THURSDAY 24TH APRIL 2025 | 7pm | £9 / £6 members + concs

“A master class in closely attentive group playing… anticipation and responsiveness become indistinguishable.” – Julian Cowley, The Wire

A trio of three acclaimed improvisors, who released their debut album ‘Here and How’ on Bead Records in 2023.

John Butcher - saxophones
Dominic Lash - double bass
Emil Karlsen - drums

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.

“A master class in closely attentive group playing… anticipation and responsiveness become indistinguishable.” – Julian Cowley, The Wire

“The technical skill on display is incredible, giving these wild, angular jaunts an undercurrent of precision that elevates them to new heights.” – Foxy Digitalis

Hexagone Ensemble

Debut gig of a new large ensemble featuring Marie-Pierre Perez, Gus Garside, Annie Kerr, Iain Paxon, John Hurn and Nick Easterbrook.

Hexagone Ensemble

8pm Wildcard Quartet

8.30pm Hexagone Ensemble

9.15pm Butcher/Lash/Karlsen