ Des Cowley, Dingo Journal Issue 3 Autumn 2022
any news - satoko fujii and alister spence (2021)
Alister spence music asm011
Recorded over the internet between Kobe, Japan and Sydney, Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic, this is the second duo release by Fujii and Spence.
‘Any News is the sound of unity: a one mind/ four hands sort of unity’. S.Victor Aaron, Somethingelse Reviews.com
IMAGINE MEETING YOU HERE - Alister Spence and Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe (2019) Alister Spence Music ASM008
‘It is indeed darkly beautiful…’ Dan McClenaghan, AllAboutJazz
'Fine craftsmanship and resourceful imagination meet wild spontaneity and instrumental virtuosity in a disciplined yet liberating CD that is both accessible and boundlessly creative’. Jazzchill
Alister Spence teams up with cutting edge ensemble Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe, on Spence’s riveting five-part composition for improvising orchestra. Fine craftmanship and resourceful imagination meet wild spontaneity and instrumental virtuosity in a disciplined yet liberating CD that is both accessible and boundlessly creative.
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heart/noise - Sensaround (2019)
HellOsquare Recordings Cube083
Australian/Scots electro-acoustic trio Sensaround return with their unique sound, flirting between melodic jazz ambience, ghostly dub and post=punk experiments as lo-fi rhythms press up against woodwind melodies and Rhodes tones are set awash in free percussion.
Recorded at Brick Lane during their tour in 2016, heart/noise reveals both the group’s most intimate and oppressive sounds to date with the influence of This Heat and On-U Sound seeping in.
Alister Spence - fender rhodes, preparations, pedals
Raymond MacDonald - alto/sop saxophone
Shoeb Ahmad - samplers and pedals
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helloSquare Recordings
intelsat - Alister Spence and Satoko Fujii (2018) Alister Spence Music ASM007
‘Three words - an incredible album.’ Phontas Troussas Vinylmine
‘Spence and Fujii share a fascination of creating and performing well outside safety zones, ignoring norms and genres.’ Karl Ackermann AllAboutJazz
Layers of acoustic and electronic sounds combine - beautiful, bold, strange - as two long-time collaborators Satoko Fujii and Alister Spence meet, on piano and fender rhodes electric piano. This album goes places few other musicians venture while keeping listeners hooked with compelling rhythms, inviting tone colours and surprise touches of lyrical beauty.
Alister Spence - Fender Rhodes, preparations and effects
Satoko Fujii - piano
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BRIGHT FORCE - KIRA KIRA (2018)
Libra Records 204-048
‘Kira Kira weights layer upon layer of sound until it approaches a breaking point that never quite materializes. Instead, the music finds its way to someplace near perpetuity and how it gets there is never obvious. It’s awe-inspiring music.’ Karl Ackermann AllAboutJazz
Bright Force is the latest release on Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura’s label, Libra Records and part of Satoko’s 60th birthday celebrations: one album per month! The album was recorded live in concert at Knuttel House, Tokyo in September 2017.
Natsuki Tamura - trumpet
Alister Spence - fender rhodes electric piano, effects pedals and preparations
Satoko Fujii - piano
Ittetsu Takemura - drums
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SOUND HOTEL - Alister Spence and Raymond MacDonald (2018)
Alister Spence Music ASM006
‘…demonstrates beautifully…a musical relationship…the set of seven duets highlight the emphatic sense of deep listening in this session.’ www.salt-peanuts.eu
Sound Hotel focuses and extends the mesmerising, sympathetic, detailed sound world that MacDonald and Spence began exploring in their first release, Stepping Between the Shadows (Rufus Records 095, 2013). Sound Hotel was recorded as a live ‘straight to disc’ session at the Reid Hall, Edinburgh in April 2016 and mixed and mastered in Sydney 2017/ 2018.
Alister Spence - Piano
Raymond MacDonald - alto and soprano saxophone
TRAVELOGUE - Sensaround (2016)
HellosQuare Recordings Cube072
‘Sensuous yet understated, Travelogue is a meditative collection of electro-acoustic improvisations from Sensaround.’ The Music Trust
Sensaround weave richly coloured electo-acoustic tapestries on their second release, Travelogue which documents four improvisations from their Australian tour of August 2015. Together they craft gently evolving forms from layers of acoustic saxophone, sampled percussion, amplified percussion, Roland 808 sounds and Rhodes electric piano manipulated with pedals.
‘It is quite beautiful, a mature release.’ The Music Trust
Alister Spence - fender rhodes, preparations, pedals
Raymond MacDonald - alto/sop saxophone
Shoeb Ahmad - samplers and pedals
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hellosQuare records
BEGIN - Spence / Williamson / Cantillo (2014)
Alister Spence Music ASM003
Recommended New Releases - New York City Jazz Record March 2015
‘Brilliant musicianship, masterful playing and imaginative improvisation skills.’ Eyal Hareuveni salt-peanuts.eu
Spence/Williamson/Cantillo explore a sound palette that ranges from raucous earthy momentum to lyrical beauty and other worldliness. This debut album of 13 integrated improvisations was recorded at Atlantis Studio in Stockholm, Feb 2013 following the trio’s third European tour.
Alister Spence - piano, prepared piano, percussion
Joe Williamson - double bass
Christopher Cantillo - drums, percussion
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EVERYTHING HERE IS POSSIBLE - Alister Spence and Myra Melford (2014)
Alister Spence Music ASM002
WINNER AUSTRALIAN ART MUSIC AWARD 2014 - EXCELLENCE IN JAZZ
Internationally acclaimed US pianist/composer Myra Melford and one of Australia’s most original pianist /composers Alister Spence weave an extraordinary, unified soundscape in their first musical encounter.
Everything Here Is Possible is a series of duet piano improvisations recorded at ABC in Sydney in 2012.
Alister Spence - Steinway D concert grand piano
Myra Melford - Steinway D concert grand piano
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Isotropes - Sensaround (2014)
HellosQuare Recordings cube065
‘Beautifully sculpted and improvised music…rare musical insight and a magical release.’ The WIRE
The well-known Australian jazz innovator Alister Spence and highly regarded Scottish free improvisor Raymond MacDonald come together with hellosQuare boss Shoeb Ahmad to create a six piece suite - Isotropes.
These recordings explore their shared love of free improvisation, electronic music and indie pop with acoustic melodies wrapped up in wind textures, Rhodes tones and sonic detritus.
Alister Spence - fender rhodes, preparations, pedals
Raymond MacDonald - alto/sop saxophone
Shoeb Ahmad - samplers and pedals
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hellosQuare records
STEPPING BETWEEN THE SHADOWS - Alister Spence and Raymond MacDonald (2012)
Rufus Records RF095
‘Inspired music making.’ 4 STARS Jazzwise Magazine, UK
’A euphoric ridge of high pressure’ Bad Alchemy.’ Germany
At times beautiful, dark, lyrical, textured and surprising this piano and saxophone co-improvisation was recorded live at The Concert Hall, Glasgow University in 201.
Alister Spence - piano/prepared piano
Raymond MacDonald - soprano/alto saxophones