Music Playing:
1: OUT TO LUNCH - CHRIS BISCOE QUARTET
2: STOLEN MOMENTS - CHRIS BISCOE QUARTET
3: MISS ANN - CHRIS BISCOE QUARTET
4: SERENE - CHRIS BISCOE QUARTET
5: JUNK - BEN DAVIS GROUP featuring CHRIS BISCOE
6: THEN AS NOW - HARRY BECKETT BAND featuring CHRIS BISCOE
Tracks 1 - 4 from the album 'Gone In The Air'
by the Chris Biscoe Quartet with
Tony Kofi (alto), Larry Bartley (double bass)
and Stu Butterfield (drums)
The album is released by Trio Records (TR578)
on 23 June 2008 distributed by New Note.
The Chris Biscoe Band, with Pete Hurt, Liam Noble, Dave Whitford and Dave Wickins first performed in 2004. The 2006/7 tour included Swanage Jazz Festival and a return visit to the Ram Jam Club in Kingston upon Thames, the musical home of Way Out West, the collective of West London musicians spearheaded by Tim Whitehead of which Chris Biscoe is a member.
Starting in October 2004 Way Out West has expanded its activities to present Jazz every Wednesday, and from autumn 2006 is also promoting one weekend gig each month. The collective now has over 20 members, including bebop legend Tony Kinsey, as well as musicians quite new to the national jazz scene.
Chris has been exploiting the freedom Way Out West gives him to programme different bands to try some new ventures covering an eclectic mix of musical approaches. British Standard Time, presented at the club in January 2007 and featuring Alan Barnes, approaches the standard repertoire from a British perspective. On March 24th Chris presents Miles vs Monk - the rematch, which looks at the repertoire from two great jazz records made 50 years ago, Miles Ahead and Monks Music, and the contrasting styles of these remarkable musicians. This band features Steve Fishwick.
Way Out West was also the venue for the genesis of the new Biscoe/Edwards/Marsh trio. The first gig included saxist Ingrid Laubrock. Drawing on old standards - including a waltz by Ivor Novello, some material from the freer end of the jazz repertoire - Ornette Coleman, Mike Osborne, Thelonious Monk - and improvisation, the success of this gig led Chris to imagine the trio with John and Tony as the foundation for a series of gigs with invited guests from across the jazz spectrum. In September 2005 the trio performed with Evan Parker at Way Out West, followed by gigs with Ben Davis and Ingrid Laubrock, in which more original material has been incorporated into the repertoire.
A new venue being run by Stu Butterfield saw the debut performance (April 18th) for a new venture - a collaboration with award winning saxophonist Tony Kofi on the repertoire of Eric Dolphy.
Chris Biscoe is self taught, starting on sax then alto clarinet. He played with Ben Sidran at Sussex University. After experience of modern, fusion & free jazz he played with Red Brass from 1975-78. He started working with Mike Westbrook in 1979 and has played in many of Mike's projects including The Westbrook Blake, The Cortege, On Duke's Birthday, London Bridge and Chanson Irresponsable. He has also toured & recorded with George Russell, Andy Sheppard, Grand Union, Chris McGregor, Didier Levallet & worked with Hermeto Pascoal, Dewey Redman, Kenny Wheeler & the New York Composers Orchestra, co-led by Wayne Horvitz and Marty Erlich.
He formed the improvising group, Full Monte in 1988 in collaboration with Brian Godding, Marcio Mattos & Tony Marsh. In 1998 Full Monte joined forces with The Blowpipes trombone trio for a project called Dialogic and gave performances and held workshops at a number of venues throughout the UK. In 2001 the band toured for Jazz Services with various guest trumpeters: Dick Pearce, Henry Lowther and Harry Beckett. 2005 started with a reunion performance with Dick Pearce.
From 1997 to 2000 Chris Biscoe performed alongside Harry Beckett in the Orchestre National de Jazz. In 1999 Chris joined forces with Harry in The Harry Beckett Band, a quintet featuring Liam Noble, Fred T Baker & Tony Marsh.
He also appears in the Ben Davis, Liam Noble and Loz Speyer Groups where he uses both alto & soprano saxes along with the rarely heard alto clarinet. LozSpeyer's Inner Space Music has completed a record and details on its release should be available soon.
A 25 year long association Peter Jacobsen came to an end with Pete's untimely death in 2002. Chris decided not to continue with Approximate-Lee, his last band with Pete. Instead he will play with Tim Wells and Tony Marsh from that band, plus Peter Whyman on alto sax and clarinets in a Quartet which it is hoped will also form the core of some larger projects.
In 2003 Chris played in two new Mike Westbrook Projects, Turner in Uri and Art Wolf, joined Loz Speyers's Inner Space and participated in the Monk Liberation Front at the Royal Festival Hall on November 23rd 2003, when all Thelonious Monk's compositions were played in one (very long) afternoon. Inner Space Music has completed a record and details on its release should be available soon, while Art Wolf is available now on Altrisuoni records.
In 2004 Chris played baritone in The Hermeto Pascoal Orchestra, Graham Collier's 40 Years On, and Keith Tippett's The Monk Watches the Eagle, following this in 2005 with more baritone work in the Dedication Orchestra (Vancouver Festival) and depping for Tony Kofi in Tim Richards' Great Spirit.
He toured Austria and Switzerland with the Pierre Favre European Chamber Ensemble, an unusual formation including harp, tuba, and 2 basses.
The Chris Biscoe/Tony Kofi Quintet, with John Horler, Dave Green and Dave Barry, first appeared at Appleby Festival and is available for bookings in 2008.