Pianist Adam Fairhall and drummer Johnny Hunter are stalwarts of Manchester’s creative music scene. They’ve established a duo to explore early jazz forms through an avant garde lens. The piano/drums format is perfectly suited to this, being a favoured format in both Harlem stride and free music. Adam’s interest in ragtime, stride, barrelhouse, boogie and blues has been well-documented on previous albums, including The Imaginary Delta (SLAM 2012, named Album of the Year by Bird is the Worm) and his solo album Friendly Ghosts (Efpi 2017). His ability to mix these idioms with contemporary approaches has resulted in a distinctive pianistic voice. Johnny’s versatility and inventiveness as a drummer has resulted in an equally individual musical personality, and as with Adam his vocabulary ranges across eras, from ragtime snare techniques to deft swing brushwork and clattering free textures.
The second part of the evening includes a performance from Dee Byrne, a London-based saxophonist, composer and improviser with an interest in pushing the boundaries of jazz. Dee collaborates with artists from the UK and Europe who occupy the area of contemporary jazz, avant-garde and free improvisation. She is a member of electronics duo Deemer, European quintet Ydivide and the London Improvisers Orchestra. Alongside Bern-based musicians Oli Kuster and Cyrill Ferrari, Byrne creates electronics-laden improvised music that draws equally from jazz and experimental electronica. Their debut album Motherboard Pinball was released with Efpi Records in September 2021.
Dee Byrne has a Masters in Jazz Performance from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she studied from 2008-2011. In 2016 Dee was a PRSF Women Make Music Artist and in 2018 she was a recipient of the Developing Your Creative Practice grant from Arts Council England.
In partnership with NQ Jazz and The Yard.
