Meet The Team – No.4 Veryan Weston

Master improviser, composer, lecturer, award-winner – it’s possibly easier to ask “what hasn’t Veryan Weston done?”

 Veryan Weston moved to London from Cornwall in 1972 and began playing as a freelance jazz pianist as well as developing as an improvisor at the Little Theatre Club. He accepted a fellowship with the Digswell Arts Trust in Hertfordshire in 1975 who commissioned him to revise his book on piano improvisation which he was able to do through a subsidy from the Arts Council of Great Britain. During this time, he co-founded and composed for Stinky Winkles. With the group he was voted a ‘Young musician of 1979’ by the Greater London Arts Association and won three major awards in France, Spain and Poland.

Whilst at Digswell, he also collaborated with visual artists, giving exhibition/solo performances at the Victorian & Albert Museum (1979) with potter Liz Fritsch, and at Hammersmith Jazz Festival (1980) with visual artist Stephen Cochrane. During this period, he composed and performed music for a range of films and documentaries, most notably with Lol Coxhill for Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio (1985). This interest in music and media collaborations led to a degree course in Performance Art at Middlesex Polytechnic (now University) where he gained 1st class Honours, and in 1990 he was awarded a Masters in Music Composition from Goldsmith’s College, University of London. These qualifications then led to a brief period as a part-time lecturer at Bretton Hall and Middlesex University.

Throughout the 1980s and early 90s he worked primarily with the Eddie Prévost Quartet, Trevor Watts‘ Moiré Music and duets with Lol Coxhill and Phil Minton. He also worked in other ensemble projects with Minton, including ‘riverun’ the Phil Minton Quartet with John Butcher and Roger Turner. Major festivals have included Zurich, Berlin, Nicholsdorf, Karlsruhr, Warsaw, Wroklaw, San Sebastian, Bombay, Vancouver, St Etienne, Aukland, Nevers, Washington, Lille, Houston, Le Mans, Straasbourg and Victoriaville.

Recordings

1977 The joy of paranoia, Ogun OG 525. Lol Coxhill. Released on CD as Coxhill on Ogun.

1978, Digswell duets, Random Radar Records RRR 005. Lol Coxhill.

1978, Digswell duets 1978, Emanem 4052. Duo with Lol Coxhill.

1979, Opus 5, Blueprint 159CD. One minute of Stinky winkles on this Morgan Fisher compilation.

1981, Hysterical woman, Poljazz PSJ 94. Stinky winkles

1982/1986, Unexpected pleasures, Arc 05. Trevor Watts Moiré Music.

1983, Couscous, nato 157. Lol Coxhill.

1983, ContinuumMatchless 7/Matchless MRCD07. Eddie Prévost Quartet.

1985, The inimitable, nato DK 018 53039.2. Lol Coxhill.

1985, Continuum +, Matchless MRCD07. Eddie Prévost Quartet.

1985, Trevor Watts’ Moiré Music, Arc 02.

1986, Saalfelden encore, Cadillac SGC 1015. Trevor Watts Moiré Music Sextet.

1986, Underwater Carol, Matchless 12. Solo.

1988, With one voice, Arc 03. Trevor Watts’ Moiré Music.

1989, Druga godba, DG 007. Trevor Watts Moiré Music.

1991, AngelicA 91, CAICAI 001. Three pieces by ‘Ways’ + one trio.

1991, Songs from a prison diary, Leo CD LR 196.

1992, Ways, ITM 1420. Duo with Phil Minton.

1992, Ways past, ITM 1468. Duo with Phil Minton.

1995, AngelicA 1995, A1 007. Four pieces by Ways Past.

1996, Mouthful of ecstasy, Victo cd041. Phil Minton Quartet.

1996, Playing alone, Acta 9. Solo.

1997, Little movements, FMR CD Sampler 3. Veryan Weston Trio (one track on sampler CD).

1997/1999, Spectral soprano, Emanem 4204. One duo, one trio and one quartet with Lol Coxhill + track with London Improvisers Orchestra on compilation CD.

1997/1998, Abo bhayi, Nota Bene NBCD001. Ntshuks Bonga’s Tokolosho.

1998, Boundless, Emanem 4021. Duo with Lol Coxhill.

1998, Mercury concert, Emanem 4028. Weston/Edwards/Sanders.

1998, Concert, v., Matchless MRCD37. Prévost/Weston.

1998, Music on seven occasions, Meniscus MNSCS004. Three duos with John Butcher.

1998, Unearthed, 33 Records 33WM110 CD. Veryan Weston/Stu Butterfield/John Grieve/John Edwards.

1999/2000, Five shadows, Emanem 4048. Duo with Caroline Kraabel.

1999/2002, Ways out east, ways out west, Intakt CD 097. Minton/Weston.

2000, London gigs, Prominence PPRCD 4199. Duo with Enzo Rocco.

2000, The hearing continues…, Emanem 4203. London Improvisers Orchestra.

2000, Daybreak, Emanem 4059. Ian Smith.

2000, Musical Corr≡la(c)tivity, combined Book/CD. Rose/Weston duo on one track.

2000/01, And the world aint square, Red Note 9. 4 Walls.

2000/2001, Worms organising archdukes, Emanem 4074. Coxhill/Weston.

2001, 3 pianos, Emanem 4064. Beresford/Thomas/Weston.

2001, Freedom of the city 2001: large groups, Emanem 4206. London Improvisers Orchestra.

2001, Freedom of the city 2001: small groups, Emanem 4205.

2001, 6 dialogues, Emanem 4069. Watts/Weston duo.

2001, The All Angels concerts, Emanem 4209. Solo on compilation 2-CD.

2001, Out to launch, Emanem 4086. Lol Coxhill and the Unlaunched Orchestra.

2001, …..past, IDA 018. Minton/Weston.

2000-2002, Temperament, Emanem 4207. Rose/Weston duo.

2001/2005, Tunings & tunes, Hermes Discorbie HDCD011. Jon Rose/Veryan Weston.

2002, Allusions, Emanem 5001. Solo.

2002, Freedom of the city 2002: small groups, Emanem 4210.

2002, Freedom of the city 2002, Emanem 4090. London Improvisers Orchestra.

2002, For John Stevens, Emanem 4091. The Gathering.

2002/2003, Gateway to Vienna, Emanem 4214. Veryan Weston/John Edwards/Mark Sanders.

2003, Tessellations for Luthéal piano, Emanem 4095. Solo.

2003, Which side are you on, Red Note 11. 4Walls.

2003/2004, Responses, reproduction & reality: freedom of the city 2003-4, Emanem 4110. London Improvisers Orchestra.

2005, Freedom of the city 2005, Emanem 4216. In trio Hallett/Kraabel/Weston.

2006, Slur, Emanem 4140. Phil Minton Quartet.

2007, Unlocked, Emanem 4141. Trio of Uncertainty.

2007, In backward times, Emanem 5045. One trio track with Paul Rutherford, Marcio Mattos.

2007, Separately & together, Emanem 4219. London Improvisers Orchestra/Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra.

2007, Caetitu, Emanem 4149. Martin Blume/Yedo Gibson/Marcio Mattos/Veryan Weston.

2008, Playtime, Mass Producers MPCD01. Caroline Kraabel/Veryan Weston/Mark Sanders.

2009, Sol6, Red Note 15.

2009, Stops, psi 10.07. Tony Marsh.

2010, Different tessellations, Emanem 5015.

2010, Lio Leo Leon, psi 11.04. London Improvisers Orchestra.

2011, Haste, Emanem 5025. Veryan Weston/Ingrid Laubrock/Hannah Marshall.

2011, 5 more dialogues, Emanem 5017. Watts/Weston duo.

2011, Dialogues in two places, Hi 4 Head Records HFHCD010D. Watts/Weston duo.

2012, Hear now: a film by Mark French, FMRDVD5. Trevor Watts/Veryon Weston/Mark Sanders/John Edwards.

2014, Discoveries on tracker action organs, Emanem 5044. Solo.

2014, Tuning out: pieces for tracker-action organs and strings, Emanem 5207. Veryan Weston/Jon Rose/Hannah Marshall.

2013, At ad libitum, fortune 0057/007. Trevor Watts/Veryon Weston.

2015, Dialogues for Ornette!, FMR CD404-0915. Trevor Watts/Veryon Weston.

2017, Dialogues with strings, Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 09 2017. Trevor Watts/Veryan Weston/Alison Blunt/Hannah Marshall.

 Please remember to book your tickets to avoid disappointment… this will only happen once.

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