Music for Extremes: Less is Less vs More is More

Join us for an evening of Experimental Classical Music and Jazz. Your least eccentric pals at the Middle Aisle have teamed up with relativity to bring you ‘new music’ for everyone. If you like your music over the top or completely subdued, we’ve got you covered.

Featuring new works by Sam Pradalie and Leeem (Liam O'Connell) performed by a chamber ensemble of:

Flute/Piccolo, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Violin, Double Bass, Accordion, and Piano.

Followed by experimental Cathartic Jazz from the mighty Fabio Ferri Quintet.

Sam Pradalie is a Bristol composer whose music explores alienation, anti-virtuosic aesthetics, the uncanny, and theatrical approaches to New Music. A firm exponent of the Less is Less aesthetic, Samuel is known for writing short and accumulative pieces that look to place the audience within strange and discursive sonic spaces. As a composer, Sam’s music has been performed in both the United Kingdom and abroad and his opera Memoirs of an Amnesiac; The Life of Erik Satie was performed as part of Tête-à-Tête’s opera festival 2022 with support from the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society.

https://youtu.be/xoHXuiXIYTM?si=GFGMwtrVU6YcuQb6

Leeem (Liam O’Connell), previously the creative driving force behind My Octopus Mind, is now exploring his voice through classical instrumentation with a selection of pieces that challenge traditional approaches whilst embracing the philosophy of More is More. Balkan punk Neo contemporary Classical yes time = LETS GOOOOOOOOO. Since taking up classical composition, Leeem has had several orchestral pieces performed around Bristol and has been awarded the JH Britton prize for composition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu8HoMw7PnU

Fabio Ferri is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Bristol, deeply embedded in the city’s thriving jazz scene. A key figure in multiple cutting-edge projects, he is recognised both for his technical virtuosity and his unconventional, boundary-pushing approach to the electric guitar. His compositions merge contemporary jazz with classical and electronic elements, creating a sound that is as intricate as it is innovative. Leading his own full band, he has been hailed as ‘Bristol’s answer to Frank Zappa’ for his genre-blending vision and fearless experimentation. For one night only, he will be championing the much-maligned traditionalist view that less is more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeXIGT2yNCs