John Butcher / Dominic Lash / Emil Karlsen
“A master class in closely attentive group playing.
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Dominic Lash brought this trio together for a recording session at the end of 2022, reasoning that there is only ever one chance of capturing the first time a group plays together. Not that the trio was starting from nothing - although the session that resulted in the album Here and How represents the first time John Butcher and Emil Karlsen had ever played together, Lash and Butcher have a collaborative history going back about fifteen years, while Lash and Karlsen have worked together with increasing frequency.
There is also the heritage of the sax/bass/drums trio format, which this band treats as a resource to be drawn upon rather than a template to be limited by. This allows the music to move seamlessly from pure sonic exploration to dynamic momentum and back again. The album garnered positive reviews and the group has since been featured on BBC Radio 3 and performed regularly.
Live from the album launch at Hundred Years Gallery 16th July 2023
““Three musicians who seem like impressionist painters, building, stroke by stroke, on small scale, finally creating a strong statement for the fresh catalogue of the label.”
“Restrained frenzy seems like an impossible thing, yet John Butcher, Dominic Lash, and Emil Karlsen found the tools to unlock it (...) The technical skill on display is incredible, giving these wild, angular jaunts an undercurrent of precision that elevates them to new heights.
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