John Jasnoch MySpace Bio
Began life in 1953 in Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey in the Thames Estuary. The compost heap of the Garden of England. After interest in instrumental music of Bert Weedon and then The Shadows, began listening to Blues artisits. Acquired Dobro resonator guitar. As a a result of working as lab technician in same lab as Bluegrass banjo player, was persuaded to play Dobro in Bluegrass band – lap style. Not much work for Bluegrass band, evolved into Country & Western Band, acquired pedal steel guitar. Lapsed into playing general popular music. Sold pedal steel. More general popular music. Moved to Sheffield in 1979, became involved with Sheffield Free Music Group. Joined Bass Tone Trap. Many improvised music performances with ad hoc groups. Played Derek Bailey’s Company Week in 1988. Became firmly embedded in Sheffield’s incrediblely fertile and creative improvised art music community and remain so to this day.
Charlie Collins All About Jazz profile
Born: September 26, 1952
Drums, vibraphone, frame drums, mbiras, percussion
Born and raised in Sheffield UK, Charlie is a product of the city’s rich improvising tradition. He started playing drums age 11, began playing improvised music in 1969, played both RnB and free-jazz through the 70s, and by 1978 was involved in the nascent “Industrial” scene. He was an early member of ClockDVA and founder of The Box, recording for cult labels Industrial, Fetish and Doublevision, and recorded the first releases on the legendary Go!Discs.
Since the mid ’80s he has recorded and toured throughout Europe with regular groups and ad-hoc ensembles. He has received a number of awards for live performance and composition, lectured in Improvisation at Nottingham Trent University, worked with dance groups and poets, and toured the live soundtrack to Teinosuke Kinugasa’s 1920’s masterpiece “Page of Madness”. He continues to work in all aspects of contemporary creative music.
Since 2007 he has played regularly with altoist Sonny Simmons, collaborated with theremin player Beatrix Ward-Fernandez and worked with free-folk collective The Hunter Gracchus. He has also toured with Ted Daniel and Michael Marcus in their Duology project and performed with Rob Brown and Daniel Levin.
He is one of a handful of musicians to have played both Derek Bailey’s Company Week and Top of the Pops (with Moloko).
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