Gryphon on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

RICHARD HARVEY (Keyboards/Woodwinds)
Richard was born in Enfield, Middlesex 25/9/53. He took up the recorder at the age of five, and developed an appetite for constantly learning new instruments. In addition to those listed elsewhere, he can play with ease, clarinet, oboe, bouzouki, guitar, bass, saxophone and many others. He was educated at Tiffins Grammar School, Kingston, until he was 16, when he went to The Royal College of Music. He graduated in two years on a three year course, and gave up orchestral ambitions to form Gryphon. His musical taste ranges from The Beatles and Yes to Ravel and Bach.

BRIAN GULLAND (Woodwinds)
Brian was born in Maidstone, Kent 30/4/51. From the age of seven he was educated at the Canterbury Choir School, where he first learnt the bassoon. At thirteen he won a scholar-ship to a public school, Cranleigh in Surrey, which later took him to the Royal College of Music. His musical taste has encompassed church music, The Beatles, blues, classical and folk music. Richard introduced him to early music and encouraged him to learn the krumhorn and join Musica Reservata. Brian, in turn, interested Richard in the possibilities of modern rock music as a medium for classically trained musicians.

DAVID OBERLE (Percussion)
David was born in Famborough, Kent 9/1/53. His mother was a concert pianist and he was brought up with a great appreciation of classical music. Through his teens, he developed his taste for hard rock music, and played a large drum kit. He obtained three A' levels, and had just left college, when he met Richard. The challenge of dispensing with 70% of his drum kit and still make exciting percussion, intrigued him, and he rapidly became an integral part of Gryphon. Now he has a much larger, but still unique, set-up and is developing a very individual style.

GRAEME TAYLOR (Guitars)
Born in Stockwell London 2/2/54. Graeme was at school with Richard at Tiffins Grammar. After early interest in the piano, Graeme took up guitar, at first emulating Jansch, Renbourn and Davey Graham. He formed a liking for unusual tunings and chord structures and has developed his style with classical, ragtime and jazz influences all contributing. He formed a folk/rock group while at school, which gave him valuable ensemble-playing experience. On leaving school, he took up a variety of jobs until Gryphon was formed. He now includes electric guitar in his Gryphon playing, and was in fact selected to play electric guitar for recording a new work by avant-garde composer, David Bedford.

PHILIP NESTOR (Bass Guitar)
Philip was born in Epsom 2/9/52. Schooled in Banstead. He was an early friend of David and played in several rock bands with him. He took up the guitar when he was 7, and the bass guitar at 10. He formed an affection for the more inventive rock bands of the last few years, playing syncopated and more complicated music, styles which he has tried to devel-op. His musical taste is, like the others, broad, and stretches from The Who to Benjamin Britten. He had known the other four members of Gryphon socially for quite a while and has fitted in easily since he joined them in January.

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RYPHON, like the mythical creature which inspired the group's name, is a hybrid. It consists of five young musicians from varying backgrounds whose aim is to fuse several different musical styles into their own original music.

The principal elements, which have changed in emphasis as Gryphon have developed, are primarily pre-classical, English Impressionist and contemporary rock music.

The group began its evolutionary process three years ago, when its co-founders, Richard Harvey and Brian Gulland, met while both studying at the Royal College of Music. Though they were on classical courses, both had strong musical interests in other spheres. Richard had been fascinated from an early age, by medieval and pre-classical music, and was playing renaissance recorders and krumhorns with the early music ensemble, Musica Reservata. Brian, who was a talented bassoonist, had a passion for everything from Church music to contemporary folk and progressive rock. This diversity of tastes and influences encouraged them to form a group with Graeme Taylor, a guitarist friend of Richard, who had predominantly folk and jazz-tinged tastes. For a short while they existed as a trio - playing in simulated medieval eating houses! - until Gryphon's line-up was, for then, completed by the arrival of former rock band drummer, David Oberle. This was early in 1972.

From that point on, the group really took shape. Drawing initially on a nucleus of renaissance pieces and re-arranged folk tunes, they easily developed their own distinctive style. Richard played recorders, krumhorns and harmonium; Brian, bassoon and bass krumhorn; Graeme, acoustic guitar; and David, a small percussion kit. By the beginning of 1973 they had started recording their first album for Transatlantic: "Gryphon (TRA 262) - and, with that record's release, there was a great surge of interest in the group.

They gave concerts to a complete cross-section of audiences - playing in folk clubs, rock concerts, formal recitals, Cathedrals (St. Paul's and Southwark), prisons, universities and schools. In July they gave a very successful series of concert/lectures at the Victoria and Albert Museum, for young people, at which they played, and then explained the making of their music. In August they appeared at the Edinburgh Festival. They were lauded in a wide variety of newspapers, they appeared on several major television shows, and performed the unique feat of appearing on BBC Radio's 1 - 4 (inclusive) all in one week!

All this served to highlight how Gryphon's music was (without contrivance) universally acceptable. It stimulated the interest of folk, rock and classical buffs alike, and delighted all age groups.

In September of last year, they were personally commissioned by Peter Hall (Director of the National Theatre) to write and pre-record the music for his new production of "The Tempest". They had previously provided the theme music for the film "Glastonbury Fayre", and individual members had contributed to the sound tracks of "Brother Sun, Sister Moon", "Mary Queen of Scots", "Pope Joan" and various television plays.

After completing a tour of concerts in Ireland, Belgium, Holland and England in the autumn, they settled down to write "The Tempest" music, and music for their second album. By recording time in January, they had decided to add a bass guitarist, Philip Nestor, to provide a more solid anchor, and to give each musician wider scope.

The music they composed for "The Tempest" inspired a separate work: the 19-minute fantasia "Midnight Mushrumps" which provides the title and one entire side of their new album. Gryphon feel that their music is constantly evolving, and this is reflected in their concert presentation. Richard is now surrounded by a bank of keyboards, whilst still utilising recorders and krumhorns; David has expanded his kit to incorporate a battery of orchestral percussion including tympani; Graeme now plays a range of electric and acoustic guitars; Brian concentrates on bassoon with occasional recorders and krumhorn; and Philip provides electric bass.

Gryphon intend to keep evolving new sounds and ideas, and generally building bridges between musical styles. With their undoubted talents in composition and playing, and the energy they devote to pursuing their ideals, they are well on their way to achieving the success they so rightly deserve.

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