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amere3

 

 

simon h fell - bass

rob dainton - drums

phil hargreaves - saxes/flute

 

The following is the information that was released along with 'Trees' (whi 002) in 2000. The group released a second album 'aplicate' in 2012. Since then, Simon Fell has passed and Rob Dainton has retired from music, so there will be no more.

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The pianoless sax/bass/drums trio is a classic format, with a lineage stretching back to ornette coleman and sonny rollins in the 50's. But classics become classics for a reason: you can pour yourself into them, and shape them to your own ends, and the balance and space in this one allows amere3 to create a music that is personal and contemporary - each of the musicians involved has travelled a long way to get here, and nothing is ruled out. It's not a high energy thrash, but a considered music of dynamic and emotional contrasts, using free improvisation and a background in composition to forge a new music of shifting soundscapes and beautifully crafted textural shifts. It's the sound of three experienced players at the top of their game working in tandem, listening like hawks and responding intuitively. No egos, no grandstanding. Tougher than leather and softer than silk.

Simon Fell is a bassist and composer with an international reputation. He cut his musical teeth as part of the early days of the Termite Club in Leeds - he then went on to national prominence with the trio Hession/Wilkinson/Fell. He has had his compositions performed in several countries, and has released his largest-scale work, Compilation III on his own Bruce's Fingers label, featuring numerous improvisers, a big band, a chamber orchestra and a chorus. His current groups include the Simon Fell quintet, VHF, IST (the Improvising String Trio) and Arc.

Phil Hargreaves lives and works in Liverpool. As part of the duo Bonehouse he released a CD and galvanised the experimental music scene there, helping start the Frakture music space and its associated project the Frakture Big Band, a 12-15 piece improvising orchestra, which he runs and writes for. As well as amere3 he currently works in duos with Rob Dainton and sax player Caroline Kraabel, and is also working on a large-scale collaboration with jazz poet Dinesh Allirajah, under the Year of the Artist scheme.

Rob Dainton, at 24, is the baby of the group. Starting out in prog rock bands, he quickly moved on to jazz and improvised music. Having completed a degree in composition at Bretton Hall, Wakefield, he also plays in duos with Phil Hargreaves and Sheffield-based guitarist John Jasnoch, with whom he co-organises a music space in Sheffield.