Nick Stephens,
John Stevens,
Harry Beckett,
Evan Parker ,
Dudu Pukwana,
Pinise Saul,
Annie Whitehead,
Frode Gjerstad,
Tony Marsh,
Hasse Poulson,
Louis Moholo,
Neal Metcalfe,
Nigel Coombes,
Garry Todd,
Chris Biscoe,
Jerry Underwood,
Jon Corbett,
Alf Waite,
Mano Ventura,
Brian Davison,
Mark Sanders,
Robert Calvert,
Nigel Moyes,
Martin Holder,
Lol Coxhill,
Chris Turner,
Bob Morgan,
Rachel Maloney,
Paul Hession
Fast Colour live in Antwerp 1988 (click image for more info)
Loose Torque record label was created by British bassist Nick Stephens to make available recordings of improvised music and free jazz both old and new.
All albums and songs featured in media player are avaliable to buy from www.loosetorque.com along with many more of Nick Stephens' projects.
Born Sutton Coldfield 1946. Nick Stephens started his first group, playing bass guitar, while still at school and was soon out on the road playing the R&B clubs, dance halls and US Bases of England and Europe. In 1966 he bought his first double bass and joined The Midlands Youth Jazz Orchestra.
In 1976 Stephens was asked to take his bass guitar along for a blow with John Stevens and altoist Trevor Watts. The result was John Stevens Away (mk II) and was the beginning of a long friendship and musical partnership between Stevens and Stephens. Nick was soon joined, in Away, by double bassist Ron Herman (Spontaneous Music Ensemble) and John and his two bass rhythm section were soon playing to critical acclaim. The group made three albums and two singles for Phonogram - the first single Annie was a very groovy Alternate Charts topper featuring John Martyn. They appeared twice on BBC televisions Old Grey Whistle Test and recorded several sessions for Radio 3's Jazz In Britain (available from Konnex Records) and one for John Peel's show.They made two national tours of big rock venues - one with The Jazz Crusaders - but never lost sight of the collective, group improvisation ethic that John had first nurtured in SME and The Little Theatre Club.
Nick continued to work with John until his death in 1994 playing in The Dance Orchestra, Folkus, Freebop, Fast Colour and umpteen gigs and workshops.
In 1988 he received his first of two Arts Council Bursaries for composition and formed the Nick Stephens Septet which featured a young Courtney Pine.
In 1983 Nick and John had flown to Norway to form the group Accent with Frode Gjerstad. The group didn’t last more than a couple of broadcasts and recordings and a few gigs, but Stephens and Gjerstad kept in touch and when, in 1994, an all day festival was held in London, to celebrate the music of John Stevens, Nick and Frode played the penultimate set together with Norwegian drummer Terje Isungset. They were followed onstage by Paul Rutherford. The four got together after the concert and determined to form a quartet ‘Calling Signals’ After gigs in Scandinavia Stephens acquired an Arts Council grant to tour the UK.
The second incarnation of Calling Signals featured, Gjerstad, Stephens, South African drummer Louis Moholo and Danish guitarist Hasse Poulson. They played several festivals and concerts in Norway and England and in 1996 recorded ‘Calling Signals‘ at Richie Stevens’ studio in Notting Hill Gate.
In 1996 Stephens and Gjerstad played a live broadcast from London’s Vortex club for the BBC. Inspired by this duo Nick flew to Norway to record North Atlantic Drift.
Calling Signals has gone on to make two CD's for FMR featuring accordion player Eivin One Pedersen and Paal Nilssen-Love or Tony Marsh on drums. In 2008 they made a short tour of the UK with Paal and Lol Coxhill. Nick recorded the gig at Cafe OTO and it will be available from summer 2009.
Nick is currently working with Frode's Circulasione Total Orchestra.
Current Projects
Angel Of The Odd
"I met composer/clarinetist Bob Morgan who told me of his plan to form an orchestra made up of classical musicians and improvisers to play live for silent movies. He had devised a way of part scoring the action for the orchestra while individual soloists interpret, through improvisation, the lives, loves and sticky ends of their on-screen personas".
The first commission was for the Hampstead Everyman. The film was GW Pabst’s Pandora’s Box. "Bob Morgan played Lulu/Pandora, Pete McPhail, Geschwitz and I played the ill-fated Dr. Schoen. Seats were removed from the front of the theatre to accommodate a string group to the left and right while the brass and woodwind were assembled on the stage. The choir were spread around and the audience were surrounded by sound".
"The next film was Marnu’s great classic Noferatu, for which we assembled a 24-piece orchestra and a 27-piece choir. On different occasions featuring either Maggie Nichols or Phil Minton as Prof. Van Hell-Sing interpreter of the text. I played the toothsome one himself, Count Orlock/Dracula. Jon Corbet played Knock and Mark Thomas and Alan Thomlinson as Hutter".
The aim of the orchestra is to travel with a core of improvisers and utilise local musicians and singers. If you would like to book The Angel Of The Odd Orchestra or learn more about us please email Robert Morgan or Nick Stephens
Hello, Thank you for add! And good listening on my site, for the persons who have never heard the vocal experimental music made by children. See you soon! Colette ___________________________________
Bonjour, Merci pour l'ajout ! Bonne écoute sur mon site, pour les personnes qui n'ont jamais entendu de la musique expérimentale vocale faite par des enfants. A bientôt ! Colette
Hello, on 17th, 18th and 19th 2008, 8pm. FÊTE QUAQUA @ The Vortex 11 Gillett Sq. London N16 8JH (tube: Dalston Kingsland) London, N16 8JH
Annual festival of improvised music, featuring: DYLAN BATES violin / JEAN BORDÉ double bass / CHRIS BURN trumpet / JOHN BUTCHER saxophone / LOL COXHILL saxophone / MAX EASTLEY self-made instruments / BILL HSU interactive computer / HANNAH MARSHALL cello / JOHN RUSSELL guitar / PAUL G. SMYTH piano / ROGER TURNER percussion / UTE WASSERMANN voice http://www. mopomoso. com/
hello nick and hank you very much for appreciating my work. I enjoyed a lot Loose Torque and I'd be very happy of recording with you next time I'm in London! yes, I'm from Crema. I've been collaborating for 8 years to the organization of a festival called "bottesini bassofestival". the festival runs no longer. a true pity...
Hey Nick, thanks for the invite. How are you keeping? I hope the tour with Bra Louis went well. Would be great to do something, maybe at Rumours. Take it easy & hopefully catch up soon.
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