This week sees the first anniversary of the release of ‘Slow Food’ – my half of the ‘two albums in two days’ project that Trip Wamsley and I recorded when Lobelia and I visited Louisiana in the summer of 2010. Listen and download/buy here:
We recorded for two days straight – one day, we did things ‘my way’, that is, all improv, just play, listen, see what happens. The album is almost exactly what happened, with a few tweaks and edits here and there.
The second day we did things Trip’s way, which is to start with sketches, ideas, loops, drums, and then flesh out those ideas with multiple layers of improvisation. It produced two very interesting and diverse albums. Both of which I’m proud of. His was released later than mine, as Infrablab.
I’ve got a whole load of collaborations lined up to be released. Most urgently is the duo album with Mike Outram from last year – traveling back from London last night, I was listening to it on the train and was struck again by just how remarkable it is as a document of the first time we’d ever played music together. That level of connection doesn’t come along too often. Here’s the 3 unmixed preview tracks that we have up so far.
Steve Lawson and Mike Outram by solobasssteve
Beyond that, I have a beautiful bass + piano piece recorded with Catherine Marie Charlton, that will hopefully be out in the next few months. It’s a single 23 minute piece of evolving goodness that I can’t wait for you to hear.
Beyond that, I still have archive recordings with trumpeter Jeff Kaiser and Italian guitarist Luca Formentini that need to see the light of day at some point as well. So 2012 could be the year of the collaboration. At least you’ll have something to distract you from the tedium and nonsense of the Olympics 😉