London Jazz Composers Orchestra

Barry Guy, Jaleel Shaw, Linda May Han Oh & Zoh Amba

by Maurice Hogue
July 28, 2025

English avant-garde bassist Barry Guy is considered one of the finest in any musical genre and his compositional work is equally regarded. One of his signature pieces is “Harmos," and you will hear that as performed by the London Jazz Composers Orchestra recorded live in Krakow Poland. Saxophonist Jaleel Shaw's new Painter Of The Invisible provides ...

Howard Riley / Keith Tippett: Journal Four

by John Sharpe
October 23, 2022

British pianists Howard Riley and Keith Tippett were seasoned proponents of the never widespread format of the piano duet, both together and apart. Riley's partners also included Jaki Byard as well as overdubbed sessions with himself, while Tippett's discography contains entries with Stan Tracey, Daryl Runswick and Matthew Bourne (though the last took place subsequent to ...

Barry Guy: Irvin's Comet

by John Sharpe
October 4, 2021

Unaccompanied might just be the best format in which to appreciate British bassist Barry Guy's playing. This way there are no distractions, no other virtuosi vying for attention. That is often an issue. Although his discography contains occasional solo dates, they are far outnumbered by the entries for the trio with saxophonist Evan Parker and drummer ...

London Jazz Composers Orchestra: That Time

by John Sharpe
May 26, 2020

Issued to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, That Time uncovers a fascinating window on the early years of the pioneering company which are only sparsely documented elsewhere. The first two tracks from Berlin and Donaueschingen date from 1972, some six months after the LJCO's debut album Ode (Intakt, ...

Peter Evans / Barry Guy: Syllogistic Moments

by John Sharpe
December 24, 2018

From the first few seconds of the opening “Red Green" onwards, this live recording from trumpeter Peter Evans and bassist Barry Guy is a feat of death defying bravura. The two are among the most utterly distinctive practitioners on their instruments and they create a fast evolving kaleidoscope of preposterous sounds. Evans named his record label ...

Barry Guy / Marilyn Crispell / Paul Lytton: Deep Memory

by John Sharpe
December 22, 2016

Bassist Barry Guy took a key role in pianist Howard Riley's groundbreaking trio in the late 60s, early 70s. And while that early experience has in no way defined him, it means it perhaps comes as less of a surprise that he has increasingly turned to the format in the latter part of his career. One ...

Barry Guy: The Blue Shroud

by John Sharpe
September 17, 2016

In some ways, The Blue Shroud might be Barry Guy's signature work. It's the first to unite his varied interests in Baroque music, composition, jazz and improv at an orchestral scale. To do so Guy assembles a 14-strong crack unit capable of interpreting each aspect to the highest level, including several early music specialists who are ...

Barry Guy New Orchestra: Amphi - Radio Rondo

by John Sharpe
April 10, 2014

One of the most noteworthy releases of 2013 was the Barry Guy New Orchestra's Mad Dogs (Not Two), a five disc compendium which collected largely freeform meetings between various subsets of the 11-piece company during their 2010 residency in Krakow. However even that copious set offered only a partial view of the Orchestra's range, a deficiency ...

Howard Riley: Live with Repertoire

by Duncan Heining
December 24, 2013

Pianist Howard Riley turned 70 in February and belatedly celebrates the event with the release of a new CD, Live with Repertoire (NoBusiness Records). It's a really strong live, solo set of standards and a few original tunes recorded last year in Leicester and one that emphasises one particular aspect of his playing. Riley remains one ...