Paul Dunmall


(Copyright © 2003 Piero Scaruffi | Terms of use )
Desire and Liberation (1998), 6.5/10
Bebop Starburst (1999), 7/10
The Great Divide (2001), 7/10
I Wish You Peace (2004), 7/10
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British reed player Paul Dunmall, a member of Mujician, is first documented on the solo improvisations of Soliloquy (december 1986), on which he plays saxes, ocarina and clarinet, on the cassette Invisibles (july 1988), containing two lengthy live improvisations with bassist Paul Rogers, and in a trio with Paul Rogers (double bass) and Tony Orrell (drums) on the live That’s My Life (july 1989).

Dunmall also led his own octet, that recorded Desire and Liberation (november 1996 - Slam, 1998), six solos for different instruments plus a duet, the five-part suite Bebop Starburst (june 1997 - Cuneiform, 1999) and the five-part suite The Great Divide (march 2000 - Cuneiform, 2001), three milestones of revisionist avant-garde jazz.

In between he also experimented with the sextet of Shooters Hill (may 1998), featuring trombonist Paul Rutherford, trumpeter Jon Corbett, guitarist John Adams, bassist Roberto Bellatalla, and drummer Mark Sanders.

Ghostly Thoughts (july 1996) documents a session with John Adams (guitar) and Mark Sanders (drums), notably the 15-minute A Bit Of Rice Nice.

East West North South (june 2000) was a quartet session with drummer Mark Sanders, guitarists John Adams and Philip Gibbs, notably East and West.

Out From the Cage (february 2000) was a quartet with drummer Tony Bianco, bassist John Edwards, guitarist John Adams, notably the 27-minute Tish Mish Ish Ish.

Dunmall (tenor and soprano saxes, fife, bagpipes), Keith Tippett (piano), Pete Fairclough (drums) and Philip Gibbs (guitar) recorded Onosante (november 2000), notably the 35-minute For Lost Souls.

I You (january 2001) contained four duets with drummer Tony Bianco, notably the 28-minute Eternal dance.

Dunmall played bagpipes on Clown (2001 - FMR, 2012), accompanied by with drummer Steven Davis and bassist Dave Kane, a work mostly devoted to Steven Davis compositions such as the 17-minute My Old Bike. And Solo Bagpipes (may 2003) was just that, in particular the 17-minute Bygandron.

I Wish You Peace (march 2003 - Cuneiform, 2004) is his first big-band effort (the Moksha Big Band being his own creation) that stands as the natural evolution of the experiments with his octet (particularly of the track A Passage Through the Great Divide that was his first composition for large ensemble). The album is divided into three subtitled tracks. As one would expect, reeds dominate the proceedings but the salient feature of the band is the broad range of moods, languages and structures, from soulful melodies to abrasive solo, from romantic passages to chaotic interplay, from dissonant counterpoint to noir ambience, from fanfares to litanies.

Love, Warmth and Compassion (may 2004) was a quartet with percussionist Hamid Drake, guitarist Phil Gibbs, and bassist Paul Rogers. notably the 30-minute Love.

Illuminations (august 2005) contained three live duets with percussionist Trevor Taylor.

Unnaturals, Sharps & Flats (august 2005) was a live solo soprano-saxophone improvisation.

Zooghosis (2005) was a trio with bassist Paul Rogers and percussionist Trevor Taylor.

Deep Well (may 2006) was a trio with bassist Peter Brandt and percussionist Tony Marsh.

Deep See (november 2006) was a trio with drummer Tony Orrell and bassist Jim Barr, with the 23-minute Deep Sea Diver.

Occasional Rain (may 2006) was a duo with bassist Peter Brandt.

The four lengthy pieces of the double-CD High Birds (september 2006) were recorded by a quartet with Hilary Jeffery on trombone, Rozemarie Heggen on bass, Alan Purves on percussion.

Blown Away (october 2006) mainly contains the 40-minute jam Blown Away with Dunmall on tenor saxophone, Philip Gibbs on guitar, Roy Campbell on trumpet and flute, Daniel Carter on alto saxophone, trumpet and flute, Paul Rogers on bass, William Parker on bass and Hamid Drake on drums.

The Golden Lake (november 2006) was a collaboration with drummers Tony Levin and Miles Levin. New Growth (june 2007) was a collaboration with guitarist Philip Gibbs.

All Said & Dun (march 2007), containing the 23-minute Unfinished pleasure and the 21-minute Coming round, was recorded by a trio with bassist Nick Stephens and drummer Tony Marsh.

Deep Whole (april 2006) in a trio with bassist Paul Rogers and drummer Marks Sanders contains Deep Whole (16.59), Wholeness (26.19), Emptiness (18.06).

The two-disc London meets Altburon (april 2007) featured saxophone duets with Simon Picard (and a rhythm section).

Four Moons (july 2007) debuted a new quartet with Mike Hurley on piano, Percy Pursglove on bass and Miles Levin on drums: Moon of Purple (18.32), Moon of Yellow (12.09), Moon of Blue (19.09), Moon of Red (10.14).

The September Quartet (september 2006) featured Jon Corbett on trumpet, Nick Stephens on double bass and Tony Marsh on drums: What Goes Around (11.40), Follow me Follow (13.09), One Thing Leads To Another (17.08), All's Well That Ends Well (15.25).

Following Regeneration (june 2007), with bassist Paul Rogers, Spirits Past and Future (december 2007) with drummer Tony Bianco, Crossing (october 2007) and Mind Out (october 2007), with Barry Edwards on guitar and Marks Sanders on drums, Atmospheres without Oxygen (march 2008) documented a session with Philip Gibbs on guitar, Trevor Taylor on electronics and percussion, Evelyn Chang on piano.

Boundless (january 2008) featured a quartet with guitarists Barry Edwards and Philip Gibbs, and Marks Sanders on drums.

Bionic Beings Beginnings (may 2008) featured vocalist Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Philip Gibbs on guitar and ukulele, and Peter Brandt on double bass.

Mahakali (november 2008) documents a duo with pianist Evelyn Chang.

Asynchronous (may 2008) documents a quartet with pianist Fred Van Hove, Paul Dunmall (on tenor sax), Paul Rogers (bass) and Paul Lytton (drums).

Paul Dunmall and Chris Corsano improvised live the music of Identical Sunsets (april 2008).

Dunmall then formed the Sun Quartet with Tony Malaby (both on tenor sax, but Dunmall also on bagpipes), Kevin Norton (drums and vibraphone) and Mark Helias (bass) that debuted on Ancient and Future Airs (june 2008).

21st Century V-Bop, a quartet consisting of drummer Mark Anderson, tenors&sopranoist Paul Dunmall, guitarist Philip Gibbs and keyboardist Tony Hymas, debuted with a self-titled (august 2009).

Dunmall's MANU (january 2010) featured a trio with guitarist Philip Gibbs and drummer Miles Levin.

Mumuksuta (november 2009) documents a live performance by Philip Gibbs (guitar), Paul Dunmall (clarinets and tenor and), Neil Metcalfe (flute) and Tony Levin (drums).

Dzama Stories (Quarts 2082, 2011), premiered in march 2009, contains "music for amplified ensemble, electronics and improviser".

Sun Inside (february 2010) featured a quartet with Paul Dunmall (here on bass clarinet and soprano sax), guitarist Philip Gibbs, flutist Neil Metcalfe and Paul Rogers on his 7-string bass.

Paul Dunmall on tenor sax, Paul Rogers on 7-string bass, and Tony Bianco on drums formed the Dig Deep Trio that debuted with Selftitled (february 2010).

Dunmall's Kithara (october 2010) features Phil Gibbs on guitar, Paul Rogers on 7-string bass, and Mark Sanders on drums.

Dunmall formed the Realisation Trio with bassist Nick Jurd and drummer Jim Bashford. They debuted with Realisation Trio (june 2011).

Percussionist Trevor Taylor's Circuit Electro Acoustic Ensemble's Genesis (2006) featured Dunmall next to trombonist Hilary Jeffery, and pianist Roberto Filoseta and all of them on electronics.

The Asunder Trio's The Lamp (march 2011 - Kilogram, 2012), featuring Danish guitarist Hasse Poulsen on guitar and Mark Sanders on drums, documents a live performance.

The Realisation Trio's Salt Dolly (august 2011) featured Nick Jurd on bass and Jim Bashford on drums.

Tribute To Tony Levin (june 2011) documents the trio of Paul Dunmall (on tenor & soprano saxes, flute and bagpipes), Phil Gibbs (guitar) and Paul Rogers (7 string bass).

Paul Dunmall debuted a new project, The Iceberg Quartet (december 2011), with Sam Wooster on trumpet, Chris Mapp on contrabass and Mark Sanders on drums. Dunmall and Sanders also played with guitarists Philip Gibbs and Hasse Poulsen on His Life And Sayings (march 2011).

Intervention - Based On 60 Studies For Saxophone (2012) documents experiments by the trio of Paul Dunmall and Matt London on tenor sax, and Neil McGovern on alto & soprano saxes. Golden Ocean (august 2010) documents sessions with French pianist Sophia Domancich as well as Tony & Miles Levin (father and son) on drums.

For The Last Time (january 2012) documents a trio with Tony Marsh on drums, Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxes and flute, and Phill Gibbs on drums.

Collaborations between Paul Dunmall and guitarist/pianist Philip Gibbs were documented on Master Musicians Of Mu (november 1999 and january 2000), All Sorts Of Rituals (november 2001), The Vision (january 2002), Music On Two Pianos (march 2006), New Growth (june 2007), and Dreamworld (2013).

Descent III (february 2013) features Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano sax, Pat Thomas on piano and Mark Sanders on drums. Weeping Idols (2012), including the 21-minute 4 Souls 8 Eyes, features Paul Dunmall and Mark Hanslip on tenor saxes and Philip Gibbs and Ed Ricard on guitars.

Dunmall also played on Red Dhal Sextet (september 2011) with Hilary Jeffery (trombone), Frank Paul Schubert (alto sax), Alexander Von Schlippenbach (piano), Mike Majkowski (bass) and Yorgos Dimitriadis (drums).

Paul Dunmall played flute and soprano sax on New Atmospheres (november 2012), recorded in a trio with Philip Gibbs (electro acoustic guitar) and Trevor Taylor (acoustic and electronic percussion).

Jim Dvorak (trumpet and voice), Chris Mapp (bass) and Mark Sanders (drums) played on Cherry Pickin' (july 2013), containing Dvorak's 20-minute As Above So Below.

That Deep Calling (may 2013) documents a live performance with Paul Rogers on bass and Mark Sanders on drums, the Deep Whole Trio. Dunmall played flute, soprano sax & bass clarinet on The Clouds Turned Silver (may 2013) with Philip Gibbs on guitars and Paul Rogers on bass.

The double-saxophone trio of Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall and Tony Bianco (drums) recorded Extremes (june 2014), containing the 32-minute Extremes and the 24-minute Horus.

The trio of Paul Dunmall (soprano sax, clarinets, contrabassoon), Philip Gibbs (acoustic guitar) and Neil Metcalfe (flute) recorded The Ravens Look (february 2013), containing the 16-minute The Great Swan Awaits Us.

The sextet that recorded Life In Four Parts (march 2014) featured Mike Fletcher (alto sax, flute, bagpipes), Chris Mapp (bass), Mark Sanders (drums), Mike Hurley (piano, organ) and Percy Pursglove (trumpet).

Autumn (november 2014) was a collaboration with drummer Tony Bianco comprising the 27-minute Autumn.

Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano saxes & bagpipes, Simon Thoumire on concertina & bagpipes, John Edwards on double bass and Philip Gibbs on guitars recorded the improvisations of Brothers In Music (august 2004), notably the 16-minute Unexpected Saint.

Paul Dunmall on tenor & soprano sax, Philip Gibbs on guitar, pianist Andrew Ball, Jonathan Impett on trumpet and Paul Rogers on contrabass recorded The four lenghty improvisations of Undistracted (october 2004).

To Be Real (march 2007) documents a trio with John Edwards (double bass) and Tony Marsh (drums). The live I Look at You (july 2015) was an acoustic collaboration with Phillip Gibbs (acoustic guitar), Hanna Marshall (cello), Neil Metcalfe (flute) and Alison Blunt (violin).

The trio of Paul Dunmall (soprano and tenor saxes), Philip Gibbs (guitar) and Ashley John Young (double bass) played six lenghty improvisations on Now Has No Dimension (january 2016)

Underground Underground (july 2015) by the Paul Dunmall Quartet, with the leader and Howard Cottle on tenor saxes, Olie Brice on acoustic bass and Tony Bianco on drums, was a tribute to Sunship, entirely composed by Dunmall (notably the 17-minute Timberwolf).

Electrosonics (december 2015) features Dunmall on synthesizer paired with Philip Gibbs on guitar. Chords of Connections (january 2016) features Liam Noble on piano, John Edwards on bass and Mark Sanders on drums, and contains three lengthy improvisations. Cardiff (february 2016) features Philip Gibbs on electric guitar, Ashley John Long on double bass and Trevor Taylor on vibes & electronic percussion.

Dunmall's Deep Whole Trio returned with Paradise Walk (november 2014), including the 26-minute Paradise Walk. Dunmall's quintet with Percy Pursglove on trumpet & bagpipes, Steve Tromans on piano, Dave Kane on acoustic bass and Hamid Drake on drums is documented on the live The Dreamtime Suite (october 2016).

Dunmall's tenor sax led the Brass Project on Maha Samadhi (june 2016), a concept on the Hindu spiritual guru Shri Ramakrishna, with trumpetists Aaron Diaz, Alex Astbury and Percy Pursglove, trombonists Dave Sear and Josh Tagg, tuba players Jo Sweet and Josh Palmer, bassist Olie Brice and drummer Tony Bianco.

Go Straight Round The Square (november 2016), performed with Liam Noble (piano), John Edwards (bass) and Mark Sanders (drums), contains the 39-minute Go Straight Round the Square and the 37-minute Double Back.

Live At The Lamp Tavern (january 2017) documents a collaboration with Sebastiano Dessanay on double bass and Jim Bashford on drums.

Nothing In Stone (september 2017) documents a trio with Percy Pursglove (bass and trumpet) and Tony Orrell (drums) and includes the 38-minute Blue India. Sign Of The Times (october 2017) documents a collaboration with fellow saxophonist Frank Paul Schubert and the rhytm section of Sebastiano Dessanay (bass) and Jim Bashford (drums) and includes the 32-minute Sign Of The Times.

Seascapes (november 2017) documents sessions with Philip Gibbs on guitar, Neil Metcalfe on flute and Ashley John Long on bass. Dunmall played tenor sax on Freedom Music (january 2018) along with John O’Gallagher on alto sax, John Edwards on contrabass and Mark Sanders on drums.

The Rain Sessions (april 2018) was improvised by the sax duo of Paul Dunmall and Jon Irabagon and the drumming duo of Mark Sanders and Jim Bashford.

Dark Energy (april 2013) documents improvisations with Alan Niblock on bass and Mark Sanders on drums.

Inner And Outer (august 2018), with Philip Gibbs on guitar, James Owston on bass and Jim Bashford on drums, contains the 20-minute Outta Time. As One Does (august 2018) documents improvisations with Julian Siegel on tenor sax & bass clarinet, Percy Pursglove on bass & trumpet and Mark Sanders on drums.

One Became Many (september 2018), recorded with Mike Fletcher on alto sax, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Richard Foote on trombone, Chris Mapp on bass and Tymek Jozwiak on drums, contains the two lengthy improvisations, the 33-minute title-track and the 31-minute Many Became One.

Soultime (november 2018) features Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Steve Tromans on piano, Dave Kane on bass and Hamid Drake on drum set & frame drum. Landscapes (september 2018) features Philip Gibbs on guitar, Benedict Taylor on viola and Ashley John Long on bass.

Deps (march 2019), with Sanders, bassist Percy Pursglove and guitarist John Etheridge, contains the 48-minute Deps and the 30-minute Sped.

So Perhaps (april 2019) features Steve Swell (trombone), James Owston (bass) and Mark Sanderson (drums).

Paul Dunmall played soprano & tenor saxes, flutes & bagpipes on Higher/Deeper (april 2017), accompanied by Philip Gibbs on prepared & unprepared guitar, and Dave Balen on percussion, tablas, dhol & drums.

Dunmall played with a string quartet on Interpretations Of Beauty (june 2019), credited to the Paul Dunmall Nonet (Neil Metcalfe on flute, Philip Gibbs on guitar, Hannah Marshall on cello, Sarah Farmer, Theo May & Alison Blunt on violins & viola, John Edwards on double bass and Trevor Taylor on marimba, vibes & percussion), containing the 21-minute suite Interpretations Of Beauty.

Awoto (may 2019) documents a collaboration with Jon Irabagon (alto & swannee saxes, i.e. slide saxes made in the late 1920’s), James Owston (bass) and Tymek Jozwiak (drums) and contains the 23-minute Beyond Distant Jazz.

A Songbirds Temple (november 2019) documents a trio with with Angelica Sanchez (piano) and Mark Sanders (drums), especially the 16-minute title-track.

The quartet of John Edwards (bass), Mark Sanders (drums), Liam Noble (piano) and Dunmall (tenor and alto saxes) recorded the three lengthy improvisations of The Feeling Principle (september 2019).

The Bright Awakening (june 2012) documents a live improvisation of a quartet with Matthew Shipp (piano), Joe Morris (double bass) and Gerald Cleaver (drums).

Paul Dunmall's sextet with Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Richard Foote on trombone, Steven Saunders on guitar, James Owston on bass and Jim Bashford on drums debuted on Cosmic Dream Projection (september 2020).

Unmasked (august 2020), notably the 17-minute Dads Olympic Brushes, documents a collaboration with Neil Metcalfe on flute, James Owston on bass and Tymek Jozwiak on drums.

Palindromes (february 2020) documents a quartet with Percy Pursglove (trumpet), Olie Brice (double bass) and Jeff Williams (drums).

Unity (september 2020) collects improvised duets between Dunmall and Mark Sanders (percussions).

Awakening Expectations (march 2020), containing two 30-minute compositions (the title track and Playing The Virtues), documents a sextet with John O'Gallagher (alto sax), Percy Pursglove (trumpet), Elliott Sansom (piano), Chris Mapp (electric bass) and Miles Levin (drums)

The eighth album of Dunmall's Circuit Electro Acoustic Ensemble, December (december 2020), containing just one lengthy composition, features Ashley John Long on bass, Philipp Wachsmann on violin & electronics and Trevor Taylor on percussion & electronics.

The Paul Dunmall Quintet with Steven Saunders on guitar, Richard Foote on trombone, James Owston on bass and Jim Bashford on drums returned with Yes Tomorrow (september 2021).

This Time In Beautiful Space (october 2020) documents a trio with James Owston on bass and Tymek Jozwiak on drums.

Dunmall, Julie Tippetts (vocals), Martin Archer (alto & baritone saxes & harmonica), Charlotte Keeffe (trumpet & flugelhorn), Richard Foote (trombone), Steven Saunders (electric guitar), James Owston (contrabass) and Jim Bashford (drums) recorded It’s A Matter Of Fact (september 2022), containing the 19-minute It’s A Matter Of Fact and the 17-minute Calling the Spirits.

The live One Moment (november 2022) documents a 44-minute improvisation with Liam Noble on piano, John Edwards on contrabass and Mark Sanders on drums.

Sentient Beings (september 2022) collects three lengthy improvisations with Faith Brackenbury on violin and viola, John Pope on bass and Tony Bianco on drums.

The Laughing Stone (november 2021) documents improvisations with Olie Brice (double bass).

Meditations For Clarinets (april 2023) sports four solo extended improvisations on clarinet.

A quartet with Steve Saunders (guitar), Dave Kane (bass) and Miles Levin (drums) recorded the two lengthy improvisations of World Without (december 2021), namely World Without and The Beauty In You.

Bright Light A Joyous Celebration (november 2022) documents Dunmall on tenor & C soprano saxes, Soweto Kinch on alto & tenor saxes, Xhosa Cole on tenor sax, Corey Mwamba on vibes, Dave Kane on double bass and Hamid Drake on drums.

The Beholder's Share (november 2022) documents the trio of Paul Dunmall (saxes), Alex Bonney (trumpet, modular synth and laptop) and Mark Sanders (drums) in three improvisations, notably the 20-minute Generating Worlds.

Prema (march 2023) contains a 37-minute improvisation performed by a quartet with Olie Brice (double bass), Tony Bianco (drums) and Faith Brackenbury (violin).

Wildlife (january 2023) contains the 19-minute The Last Word with Paul Rogers (7 string double bass) and Mark Sanders (drums).

(Copyright © 2003 Piero Scaruffi | Terms of use )
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