The Squid's Ear Magazine
275 albums from Clean Feed & Shhpuma on Sale at 50% Off!


Hubback, Steve

The Last Free City

Hubback, Steve: The Last Free City (FMR)

Also known as Metal Moves, Welsh improvising drummer/percussionist and instrument-maker Steve Hubback creates metallic sculptures that he performs on alongside drums, gongs, bells & cymbals, this new album presenting three extended recording for sound sculpture and percussion, particularly the mesmerizing title track featuring a mobile sound sculpture made of aluminium.
 

Price: $14.95



Quantity:

In Stock

Quantity in Basket: None

Log In to use our Wish List
Shipping Weight: 3.00 units


EU & UK Customers:
Discogs.com can handle your VAT payments
So please order through Discogs

Sample The Album:




product information:

Personnel:



Steve Hubback-percussion


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




Label: FMR
Catalog ID: FMR695
Squidco Product Code: 34978

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: UK
Packaging: Digipack - 3 panel
Recorded at Massart Studio, in Boston, MA, in November, 2023, by Davide Aiden Capobianco.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Steve Hubback is a Welsh free improviser-drummer-percussionist who began his career as a musician in the late seventies and since the nineties also as a unique craftsman of gongs and cymbals and for his percussive installations. His sonorous creations were used by Scandinavian drummers and percussionists like Paolo Vinaccia, Marilyn Mazur, Knut Finsrud, Audun Kleive and Michala Østergaard-Nielsen.

Hubback's new solo album The Last Free City is described as "music for sound sculptures and percussion" and it was recorded at Boston MassArt (Massachusetts College of Art and Design) in November 2023. It was mixed and mastered by American polymath Elliott Sharp.

The title piece is a 17-minute featuring Hubback's self-crafted mobile sound sculpture made of Aluminium. Hubback plays this sculpture with bows and delicate touches that highlight its distinct resonant timbres while creating an otherworldly-sounding tension and sketching a loose dramatic-rhythmic narrative that ends with a quirt, almost spiritual meditation. The following two short percussive pieces - "The Workshop of Amazing Creations" and "The Last Free Thought" are playful and demonstrate Hubback's idiosyncratic aesthetics on his devised percussive or drum set, augmented with his gongs and cymbals, as a rare free spirit who always searches for new sonic adventures."-Eyal Hareuveni, Salt Peanuts


Get additional information at Salt Peanuts

Artist Biographies

"Steve Hubback is from Barry in South Wales where his musical career began in 1978 playing in local rock and rock and roll groups and later attending the Barry Jazz and Improvised music Summer School where he met and was inspired by Tony Oxley. Gordon Beck. Evan Parker. Alan Holdsworth. Phil Wachsman. Trevor Tomkins. Roy Babington. Keith Tippet. Alan Skidmore. Fred Van Hove, Peter Brotzmann and many other great musicians. It was a life changing experience.

He started a jazz club in Barry in a big hotel which became well known in Wales and soon after a Friday night rock club in the same venue. After turning professional Steve left Wales for Paris in early 1981 which was a fantastic cultural and learning experience. During his time in Paris he first played in a rock 'n' roll group and later in the rock group Splat with Goffo and Joe Hamilton.. He also began performing solo and performed surrealist theatre with Italian Artist - dancer/sculptor Loredana Celi who is an amazing artist and Steve learnt a lot from Loredana about working with visual and movement as well as sound. In 1983 Steve also had the opportunity to perform in Versailles with the legendary Bob Vatel. 'He saw me playing in Paris and invited me to play a concert with him and that was a fantastic experience for me.

In the mid 1980's Steve founded and led It's My Head originally with rock guitarist 'Goffo' from London. Peformed in Denmark. Norway and Sweden. Goffo left in 1986 and Steve invited the phenomenal Swedish guitarist Jorgen Cremonese to join. The highly acclaimed debut CD was recorded in Aarhus with Danish guitarist R L Lunding from the band Picnic and the rest at Jorgen Sangsta's Urania Studios in Gothenburg Sweden with Jorgen Sangsta contributing a rythym track on Mime For The blind. Steve played drums, motorized guitar, keyboards and made recordings of live smashing glass and metal sheets dropped from a stairway in an abanded factory and recording angle grinders which are all intergrated on the recordings. Jorgen Sangsta played lead guitars and keyboards.Norwegian photographer Per Talleraas had joined the group in 1985 intergrating his film and slide projections and his photo's were always used on IMH covers and art. Most of the live performances were in Scandinavia and included a legendary performance at Hennie Onstad Senter outside Oslo. In 1988 through Dossier Records in Berlin Steve toured for 2 weeks in the DDR (East Germany) with Dietmar Diesner and performed solo at Druga Godba in Slovenia. Steve was also was in the original line up of the Danish chamber group Atlantis Transit.

In 1996 invited to tour South Korea as part of Lim Dong Chang's 'World is One' ensemble. That was an incredible experience. ' I learnt a great deal about movement and breathing and space in music through Lim Dong Chang. In 1996 together with Danish artist Harald Viuff co founded The Hydronorts in Denmark for very large scale performances. Steve created a series of floating sculptures along with Paul Burwell from Bow Gamelan Ensemble. The sculptures were moored in Kolding Fjord for the Summer of 1996. Later that year The Hydronorts gave large scale performances in Copenhagen harbour which included The Hot pipe Organ - Bastiaan Maris, Geo Homsey and Stock and high voltage sculptor Barry Schwartz.

In 2000 An invitation to participate in The Kortrijk Percussion project led by Belgian master drummer Dirk Wachtelaer and which featured English drummer Trevor Taylor. Dirk was working with his electronic sounds. Trevor Taylor was playing Sculptures Sonores by the Baschet Brothers and Steve was performing on his sound sculptures and percussion creations.

In 2002 In Iceland was founding member of the Icelandic group Jord Bifast together with Egill Johannsson and Siggi Hrellir. Due to logistics Jord Bifast only performed live in Iceland. That same year Steve formed Recreator together with Nick Le Beat and Theo Travis (Soft Machine and Steve Wilson of Porcupine Tree).

Since 1999 Duo performances and recordings with Dutch pioneer sax and reeds improviser Ad Peijnenburg. Also in 1999 Steve began performing and recording with Norwegian saxophonist and clarinetist Frode Gjerstad.

In 2008 Steve was invited to perform on The Large Hot Pipe Organ at Robodock in Amsterdam and Blast in Birmingham. 'I was playing electric drum pads to trigger the explosions in the pipes which was strange as the sound was generated a few seconds later. In London recorded together with Paul Clarvis on sound sculptures and gongs on the soundtrack of State of Play (Russel Crowe, Ben Aflack and Helen Miren) Music was composed by Alex Heffes.

In 2009 Steve began performing with the highly respected Celtic harpist Nadia Birkenstock. Their first performance was at the International Harp festival in Selstad outside Barcelona. They have continued since then as The Glow Within. Performing in Germany. Czech Republic. Italy. Netherlands. France. Spain and Portugal."

-Steve Hubback Website (http://www.stevehubback.nl/about-me/)
11/5/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. The Last Free City 16:08

2. The Workshop Of Amazing Creatures 2:33

3. The Last Free Thought 2:26

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Percussion & Drums
Solo Artist Recordings
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
Recent Releases and Best Sellers

Search for other titles on the label:
FMR.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Hubback, Steve
The Last Free City
(FMR)
Also known as Metal Moves, Welsh improvising drummer/percussionist and instrument-maker Steve Hubback creates metallic sculptures that he performs on alongside drums, gongs, bells & cymbals, this new album presenting three extended recording for sound sculpture and percussion, particularly the mesmerizing title track featuring a mobile sound sculpture made of aluminium.
Other Recommended Releases:
Walter, Martin / Matthias Boss / Marcello Magliocchi
Leocantor Trio
(FMR)
Recorded at the neo-gothic Church of St. James of Escholzmatt in Luzern, Switzerland, the Leocantor Trio of Marcello Magliocchi on drums & percussion, Martin Walter on pipe organ and Matthias Boss on violin provide moments of subtle reverence through Walter's resonant environment while providing Magliocchi & Boss space for impressive technique and sometimes tumultuous expression.
Schindler / Willers / Eriksson
Cassiber Complex
(FMR)
An extended improvisation captured in 2023 at ASIS_Klangraum in MUCCA & dasvinzenz (Munich) from the trio of long-time collaborators Eric Zwang Eriksson on drums and Udo Schindler on bass clarinet, cornet & Tubax (an Eb contrabass saxophone) with guitarist Andreas Willers of Grid Mesh, for an evolving and exploratory work of deep reflection and extreme catharsis.
Bucher / Tan / Countryman
Old Drains New Stains
(FMR)
The collaboration between Swiss drummer Christian Bucher, Filipino bassist Simon Tan and American ex-patriate living in the Phillipines, saxophonist Rick Countryman, continues with this exceptional collective free jazz album, their fourth on FMR, captured in the studio in Quezon City, Philippines in 2022 for nine exuberant and astute improvisations.
Research (Dvorak / Weston / Brown / Serle)
Laws of Motion
(FMR)
The first album from 1982 by drummer Geoff Serle's band Research, combining free improvisation with rock forms, electric and acoustic, or as he described it: "an electro-funk industrial jazz unit", configured as the quartet of trumpeter Jim Dvorak, a member of Mujician & Brotherhood of Breath, bassist Dan Brown from The Fixx, and legendary pianist Veryan Weston.
Wachsmann, Philipp / Trevor Taylor
Two
(FMR)
Eight studio compositions recorded in Kingston, London in 2022 between FMR label-leader Trevor Taylor on percussion and electronics, and violinist Philipp Wachsmann, also processing his sound through electronics, the two finding common ground and great compatibility in reserved pacing that seemingly allows each note and gesture to express itself fully.
Duo User 52 (Udo Schindler / Etienne Rolin)
Plastic Narratives
(FMR)
Confidently forceful German free improvisation with an eccentric approach, from multi-instrumentalist Udo Schindler on clarinets, cornet & tuba and artist & improviser Etienne Rolin on basset horn, Glissotar (a continuous wind instrument) & a Bansuri flute, as they improvise over Schindler's poem (jetzt/now) from his cycle frequenz schaukelt / frequency swings.
Tromans, Doctor Steve
The Way
(FMR)
A member of the Paul Dunmall Quintet and Ed Gauden's Crux, Birmingham UK pianist, composer and band leader Steve Tromans presents an album of original work, lyrical and introspective pieces improvised in the studio as a response to the duress of the global pandemic, motivated to record on a great piano in the great Sansom Studio based on recent life experiences.
Schindler / Schimanski
Ging Lenz Den Zwanzigsten Durchs Gebirg Order Nicht
(FMR)
Recorded at the 79th Salon fur Klang+Kunst, in Krailling, Munich, the pairing of multi-instrumentalist Udo Schindler performing on alto saxophone, brass & synthesizer and Patrick Schimanski performing on percussion, live electronics & voice was inspired by the novella fragment Lenz written by Georg Büchner in 1836 based on Jean Frédéric Oberlin's diary.
Pederneschi, Alberto
Microcosmo
(FMR)
Using prepared drums drums, objects, voice, and Kalimba, Italian drummer Alberto Pederneschi presents eight solo works recorded in the studio, an unhurried but authoritative set of pieces that merge composed and improvised sections, drawing and evoking a narrative sense in coherent arrangements and intimate story telling.
Arcturus (Jean Nichel Van Schouwburg / Lawrence Cassserely / Yoko Miura
Sverdrup Balance On Tour
(FMR)
A collection of live recordings from Sverdrup Balance, the trio of Lawrence Casserley on signal processing instrument, Yoko Miura on piano & Melodeon, and Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg on voice, recorded during their 2019 autumn tour in U.K., Belgium and North Italy, a skewed but generally optimistic group of ea- and voice improvisers with a wealth of creative inspirations.
Dunmall, Paul / Jon Irabagon / Mark Sanders / Jim Bashford
The Rain Sessions
(FMR)
Dedicated to Cecil Taylor and taking advantage of NY saxophonist Irabagon's UK visit, this album presents four drum duets "time two", as two tenor saxophonists--Paul Dunmall and Jon Irabagon--meet two lyrical drummers--Mark Sanders and Jim Bashford--following Dunmall long-standing interest in drum and sax duets, the results this ebullient and remarkable album.
Dunmall, Paul / Tony Bianco
Autumn
(FMR)
The collaboration of UK saxophonist Paul Dunmall and American ex-pat drummer Tony Bianco has at least a 15 year history, heard in these telepathic duos of free improvisation recorded at Delbury Hall, Shropshire in 2014 for 3 extended works of breathtaking playing.
Watts, Trevor Moire Music Drum Orchestra
Live in Latin America vol. 1
(FMR)
Four recordings from the 1990 Latin America Tour of saxophonist Trevor Watts' Moire Music Drum Orchestra, with concerts from Venezuela and Mexico in a band with Nana Tsiboe, Nee-Daku Patato, Nana Appiah, Jojo Yates, Liam Genockey, and Colin Gibson.
Gjerstad, Frode / Steve Hubback
One Foot Moving
(FMR)
Reissuing the 2005 Utech release from the duo of Frode Gjerstad on clarinets and Steve Hubback on hand-made drums, cymbals and gong, performing live at Lille Konsertsal, Stavanger, Norway, in February 2001.
Hubback / Peijnenburg
Arrows
(FMR)
Sound sculptist and percussionist Steve Hubback met with Dutch saxophonist Ad Peijnenburg on baritone and sopranino in a release of thoughtful and mesmerizing improvisation.



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought:
Missing Heads (Kazuhie / Mitsuru / Yoshida)
Astral Traveler
(Magaibutsu Limited)
With two guitarists split between the left and right sides of the head--Kazuhide Yamaji and Mitsuru Tabata, also on vocals--in a trio aTwo guitarists split between the left and right sides of the head--Kazuhide Yamaji and Mitsuru Tabata, also on vocals--in a trio with Ruins drummer and Magaibutsu label-leader Tatsuya Yoshida, for a an energetic album of mostly instrumental post-prog "no-wave" improvisations, nine wild tracks captured live from four 2024 concerts in Japan.with Ruins drummer and Magaibutsu label-leader Tatsuya Yoshida, for a an energetic album of mostly instrumental post-prog "no-wave" improvisations, nine wild tracks captured live from four 2024 concerts in Japan.
Move (Gibson / Zenicola / Valinho)
Free Baile - Live In Shenzen
(Clean Feed)
Move is the Lisbon-based trio of two Brazilian improvisers -- saxophonist Yedo Gibson (Eke, Naked Wolf) and electric bassist Felipe Zenicola (New Brazilian Funk, Chinese Cookie Poets) -- with Portuguese drummer João Valinho (Rodrigo Amado Refraction Quartet, Fashion Eternal), here caught live in a thrilling edge-of-your-seat concert at at B10Live in Shenzhen, China.
Parker's, Evan Transatlantic Trance Map
Marconi's Drift
(False Walls)
Bringing together two groups of spectacular improvisers versed in free and electroacoustic improvisation for a live transatlantic performance, one group of seven musicians primarily from The UK & Europe performing from The Hot Tin venue in Faversham, Kent, UK, the other group of six musicians performing from Roulette, New York City, for this stunningly impressive group improvisation.
MOVE (Gibson / Zenicula / Valinho)
The City
(Clean Feed)
Energetic and urgent free jazz from the Portuguese trio MOVE of Felipe Zenicola on electric bass, Yedo Gibson on saxophones and Joao Valinho on drums, long time collaborators and members of bands including Rodrigo Amado Refraction Quartet and Naked Wolf, these five shredding improvisations were captured live at Desterro Club, in Lisbon in 2022.
Kaplan, Noah Quartet
Out Of The Hole
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
West Coast composer and saxophonist Noah Kaplan, associated with Anthony Coleman, David Tronzo, Peter Erskine, Rinde Eckert, Joe Morris, Mat Maneri, Joe Maneri, &c., here in his 3rd album with his Noah Kaplan Quartet, in a set of original compositions and one standard performed with Joe Morris (guitar), Giacomo Merega (electric bass) & Jason Nazary (drums, electronics).
Hendriksen, Alex / Fabian Gisler
The Song Is You
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)
Drawing on material from Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, Michel Legrand, Harry Warren, and Victor Young, the lyrical duo of saxophonist Alex Hendriksen (Swiss Jazz Orchestra) and double bassist Fabian Gisler (Jurg Wickihalder European Quartet) cite the art form of storytelling as central to their music as they reflect thoughtfully on the American Songbook.



The Squid's Ear Magazine

The Squid's Ear Magazine

© 2002-, Squidco LLC