Location
London
United Kingdom
55° 22' 40.9836" N, 3° 26' 9.5028" W
See map: Google Maps
London GB
The first in a series of twelve videos that have grown out of a deep research into the nature of Free Improvisation by artist, teacher and curator, Blanca Regina.
Steve Beresford was born in Wellington, Shropshire, UK in 1950. In 1974 he moved to London, playing piano with improvisers like Derek Bailey and also trumpet with the notorious Portsmouth Sinfonia.
Since the mid-1970s, he has worked with hundreds of people, including The Slits, Han Bennink, Christine Tobin, Ivor Cutler, Prince Far-I, Vic Reeves, Alan Hacker, Ray Davies, Ilan Volkov, Najma Akhtar, Evan Parker, Adrian Sherwood, The Flying Lizards, Stewart Lee, Otomo Yoshihide and John Zorn. Free improvisation is central, generally involving piano and/or electronics. He also writes songs, TV and film music, directs ensembles and has been known to sing and write.
He was a member of the groundbreaking group Alterations (1977-1986), with David Toop, Peter Cusack and Terry Day, which recently re-formed.
People he regularly performs with include Blanca Regina, Elaine Mitchener, Satoko Fukuda, Max Eastley, Mark Sanders, John Edwards, Orphy Robinson, Sarah Gail Brand, Mandhira De Saram and the London Improvisers Orchestra.
Beresford has co-curated a number of events with Blanca Regina, including the ongoing Strange Umbrellas series and a ten-day event Unpredictable, planned for April 2018 in Ambika P3, London.
He has had a long musical association with Swiss-American artist/musician Christian Marclay.
http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/mberes.html
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'Unpredictable: Conversations with Improvisers’ is a collection of videos that have grown out of a deep research into the nature of Free Improvisation, its history in the UK and its international connections. The collection responds to the urgent need to investigate the genre and its rich legacy. Research and filming began in 2011. It was directed and produced by artist, curator and educator Blanca Regina in collaboration with Steve Beresford and Pierre Bouvier Patron. The series was commissioned by Sound and Music for the 50th anniversary of the British Music Collection.
The series focus on twelve active performers, interviewing pioneers like Terry Day and Maggie Nicols and, from the second generation, Steve Beresford, David Toop and Peter Cusack.
Women have always been an important presence in Free Improvisation but this has not always been reflected in how the genre is seen. In ‘Unpredictable Series’ we made a point of including more women than men, particularly women with developing careers in the field.
Many of these videos have been filmed in the context of 'Unpredictable' events, and others have followed the artists into key London venues like Cafe OTO and IKLECTIK. These are two of the most important venues in the UK for freely improvised music – a genre that sprang to life in the mid ‘60s, has always had a strong community in London, but is often not fully acknowledged.
Blanca Regina and Steve Beresford created 'Unpredictable', a series with an emphasis on Free Improvisation that features exhibitions, performances, talks, films and publications. In 2014 they were joined by Pierre Bouvier Patron.
Directed and produced by Blanca Regina
Advisor: Steve Beresford
Camera and editors: Pierre Bouvier Patron & Blanca Regina
Sound: Blanca Regina
Photographies by Tomi Osuna, Nadjib Le Fleurier, Jak Kilby and Pierre Bouvier Patron
Thanks to Mike Figgis venues and musicians Cafe Oto, Fielding Hope, IKLECTIK, Eduard Solaz, William Morris Galley and many more
More information at www.unpredictable.info