veryan weston - pianist composer, arranger and improviser.
Born in Sussex, UK, 3rd September 1950.
The first name is a village in Cornwall which has round houses in, named by his mother – Rene ‘Babs’ Weston who had strong feelings and links with her own family who came from this particular area of England. Born outside Cornwall, the last in a family of one brother and two sisters, Veryan was encouraged to explore any emotional and creative potential on an old battered piano by his mother who had long given up any hope of being an artist herself (having studied Pacific Island and Flamenco dance in London in 1930s) because of her family dedication. His sister Armorel was integral in starting the Little Theatre Club in central London in sixties which helped build friendships between improvising musicians in UK.
In 1974 he received a fellowship from the Digswell Arts Trust in Hertfordshire that allowed him to continue his work exploring piano improvisation which included his research in to pentatonic scale relationships. While at Digswell, he co-founded and composed for the group Stinky Winkles who were voted 'Young jazz Musicians of 1979' by Greater London Arts Association. He performed music for film, the most notable being his work with Lol Coxhill on director Derek Jarman's Caravaggio (1986).
Weston's interest in collaborating with artists from other disciplines led him to earn a 1st class honours degree in performance art from Middlesex University and he also earned a master's degree in music composition from Goldsmith's College University in London. In the '80s and '90s, he worked with (among others) the Eddie Prévost Quartet, Lol Coxhill and Trevor Watts.
Trevor’s preoccupation with rhythmic structures and the inclusion of Ghanaian musicians in Moiré Music suited his own interests in the importance and beauty of rhythmic relationships between musicians which is also traceable later in virtually all his work as an improviser. They continue their very fruitful long-term relationship with concerts worldwide that also include other performers. The new Quantum Illusion project involves Veryan Weston on 'keystation' which is a relatively new departure for him in to the world of digital keyboard sound generation. It takes their shared 'Dialogues' project in to new places of exploring improvisation. There is still a jazz feel and sensibility about it, but because of the fact that they are both composers of some note, the improvisations always have a strong sense of structure.
Eternal Triangle is a current trio project involving Trevor and percussionist – Jamie Harris. These compositions are founded on wonderfully complex and diverse rhythmic structures from Africa and South America as well as harmonies and melodies rooted in jazz and European music forms.
In July 2021 the three musicians began working together on new pieces specifically conceived to discover something new within each piece, and therefore the compositions are ever changing. The strengths of this trio are like the durable and inert strength of a triangle, where each side supports the other - 'Eternal Triangle'. The band have released their debut CD album – 'Gravity' for Jazz Now. New material has also just been released on the JIN label in the Netherlands.
There have been other collaborations with bassist John Edwards and drummer Mark Sanders, as well Caroline Kraabel resulting in various recordings for EMANEM.
In the '90s, collaborations with Phil Minton included: the Ways duos consisting of a sizeable repertoire which has evolved after more than 20 years together; the three “Ways” recording projects has produced a diversity of songs by Schubert, Ives, Dolphy, Sullivan and Elvis Presley, Songs from a Prison Diary choral project commissioned for the Europa Festival in Le Mans which was awarded the Cornelius Cardew composition prize, a Taktlos Festival (Switzerland) chamber choir commission based on the life of Anarchist – Nestor Makhno, a quartet performing extracts from Joyce’s Finnegans wake, and 4Walls with Luc Ex and Michael Vatcher which was a strange synthesis of punk and contemporary jazz but which, like all the projects with Phil combine improvisation with songform. Most recently - Ways for an Orchestra was commissioned by the Angelica Festival (Bologna, Italy – 2017) and included selected material from their Ways projects arranged and composed for a chamber orchestra.
Other peripheral excursions have included working in Carla Bley's Escalator Over the Hill big band project, the Cobra game piece with John Zorn in Berlin and most recently a Lindsay Cooper memorial project which included many of the original members of Henry Cow (2014).
Weston also melds elements of modern composition with contemporary improvisation and this can be heard in collaborations with Phil Minton, Luc Ex and Hannah Marshall. There are several recordings made in his improvisational duo with saxophonist Trevor Watts, called the 'Dialogues' project recordings, the Haste recording made with cellist Hannah Marshall and saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock from the Hurta Cordel Music Festival in Barcelona in 2011, and finally some organ projects that include Hannah Marshall and Jon Rose called the 'Tuning Out Tour' 2015 (supported by Sound & Music).
In 2000 Veryan wrote ‘Tessellations’ for piano, using research on pentatonic scales which he had been working on since early 1970s. Project was supported by the Peter Whittingham Foundation (London – 2001) and performed at Brussels Museum of Musical Instruments on the only remaining original Luthèal Piano (EMANEM 4095). A published paper on pentatonic scales preceded a performance of Tessellations at the International Conference of Bridges: Mathematical Connections in Art, Music, and Science, Granada, Spain (2003). Tessellations has been performed widely. In 2009, Veryan wrote/composed Tessellations II, a commissioned piece for eight singers which was first performed in Graz - Austria. The following year the Vociferous Choir performed in and around London a program which included the young and gifted American pianist - Leo Svirsky, performing the first part of Tessellations I for Solo Piano and the Vociferous Choir performing Tessellations II. The recording made for BBC Radio 3 was later released (EMANEM 5015).
‘Tessellations’ is an ongoing composition project and has produced: 1. Tessellations for piano (EMANEM 4095), 2. a commissioned piece for Austrian singers - the Vociferous Choir (EMANEM 5015), 3. a string quartet (as yet unperformed) entitled Inspector Montalbano's Holiday, 4. 'The Make Project' – an ambitious Toronto-based project for solo singers, two choirs, strings and a jazz rhythm section commissioned by Canadian Arts (Released – January 2018) and 5. Tessellations for Tracker Action Organ – 'The Sacred Geometry of Sound'. Commissioned by The Novara Jazz Festival in 2023. The piece uses 52 pentatonic scale template.
Raul D'Gama has written of this: "Veryan Weston is one of the most creative musicians in recent times - or, perhaps, ancient times would be closer to the truth, for what is new emanates from the old and what is old gives birth to the new. Weston presides over this conundrum like a medieval apothecary concocting brilliant and powerful and magical potions that take the form of musical scores invented on the spot where time and space collide.” ALL ABOUT JAZZ 2012.
Selected Discography
(Many of the following CDs are available at this site on request).
‘JOY OF PARANOIA’ (Ogun 525) with Lol Coxhill.
‘UNDERWATER CAROL’- This first solo album is a document from 1972-’87, a period when composition interested him (Matchless 13)
‘PLAYING ALONE’ (1996) - The second solo album is an example of work purely as an improviser (Acta 9)
‘DIGSWELL DUETS’ (Random Radar 005), and ‘THE INIMITABLE LOL COXHILL’ (Chabada OHR) are with Lol Coxhill whilst both at Digswell (1976-’84)
‘CONTINUUM’ (1983) with Eddie Prévost Quartet (Matchless 7), recently reissued on CD
‘TREVOR WATTS’ MOIRÉ MUSIC’ (1985) has some features for the pianist (Ark 02) and ‘WITH ONE VOICE’ (1988) re-issued on FMR (Legacy L1002).
Fruitful collaborations with Phil Minton have yielded:
‘WAYS’ (1987), ‘WAYS PAST’ (1992) and ‘…..past’ (2000) which are acclaimed duets which explore an extreme diversity of song repertoire and include original co-compositions (ITM & IDA Records). ‘Ways Out East, Ways Out West’ (Intakt 097) Two projects focus on Life of Ukrainian Anarchist Nestor Makhno as well as selected American Folks songs for voice & chamber organ
‘SONGS FROM A PRISON DIARY’ (1990) for 25 singers was awarded the Cornelius Cardew Prize in 1991 (Leo 196)
‘A MOUTHFULL OF ECSTASY’ (1996) is with a quartet with John Butcher (saxes) and Roger Turner (drums), using texts from Finnegans wake by James Joyce (Victo 041)
‘and the world aint square’ (2001) - 4Walls (red note no9) with Phil, Luc Ex - acoustic bass, Michael Vatcher – drums. ‘which side are you on’ (2003) – 4Walls new CD. Collaborations with Paul Haines more originals, arrangements of Brel, Schumann etc.
‘BOUNDLESS’ (1998) - 15 duo improvisations with Lol Coxhill (EMANEM 4021);
‘concert v’ (1998) - duets with drummer Eddie Prévost (Matchless 34)
‘MERCURY CONCERT’ (1998) - a live trio recording with Mark Sanders & John Edwards (EMANEM 4028) ‘GATEWAY TO VIENNA’ released March 2005 – double CD of live concert in Vienna as well as studio session in South London.
‘UNEARTHED’ (1998) - A quartet with John Grieve, Stu Butterfield and John Edwards explore jazz standards with their own contemporary perspective (33 Records) Available from this website.
‘5 SHADOWS’ (1999 – 2000) – Duets from five differing locations in England with saxophonist Caroline Kraabel (EMANEM 4048)
‘3 PIANOS’ (EMANEM 4064) - Steve Beresford, Pat Thomas and Veryan Weston make use of three good grand pianos at Gateway Studios in South London (2001)
'6 DIALOGUES' (EMANEM 4069) - duets with Trevor Watts recorded in London - 2002,
'WORMS ORGANISING ARCHDUKES' (EMANEM 4074), further duets with Lol Coxhill, this time taken from recent live performances in Europe
'TEMPERAMENT' (EMANEM 4207) duets with Jon Rose - a selection of improvisations using different tunings derived from science, history and the imagination
‘TESSELLATIONS FOR LUTHÉAL PIANO’ – (EMANEM 4095) – solo piece recorded live in the Brussels Museum of musical Instruments – March 2003
‘UNLOCKED’ – (EMANEM 4141) – By Trio of Uncertainty, with Hannah Marshall (cello) & Satoko Fukuda (violin) a classic chamber ensemble who create on the moment – March 2007
‘CAETITU'– (EMANEM 4149) – with Martin Blume (drum set & percussion), Marcio Mattos (double bass & electronics) and Yedo Gibson (tenor sax & Eb clarinet)
‘allusions'– (EMANEM 5001) – solo piano improvisations recorded at Librairie Mollat - May 2002
‘SOL6'– (REDNOTE 15) – with Tony Buck (drums), Mandy Drummond (voice/violin), Luc Ex (bass), Hannah Marshall (cello/voice), and Ingrid Laubrock (tenor sax). An eclectic mix of songs, structures and improvisations.
'stops' (PSI10.07) - a very unusual combination of tracker action wind organ with Tony Marsh on drums/percussion recorded St Peter's Church Whitstable (2009)
'5 MORE DIALOGUES' (EMANEM 5017) - duets with Trevor Watts recorded in London 2011
'different Tessellations' (EMANEM 5015) - live London concert of Tessellations I by Leo Svirsky, and Tessellations II which was composed for THE VOCIFEROUS CHOIR, - nine a cappella singers mostly based around Graz in Austria - Anush Apoyan, Iris Ederer, Annette Giesriegl, Dorothea Jaburek, Sofija Knezevic, Siruan Küng, Franz Schmuck, Patrik Thurner & Veryan Weston
'HASTE' (EMANEM 5025) with Hannah Marshall (cello) and Ingrid Laubrock (saxophones) a live concert recording made in Barcelona (Espai Cultural Caja Madrid) in 2011
'TUNINGS & TUNES' ( HERMES HD CD 011) with Jon Rose. Improvisations and some traditional Euro-tunes recorded at The Brussels Musical Instrument Museum (2005)
'DIALOGUES IN TWO PLACES' (Hi4Head Records CD010D) a double CD with Trevor Watts recordings of two live concerts in North America - 2012 (Guelph Jazz Festival and Robinwood Concert House - Toledo)
'DIALOGUES FOR ORNETTE!' (FMR CD404-0915) with Trevor Watts live at BimHuis (Amsterdam) & Rio De Jeneiro 2015
'HEAR NOW' (FMR DVD5-1013) film by Mark French of Trevor Watts live UK concerts in duo and quartet with Mark Sanders and John Edwards 2012
'MADAME LUCKERNIDDLE' (VAN'OEUVRE 1235) Memorial concert for Tom Cora with Christian Marclay, Otomo Yoshihide, Zeena Parkins, Phil Minton, Michael Vatcher and Luc Ex. Released 2012.
'THE MAKE PROJECT' (BR0344) with Christine Duncan & Jean Martin. A recording project involving 50 + performers in Toronto and released 2018
'TUNING OUT TOUR' (EMANEM 5207) double CD with violinist - Jon Rose & cellist - Hannah Marshall and Weston on tracker action organs recorded as part of a UK tour - 2014
'TREVOR WATTS & VERYAN WESTON at Ad Libitum' (fortune 0057 007) live concert recorded in Warsaw 2013
'Dialogues with Strings' (FSR 09/2017) A Weston-Watts CD live recording at Cafe Oto with cellist - Hannah Marshall and violinist - Allison Blunt - Poland 2017
'DIALOGUES AT CAFE OTO' (HFHDVD01) films made by Mark French of Oto concerts featuring Trevor Watts, Hannah Marshall, Alison Blunt and violinist - Peter Knight. Released 2018
'WAYS FOR AN ORCHESTRA' (IDA 036) concert and recording commissioned by AngelicA Festival (Bologna) orchestrated versions of selected material from the 'Ways' project with Phil Minton & Veryan Weston songs project . Released 2019
'4 Seasonings' (FSR 07|2019). A live recording made at the Vortex Jazz Bar (London) by 'AS YOU HEAR' a trio with Pei Ann Yeoh (violin) and Beibei Wang (drums/percussion). Released 2019.
