Simon Little

Hello folks,

Yesterday I got together with Jez Carr and Mike Haughton to work out what we’re going to do with the trio project.

We’re going to release an album very soon. It’s going to be called Foreground Music, Vol. I. As soon as it’s mastered by Jez we’re essentially good to go so watch this space for the release announcement. We’re going to put it out on Bandcamp. As it stands the album runs at about 72 minutes of freely improvised music over eight tracks. We’re all so pleased with the way it came out.

So, what does this music sound like? I hear you ask. Well, as a special treat for you all here and on Facebook and Twitter, here is a little preview track from the album. It’s mixed but not mastered. This will be the closing track from the record and is a lovely piano/saxophone feature. Not much bass on this particular track boys and girls but fear not; there’s all kinds of bottom end action to come.

Also, you’ll be glad to know that Jez has recently rejoined the world of Twitter and is now fully tweetable (!). You can find him at Jez Carr. He has also added his wonderful duo album with bassist Steve Lawson Conversations to his Bandcamp page. You should all check this out while you wait for our trio record. Here’s the handy player so you can have a listen…

So watch this space and Twitter for the release announcement. It could be as early as this weekend if it all goes to plan. Exciting times. Hope you like the preview folks!

Until then…

Those of you who follow me on Twitter or my Facebook page will no doubt be aware of the new trio project I’m currently working on. I’m really pleased with the music we’ve come up with and thought it was about time I posted about it here.

A few months ago I played a little gig with pianist Jez Carr and saxophonist Mike Haughton. This was the first time we’d played together as a trio; In fact it was the first time Mike and I had even met. Even though it was a straight ahead jazz function gig, we quickly established (in the brief soundcheck!) that the three of us worked well together and clearly shared a similar musical vocabulary. Literally the minute we’d set up our equipment Mike started playing and Jez and I joined in. What followed was an extended free improvisation that said far more than anything we could have planned. The three of us knew immediately that this was something we’d like to explore again.

A few weeks ago we finally got together at Mike’s house and recorded everything we played. We didn’t discuss what we were going to play or even particularly what sound we were going for. I took a whole brace of basses with me, plus my trusty Pod X3 Pro and Looperlative LP1. In the end I played the entire session on the Triumph upright bass. Mike played mostly soprano saxophone with a little tenor.

We recorded over 140 minutes of freely improvised music that day. Jez has been beavering away mixing the eleven tracks and we are currently deciding how we’re going to whittle this down into a potential album release. We’re all really excited about this project and are keen to get the material out so watch this space for further news. If you’re a fan of my solo stuff, you’re gonna love this. There may well be a release imminent folks.

Until then…

Hello folks,

Just a quick post to let the bassists and guitarists among you know about a couple of bits of gear I have just posted up on eBay for sale.

First is my Lexicon MPX G2 guitar effects processor and R1 midi controller. This is the processor I used to create all the sounds on my first album Mandala (CD’s still available by the way… hint hint). And those of you familiar with Steve Lawson (aka the mighty @solobasssteve), this is the unit he uses for all his solo bass work. It’s a great piece of kit and they are pretty hard to come by, especially here in the UK. Here’s the link…

Lexicon MPXG2/R1 Controller

The second offering is my beloved Warwick ProTube IX bass amp. I bought this from a guy who got it from Cass Lewis from Skunk Anansie. It sounds absolutely amazing and has been my backup amp for a couple of years. I’m attempting to scale down my bass rigs at the moment and this is just a bit too hefty for my usual requirements so I’m letting it go. The fan is a bit loud once it’s revved up and the little W light doesn’t light up anymore but these are minor issues. The amp works a treat. And it’s essentially 1000 watts. Which is rather powerful folks. Here’s the link…

Warwick ProTube IX

Happy bidding folks!

I’ll be at Nolia’s 11 on Stamford Street, Waterloo tonight 9-12 with the Alex Hutton Trio if you’re about. Hopefully see some of you there.

Until next time…