Evan Parker is a highly respected improviser; Lawrence Casserley has a unique expertise in live computer processing for improvised music. Together they create a remarkable duo.
"He walked into the shreds of flame. But they did not bite into his flesh, they caressed him and engulfed him without heat or combustion. With relief, with humiliation, with terror, he understood that he too was a mere appearance, dreamt by another." (Borges - The Circular Ruins)
Evan Parker was a student botanist until the course of his life was changed by experiencing a performance by Cecil Taylor in New York. He quickly became involved in the London free jazz scene of the 60s, forming the innovatory Spontaneous Music Ensemble along with such musicians as Dave Holland, Derek Bailey, Kenny Wheeler and John Stevens. As well as many other collaborations he developed a unique body of solo work for the soprano sax, thanks to some extraordinary techniques which he has explored: circular breathing and multiphonics, for example, which help to create hypnotic, densely textured layers of sound.
Lawrence Casserley, composer, conductor, percussionist and computer musician, has dedicated his professional career to live electroacoustic performance, ranging from UK premieres of works by Stockhausen and Halffter to live processing of the London Jazz Composers Orchestra. In 1995 he took early retirement from the Royal College of Music to pursue his other activities. He is particularly noted for playing the motorbike in concert and on television in several countries. Improvisation has always played a significant part in his work and he sees live digital processing as an instrument in its own right. He is a Director of the Colourscape Music FestivalsRecently, Casserley has developed a signal processing instrument specifically for improvised music. Parker has been closely involved in the development process. The combination of their talents intensifies and enriches both their work. The complex interaction made possible by Casserley's instrument leads to a rich and subtle fusion of their musical personalities.
Parker and Casserley also perform regularly in the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Quartet, the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble and other groups. They appear together in CDs on ECM, Leo Records, Maya Records and psi. Find more details on the "Disco" page.