Description

Oxford Improvisers present Near and Far, an evening of rich and varied improvised music. They are joined by Raymond MacDonald and Jer Reid of Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra (GIO).

Raymond MacDonald is a saxophonist, composer and academic whose work explores the boundaries and ambiguities between what is conventionally seen as improvisation and composition. He has worked internationally with many of the current pioneers in avant-garde music including the sublime US pianist Marilyn Crispell, German drummer Günter ?Baby? Sommer, David Byrne, Damo Suzuki from Can, Nurse with Wound, German trumpeter Axel Dorner, US trombonist and educator George Lewis, Japanese Percussionsist Tatsuya Nakatani, US percussionist Michael Zerang, US cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm. His ambitious International Big Band features the virtuosic Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, Australians Alistair Spence and Toby Hall and Lloyd Swanton from The Necks and exSonic Youth guitarist Jim O?Rourke among others and in 2010 released, to critical acclaim, Buddy, his first CD on the French label Textile. Buddy was also named in top CDs of year in Wire magazine, Jazzwise and All about Jazz.

Jer Reid is a freelance musician, sound engineer and dramaturge based in Glasgow. He has and does play in bands (dawson, sumshapes, Painted X-Ray, God Is My co-Pilot etc) and improvising ensembles (he has played a lot with Una MacGlone, Luke Sutherland, Raymond MacDonald, Rafe Fitzpatrick, Tony Bevan etc and with Lisa Fannen in their spoken word and guitar duo Claquer). He organises gigs and tours; runs Gruff Wit Records; for 6 years has run the open (now twice) monthly improvising sessions for the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra called GIOdynamics; founded the music/dance group Collective Endeavours with Solène Weinachter in 2010 who?s performances have included Tectonics Glasgow and Dance International Glasgow. His dramaturgy work has included working with long time dancer collaborator Rosalind Masson. He has toured in 30 countries and has had his music played on BBC Radios 1, 3 and 4. In 2023 he released his first book of writing called Days and Diary Entries.

Raymond and Jer met through the GIO.

Description

37-38 Little Clarendon Street,

Oxford,

Oxfordshire,

England,

OX1 2HU.