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,

It’s that time of the year again. The time of year when I release another solo album. But this one is different. This one is acoustic. My third solo album [un]plugged is officially out now and available for download right here.

Well, I say acoustic. As the title suggests it’s not entirely acoustic in the traditional sense. The entire record was made using my new Breedlove acoustic bass and my usual live-looping setup. This time I’ve used minimal effects from the Pod X3 Pro and Lexicon MPX G2, concentrating on bringing out the natural sound of the instrument. I’ve been blogging about the writing/recording process quite a bit, so hopefully you’re all familiar with how I came to record an acoustic record after my previous offerings. This album is quite different.

I mastered the album yesterday with Steve Alexander (the other half of Little Alex). The ceremonial naming of the tunes ritual was performed last week, with a couple of interesting results. The final track listing is as follows:

1. frostbite
2. into the out
3. lie down & be counted
4. repetition is a form of change
5. sigismund
6. kalimba
7. breathe
8. the avant gardener
9. midas’ barber

And just like The Knowledge of Things To Come and the Rejectamenta EP the music here is presented in glorious 24-bit better-than-CD quality for your listening pleasure. You can stream the whole album right here if you fancy…

If you like the album, please click the ‘Like’ button on the Bandcamp page (the music tab above will magically transport you there), tweet about it and share the player on your Facebook profiles, blogs etc. This will be such a big help in spreading the word. And you’ll know who amongst your friends will like this music much better than I will…

I really hope you all enjoy this record. If you’re a music blogger and want to write a review then let let me know and I’ll send you a copy. Every little helps.

I look forward to hearing what you think…

Simon x