Summer 2011

2011-07-27T01:31:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the year gap in adding to this blog.

Many things have been in a state of transition, and though my sense

is that this has been true for just about the whole world,

it makes it harder to decide when best to comment

and log these changes.

It is rewarding to have 2 new CDs come into being.
Tracklistings and samples are available from the home page.

The first is a collaboration with Mike Booth from Aura-Soma,

which combines poetry and rap with music I have written.

It was fun to spend time in fresh stylistic territory with this project,

and gave me a chance to explore fresh areas.

My connection with Aura-Soma has always been creatively

fruitful, and this remains true.

Mike and I have discussed the sequel to Atlantean Chants

ever since its release in 2001. This year the timing seemed

just right, and though Mike`s schedule is always packed,

somehow we found the time, and it all seemed to come together

quite effortlessly.

I also enjoyed contributing visual imagery for use in the artwork,

which was assembled by my friend Barry Stevens.

He and I have also found ourselves recently working on the longstanding

mandala video project along with Mike Booth.
This may well be the next creative project where my energies will be focussed.

The other CD is Return of the Tiger on New Earth Records.

This is my first new drum led album for quite some years.

Jason Salmon is a brilliant didgeridoo player and lives in Brighton.

I was lucky enough to meet him and this led to some very energetic

new music, including for me one of the album`s high points

`On the Chariot`.

There are also 4 co-written tracks - 2 with David Glendining,

and 2 with Arthur Hull, and I talk more about these in the notes

for the album under the tracklisting etc.

It is pleasing to feel that each of the tracks is a complete

and strong entity, especially given that the era where

the luxury of `filler` tracks has well and truly gone!

Here is a video about this album: -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDPfiv71f9E

On the live playing front, there have been a lot of gigs with

Howlin` Blues this year, and not only these a lot of fun

for me, but we are really gelling extremely well as a band.

There is more about the band here and a lisy of our gigs,
and includes video clips.

www.howlinblues.biz

It was very sad in April to lose one of my closest friends.

Grahame Gerrard, who has helped me mix many of

albums, and been a phenomenal source of technical advice,

died of throat cancer.

His amazing sense of humour brightened many a day, and

I miss his excellent and uplifting company.

Sometimes it`s maybe not fully clear how irreplaceble

some friends are, until they have gone.

New instruments are often great sources of inspiration

offering ideas and starting points for tracks.

This is especially true of the remarkable Korg Kronos.
The quality of its sounds is phenomenal.
See photo above.

Featuring no less than 9 different engines to generate sound,

touchscreen, and a solid state hard drive, this keyboard

is the sum total of a lot of innovative thinking.

Not only will I be enjoying exploring it in the studio,

but have a flightcase for it, and will be looking forward

to performing on it live, to which it is very well suited,

especially as it incorporates a new technology that allows

it to swap between sounds glitchlessly.

2010-05-31T08:05:00.000-07:00

My intention now is to write a fresh blog at the start of each month. As well as hopefully being an interesting and useful insight into what`s going on behind the scenes, it`s a serious incentive for me not to let the time slip away without my knowing where it`s gone!

Summer seems a little reluctant to arrive this year, after a seductive two day phase of teasing us last week, that it could actually be here. After the intense winter along within this protracted tricky phase, you can feel a huge collective readiness for real warmth.

Four days holidaying in Kent was a delightful break, and it`s easy anyway to forget what astonishing castles, gardens, parks and local spots are really very near. Joining the National Trust was an excellent move. Thanks to my old friend Anne Beadle for this suggestion. So now I`m ready for summer, if we`re lucky enough to get one. The badmington net is up in my garden, and I am seriously ready for some sun.

I am delighted to have completed the Aura-Soma project on which I embarked in February. There are 4 CDs now out, details of which are now up on the site. This was a very enjoyable co-creative venture, and it was especially good to have help with the CD booklet design from my old friend and mandala artist Barry Stevens.In an age where excess media bulge from every portal, his aesthetic sensibility is very refreshing and invigorating.
http://www.mandalas.co.uk/

Writing the tracks as I did for the Musical Chronicles was a departure into new territory for me - both in how it was written and how it was then further developed. The multiple sound layerings I explore within it draw on the extraordinary possibilities that virtual instruments offer - especially those made by Spectrasonics. A really amazing company, offering hugely inspiring creative starting points with great technological tools, superbly thought through to be very intuitive and supportive of the musician.
http://www.spectrasonics.net/

My great friend Grahame persuaded me to get a new super computer built for music. This arrived in early January. It always takes a while to get everything installed on a new computer, but I am knocked out with the result. My affectionate name for it is the Rocket. Virtual instruments play as smoothly as hardware, but with the whole enormous palate of sounds that are just so mindboggling and inspiring. This great machine was built by Scan Computers in their 3XS series. They were pleasant to deal with and well priced, and the quality first class.
http://3xs.scan.co.uk/

LIVE PERFORMING
Live playing has been busy on several fronts and a lot of fun,
all at this point drumming. Moondance - the ceilidh band has been doing lots of weddings and we will be doing two festivals as well this year - Guildford(Guilfest) and Broadstairs.
http://www.moondance.org.uk/

Howlin` Blues has done several local dates and we will be at the Old Saltquay in London on Friday June 4th(9 PM). We will joined there by Tony Bell - an awesome guitarist and singer,
which resulted last time in an exciting and spirited performance.
http://www.howlinblues.biz/Howlin_Site/

Puzzled Moon - the jazz quartet led by pianist Peter Willson continues to play mostly Sussex based gigs and we are discussing the idea of doing some recording. More news on that front
as it happens.

Big Al is the hot local boogie woogie pianist with whom I also play.
We have played four gigs at the Terminus in Eastbourne and will be playing for a wedding on June 20th at Deans Place, Sussex.

I am writing new rhythmic material for the James Asher Group to perform. The first tune for this is nearly done and is progressing very well. Having spent so long in the past being pretty much entirely a studio creature, and then these past few years having increasingly done a lot more live work and loving it, the logical conclusion for me will be a blending of those two worlds.
I am still getting my head round what will be involved with writing for the live situation, but it`s a stimulating and intriguing challenge that strikes me as exciting.

I will be back with the next update at the start of July.

Enjoy the summer!

For complete information on all items see:-
http://www.james-asher.co.uk/

James Asher Update

Summer 2011