MySpace a place for friends

John Law's ART OF SOUND TRIO
"A brilliant new trio... a band heading for great things!"  John Fordham, The Guardian;
"Intricate, intimate and lovely... a masterclass in lyricism"  Tom Barlow, Jazzwise;
"Hearing John Law's trio had me paying rapt attention to every bar, every nuance, in a way I don't remember since listening for 30 years"  Nod Knowles, President Europe Jazz Network.

NEW TRIO CD OUT!  Congregation, The Art of Sound Vol. 4

Read the Guardian review here:
John Law Art of Sound Vol.4 Guardian review

And the Independent on Sunday review here:
John Law Art of Sound Vol.4 Independent on Sunday review

TO ORDER A COPY OF CONGREGATION CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO GO TO JAZZCDS:

art of sound volume 4

First three volumes in the acclaimed Art of Sound series still available! 2 solo recordings:

The Ghost in the Oak  The Art of Sound Vol. 2
Chorale  The Art of Sound Volume 3

Read the Guardian review here:

John Law solo CDs review

And the first volume is still available, the trio CD The Art of Sound Volume 1

Read the Guardian review here:

John Law Art of Sound Vol.1 review

TO ORDER COPIES GO TO JAZZCDS:

art of sound volume 1

art of sound volume 2

art of sound volume 3

“An interesting and highly gifted maverick musician” Alfred Brendel
“Creative music at a level not often heard... a formidable technique” Cadence, New York
“When he records for ECM he'll become a star!” Jazzthetik, Germany
“(next to Django Bates) the other prodigal child of British piano” Jazzman, France
“Technical bravura with crystal clear, fast passagework coupled with a sovereign command over everything that is pianistically possible. You wonder if there is actually anything that this pianist cannot do.” Jazz Podium, Germany

Solo piano performance, Round Midnight:

Trio performance, Trap Clap:

Solo performance, Straight no Chaser:

Solo piano performance, Jumped Up:

Solo piano performance, Insistence/Jack's Tune:

Trio Performance, Three Part Invention:

Trio performance, Method in My Madness:

Trio performance, Can a Cannibal Nibble?:

John Law started classical piano aged four and performed first in public at six. After winning an Open Scholarship he studied piano and composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where he won prizes for piano playing. Despite then winning an Austrian government scholarship to study in Vienna with the pianist Badura-Skoda, and receiving encouragement from an early classical influence, pianist Alfred Brendel, he turned to jazz in 1986, forming his first group ATLAS, a mainly freely-improvising trio with Paul Rogers, bass and Mark Sanders, drums.

From 1986 to 1996 John concentrated more on the experimental end of jazz, particularly in his association with the South African drummer Louis Moholo, with the Jon Lloyd Quartet and with his own quartet. The John Law/Louis Moholo Duo recorded the acclaimed CD The Boat Is Sinking, Apartheid Is Sinking (Impetus 19322), appeared on British radio and toured extensively in the UK, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and Canada, appearing at many major festivals. The Jon Lloyd Quartet appeared on British radio, toured the UK opposite Bill Frisell, made three acclaimed CDs, the last for Hat Hut called By Confusion, and played at festivals, including the 1995 FMP Festival, Berlin. With his own small groups John recorded and toured in the UK, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Russia, Lithuania and Belarus, including many festivals. A later quartet, formed 1993, with Paul Dunmall (saxophones), Barry Guy (double bass) and Louis Moholo, called Extremely Quartet, toured the UK and appeared to great acclaim at the 1998 Nickelsdorf Festival, Austria. They released the CD Extremely Quartet (Hat Hut CD6199) in 1997. John was also involved occasionally during this period with the Evan Parker Quartet. One-off collaborations also included the Dedication Orchestra, a duo performance with the pianist Keith Tippett and a London Festival concert in a septet with David Murray and Chico Freeman. While John Law was exploring the more radical and freely improvised areas of jazz he also began a series of solo CDs which were to lead him back to an exploration of his classical roots. The four-CD series Chants, Cornucopia CRCDS01 (Talitha Cumi, 1994, FMR CD06, Pentecost, 1996, FMR CD027, The Hours, 1997, FMR CD40 and Thanatos CRCD04) was based on plainchant and, as well as jazz, explored the history and techniques associated with classical piano as well as introducing certain harmonic elements derived from early and mediaeval music. The CDs received outstanding reviews around the world. Concentrating on this music, John gave concerts in the UK in concert halls, churches and universities, and appeared at major festivals in London, Le Mans and Clusone.

From 1996, moving away from the freer end of jazz, John Law began to be more involved with straighter jazz and composition. He formed the trio with Tim Wells (bass) and Paul Clarvis (drums, percussion). This group recorded four critically-acclaimed CDs, one of them, The Onliest, exploring the music of Thelonious Monk. They toured the UK and appeared at festivals in England and France. Later, the drummer Dave Wickins came into the trio and this group gave concerts in the UK and Germany.

In 2000 John created the project Abacus, featuring US drummer Gerry Hemingway and, with Jon Lloyd and Tim Wells also included, this group became the continuation of the Jon Lloyd Quartet, performing both John Law's more radical compositions as well as material by Jon Lloyd. This quartet recorded the acclaimed CD Abacus (hatOLOGY567) which received two awards from the French magazine Jazzman, one awarded for the whole year 2001. The group toured the UK in 2000, appearing at the Bath International Festival.

In 2001, continuing to develop his own approach to the jazz language, John Law formed The Moment Band with his trio and featuring the British saxophonist Tim Garland. The quartet recorded the outstandingly acclaimed CD The Moment (CRCD06) and toured the UK in 2001. With his trio (with Dave Wickins and now Alec Dankworth on bass) and with featured soloists (Julian Siegel, Martin Speake, Julian Nicholas) John Law undertook, in 2002, the Monk 'n' Junk Tour in the UK, contrasting the compositions of Thelonious Monk with the standard repertoire. A CD of this material appeared on the label ASC in 2006.

2002/3 saw John working in two completely different areas. Returning to more radical, open music, John started a collaboration with the German drummer Klaus Kugel, appearing together at the International Vilnius Festival with the Lithuanian soprano saxophonist Petras Vysniauskas in a triumphant concert to a packed Vilnius Philharmonic Hall and later touring the UK with him in a European quintet including Jon Lloyd and the bass clarinettist Michel Pilz, as well as appearing with him in a quartet at the Portuguese festival in Coimbra. At the same time, moving in the opposite direction into more accessible territory, John worked in two new duos: Songs, with the alto saxophonist Martin Speake, exploring some of their favourite compositions by other people, including arrangements of classical pieces by Ravel, Tchaikovsky and Mahler and in a two piano duo with the pianist Jason Rebello, opening their concerts with Bach and closing with Ravel's Bolero.

2004 started with John performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue (the jazz band plus strings version) to a sell out audience at the Wiltshire Music Centre and performing in Vienna with the Austrian vibraphone player and composer (and principal percussionist of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra) Flip Philipp. In June John performed, in a trio with Jon Lloyd, Law's large composed and improvised piece South, to accompany a Frome Festival performance of the epic 1914 black and white silent film of the same name. Later that year saw two major projects: John Law's European Quartet UK tour In Extremis, with Tim Wells and featuring, from France, François Corneloup (baritone and soprano saxophones) and Eric Échampard (drums), including a performance at the Bath Festival and for Radio Three and, in the Autumn, the culmination of several years' work and planning: the 12-piece large ensemble classical/jazz crossover project Out Of The Darkness. This UK tour, funded by a major Arts Council Touring Grant, featured a quartet of John, Andy Sheppard (saxophones), Chris Laurence (bass) and Paul Clarvis (drums/percussion) within a classical ensemble of eight instrumentalists, including some from the London Sinfonietta and the tour featured new works by John Law, including a major new work: Out Of The Darkness. Music from this tour appeared in 2006 on the label Slam.

In 2005, following on from their Vienna concert in 2004, John organised the UK tour Monk And Beyond for an Anglo Austrian quartet with Flip Philipp, the Austrian drummer Christian Salfellner and the British bass player Dave Goodier. The music contrasted Monk-inspired compositions by Flip and John with performances of classic Monk tunes.

At the end of 2005 John Law and Jon Lloyd began the duo project Mimesis, recording the CD Mimesis - 10 Choreographies for Soprano Saxophone and Piano, which appeared on ASC in 2006. John also completed, in December 2005, his classical performance diploma in piano, gaining distinction.

February 2006 saw the start of an important new project: the John Law/Sam Burgess/Asaf Sirkis Trio: The Art of Sound. John began working with Asaf (drums) and Sam (bass) in 2005. In 2006 they recorded, at the Italian studio Artesuono, their first CD: The Art Of Sound Volume 1, which appeared in May 2007 on 33 Records. This trio (also with Yuri Goloubev on bass) worked in the UK and Europe, playing at clubs and festivals, to brilliant acclaim.

In November 2007 John was commissioned to compose and perform a large-scale work to accompany the silent film classic The Last Laugh by F.W. Murnau, for the Bath Film Festival. In 2008 John was awarded a large Arts Council touring grant to tour this project nationally in 2008/09, performing with Jon Lloyd (soprano saxophone/bass clarinet) and the classical percussionist Jeremy Little.

In 2008 John was made an Artist in Residence at Essex University, for 2008/09.

John Law has appeared at over fifty different festivals worldwide and recorded nearly 30 CDs.

Layout made by andrea.