Phil Durrant / Daniel Thompson - Live / Studio
Phil Durrant - octave mandola
Daniel Thompson - acoustic guitar
“ Here is an additional masterpiece to this arduous art of “two guitar” improvisation, even if one is an Octave mandola .
”
Recorded partly at London’s Cafe Oto and Cable Street Studios, ‘Live / Studio’ represents the debut by established British improvisers Phil Durrant and Daniel Thompson. Moving within and between close textural territories, the duo explores shifting sonic patterns and a dynamic interplay resulting in an intimate listening experience
Track 1 recorded live at Cafe Oto, London on 11th January 2022
Tracks 2 to 7 recorded at Cable Street Studios on 25th March 2022
All tracks recorded and engineered by Shaun Crook
All tracks mixed and mastered by Phil Durrant
All music by Durrant/Thompson
Front cover artwork by Finch WF Thompson
Inside photo by Dawid Laskowski
Produced by Emil Karlsen for Bead Records
BEAD 49
All rights reserved
press reactions
“When you dive into the music concocted by acoustic guitarist Daniel Thompson and avant-garde mandolinist Phil Durrant, you realize that the improvised music scene is full of creators we can’t do without. Their exploratory, stubborn, and gem-like soundscapes rival the eloquence of Derek Bailey or the ascetic assurance of John Russell. The duo’s playful mania for resonances, trembling harmonics, and permanent disorder delivers one of the most convincing recordings of the Bead Records label—an additional masterpiece in the art of improvisation.” – Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg
“Durrant and Thompson’s dexterity and imagination transcend conventional techniques, delivering a sonic philosophy of shimmering pulsations, sharp spikes, and brilliant timbres. This is non-idiomatic improvisation at its finest, reviving the spirit of experimental pioneers like Derek Bailey and Fred Frith, while satisfying the eternal desire to escape clichés.” – Massimo Ricci (Touching Extremes)