Geoff Leigh
Encyclopedia
Geoff Leigh is an English
jazz
and progressive rock
musician
, playing primarily soprano sax and flute
. He was a member of the English avant-rock group
Henry Cow
and founded several bands himself, including Red Balune, Random Bob, Black Sheep, Mirage, and Ex-Wise Heads.
bands in Manchester
in 1965, (the beginnings of the now infamous Northern Soul
Scene), in clubs like the Twisted Wheel. His professional career began in 1968, touring the United Kingdom
and Europe
with various jazz
/rock
/progressive rock
groups, mainly Crazy Mabel. In 1969 he joined Gerry Fitzgerald's band Mouseproof, which introduced Leigh to the budding Canterbury scene
and musicians like Daevid Allen
, Kevin Ayers
and Robert Wyatt
.
In the early 1970s Leigh performed with Henry Cow
on several occasions, having known the band's drummer, Chris Cutler
from school. Leigh accepted Henry Cow's invitation to join the band in 1972, and he played on their first album Legend (1973). After a tour of Holland
at the end of 1973, and his preference for playing composed
as opposed to improvised
music, Leigh left Henry Cow. (Leigh himself insists it was the other way round - he found the composed music becoming more complex for the sake of it, and the improvisations too contemporary classical for his essentially free jazz
approach).
As Henry Cow were, at the time, signed to Virgin Records
, Leigh took advantage of Virgin's network of artists and performed and recorded with a number of their musicians and groups, including Slapp Happy
, and Hatfield and the North
.
In November 1973, Leigh participated in a live-in-the-studio performance of Mike Oldfield
's Tubular Bells
for the BBC, with Mick Taylor
, Steve Hillage
and members of Henry Cow, Gong
and Soft Machine
. It was released on Oldfield's Elements
DVD. He also guested on Henry Cow's album, In Praise of Learning
(1975).
In 1974, Leigh formed Radar Favourites, with Gerry Fitzgerald (vocals, guitar), Cathy Williams (keyboards, vocals), Jack Monck
(bass guitar) and Charles Hayward
(drums). After only a few months, musical differences led to Monck and Fitgerald leaving, to be replaced by Charles Bullen (guitar), and Alan Möller (bass). The group disbanded the following year after Virgin Records turned them down (for purely financial reasons) - Hayward and Bullen went on to form This Heat
, one of the most seminal and influential groups of the time. Leigh and Williams then embarked on a long musical relationship - their first project was a duo, Rag Doll, followed by Red Balune, a music theatre collective they formed in 1976. Red Balune grew over the next few years and attracted a number of musicians, including Colin McClure (bass), Robin Musgrove (drums), Henk Weltevreden (keyboards), Aloijsius van Saus (industrial sounds and performance), and Anne-Marie Roeloffs
(trombone).
In December 1977 Red Balune toured Holland and returned to England in January 1978 to begin recording an album. The album was never finished, but they did release a single
, "Spider in Love" c/w "Capitalist Kid", in 1978, on their own MCCB record label, which became a "seminal underground classic". In April 1978 the band relocated to Holland, recording the EP Maximum Penalty in early 1979, which featured guest appearances by ex-Henry Cow members Fred Frith
(guitar, violin), Tim Hodgkinson
(keyboards, alto saxophone, clarinet), Chris Cutler
(piano scrapes and general burning ideas), and Aksak Maboul
founder Marc Hollander
(bass clarinet).
By then Leigh was spending more time in Brussels
, playing with experimental bands Aksak Maboul and Univers Zéro
, and after the release of his highly acclaimed solo EP Chemical Bank in 1979, played solo performances for almost 18 months, mainly in Belgium
and France
. In 1981 Leigh moved back to Rotterdam
and formed the Kontakt Mikrofoon Orkest, featuring once again Colin McClure, Aloijsius van Saus (vocals, guitar, alto sax, keyboards, electronics), Gert van Seters (drums), and Jos Valster (saxophones and clarinets). This very short-lived group recorded one single on the MCCB label, "Living In Rotterdam" / "Do The Residue" before splitting in late 1981. But the seeds of the most infamous of all the MCCB groups were already sown - Black Sheep, a "surrealistic variant on Henry Cow", with Colin McLure and Aloijsius van Saus. In 1981 they released a 12" maxi single, Animal Sounds, and contributed "Strangelove" (on which Zeena Parkins
made her recording debut, as backing vocalist) to a Recommended Records
compilation disc, and toured extensively in Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland
, Sweden
, and former Yugoslavia
.
After leaving the Black Sheep in 1982, Leigh formed several bands which owed more to world music
than any of his previous work, the most long-standing being Random Bob, featuring once again Colin McClure, Henk Weltevreden, and percussionist Asad Oberoi, later replaced by drummer/percussionist Coen Aalberts.
In 1986, Leigh once again headed back to Brussels, where he became even more closely involved in the world music scene, performing with Algeria
n singer Hamsy Boubaker, and Moroccan oud
players Hassan Erragi and Abid. With Abid he co-composed and performed the music for a one woman theatre production with Tunisia
n/Belgian actress Sabra Ben Arfa, produced by renowned Moroccan actor/producer Amid Chakir a close associate of Belgian film maker Chantal Akerman
. The play was performed many times in Belgium, as well as in Tunisia and Egypt
. Around this time Leigh also had a long-term musical partnership with Moroccan guimbri player, vocalist, and percussionist Jalil El Afra.
Leigh also continued working with Rotterdam-based percussionist Asad Oberoi, composing and performing music for several dance productions. Via his contacts in Brussels he worked with film maker Alain de Halleux on many TV and movie ads, including an infamously groundbreaking trilogy of ads for Perrier
. Several short-lived but artistically creative duos and one-off projects from this period included musicians John van Rymenant (saxophones, electronics, programming), Peter Beyls (self-designed software, controllers, interfaces, electronics), Claude Janssens (alto saxophone, trombone, programming). Leigh played with Pierre Jacobs (keyboards, flutes, percussion, vocals) in the fusion group Sables from 1988 until 1992, and in 1988 formed the Morton Fork Gang with British
saxophonist Joe Higham - the band included Daniel Denis (drums) and Guy Segers (bass guitar) from Univers Zéro, cellist Jan Kuijken, and saxophonists Mark Bogaerts and Daniel Stokart.
In 1992 Leigh was diagnosed with dystonia
, an incurable neurological condition, contracted after a badly performed dental operation some two years earlier, which effected his performing capabilities to such an extent that he was eventually forced to stop playing altogether. He managed to fulfil some concert obligations with Morton Fork and Sables in Brussels in early '93, and after returning permanently to the UK, even rehearsed and performed in small venues with original Radar Favourites bassist Jack Monck
and Moroccan percussionist Lahcen Lahbib, as the Highly Irregulars.
But fortunately the medication Leigh was prescribed (Trihexyphenidyl
Hydrochloride, formerly known as Artane) did actually work - only about 1 in 10 sufferers can tolerate this medicine, and the chances of it having a long term positive effect are very slight. Throughout the 1990s he slowly regained sufficient control of the condition to resume work.
In 1999 he formed the ethno-fusion band Ex-Wise Heads with bass/guimbri player Colin Edwin
from renowned progressive rock
band Porcupine Tree
. The band have to date released three CDs on their own Hard World label; an exclusive download 5 track EP Grounded has just been made available from Burning Shed
; an exclusive vinyl release is due for release on Rotterdam based Tonefloat Records; a new CD Liquid Assets was released in September 2007.
A chance meeting in 2002 with Berliner Tom Zunk (waterphone
and Indonesian percussion
) led to the formation of the duo Men Working Overhead - they performed several concerts in Germany and London between 2002–04, often augmented by dancer/video artist Elke Postler.
Since the re-release in 2005 of the entire MCCB back catalogue on Ad Hoc Records (a subsidiary of Recommended Records
USA), the Black Sheep have got back together and recorded a new album, Out Of Quarantine, featuring both previously unreleased material from 1981-2, and recordings from 2005-8 - this will initially only be available as a download.
As a result of renewed interest in the MCCB release, Leigh and Cathy Williams have also started working together again - Cathy has been involved with Indian music and musicians for many years now, and a CD of their new project Mirage was released on the Hard World label in December 2006. They released their 2nd CD Child's Play in 2007, augmenting the group with Sam Christie (percussion), and Gem McSweeney (mandolin and various strings, flutes, and percussion).
In July 2005 Leigh played a one-off concert in London with Faust
founder members Jean-Hervé Péron and Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, then played with Lucianne Lassalle (voice, electronics) as Henrico Reed & Lulu at the Faust Avant Garde Festival near Hamburg in September '05. The duo performed again on the 2006 festival, and also contributed to the Faust UK tour in October/November 2005 - a 3 CD/1 DVD box set,
Faust....In Autumn was released on Dirter Records in December 2006, featuring the band plus both Leigh and Lassalle. Leigh performed solo at the 2008 Faust festival.
2009 : Leigh is currently involved in several projects, including solo performances, a duo with Simon Crab (laptop processing, ex-Bourbonese Qualk
), and several on-line collaborations. He also has several archive releases in the pipeline, including a Radar Favourites cd release, and hopefully a cd from the Morton Fork Gang. A cd with Japanese pianist/vocalist/composer Yumi Hara Cawkwell is planned for release in June. He has become something of a regular at Hastings
Electric Palace Cinema, recently voted one of The Guardian
's Top Ten UK arthouse cinemas, contributing live improvised soundscapes to short experimental movies.
Recent activities include 5 concerts & 2 workshops in Japan
with Yumi Hara, plus a guest appearance with Japanese psychedelic
rock band Acid Mothers Temple
. Leigh & Yumi Hara were joined by legendary Japanese drummer Tatsuya Yoshida for a concert in Tokyo
. In August Leigh performed at the annual Avant Garde Festival in Schiphorst, Germany, with Yumi Hara and ex-Henry Cow members Chris Cutler
(drums) and John Greaves
(bass/vocals). He was also invited to perform with the infamous Nurse With Wound
. In late October Leigh played solo at the Nodutgang Festival in Bodo, Norway, and several concerts in Sweden with Magnus Alexanderson (guitar, electronics).
2010 : After playing a short tour of Italy in February with guitarist Adriano Lanzi, Leigh decided to take a break from live performances due to ongoing dental problems, which have obliged him to temporarily stop playing saxophone. However the year saw a handful of local performances, including two appearances at Brighton
's Spirit Of Gravity, one with the Warrior Squares, the second with cellist Bela Emerson. Three new cd's were released - Radar Favourites, Ex Wise Heads, and Uwe Bastiansen's
"Stadtfischflex", featuring Leigh alongside Jean-Herve Peron and Zappi Diermaier (Faust), and Tim Hodgkinson (Henry Cow).
All Ex-Wise Heads & Mirage cd's available from http://www.burningshed.com/store/hardworld
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, playing primarily soprano sax and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
. He was a member of the English avant-rock group
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Henry Cow
Henry Cow
Henry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
and founded several bands himself, including Red Balune, Random Bob, Black Sheep, Mirage, and Ex-Wise Heads.
Biography
Geoff Leigh's first gigs were with soul musicSoul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
bands in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 1965, (the beginnings of the now infamous Northern Soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
Scene), in clubs like the Twisted Wheel. His professional career began in 1968, touring the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with various jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
/rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
/progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
groups, mainly Crazy Mabel. In 1969 he joined Gerry Fitzgerald's band Mouseproof, which introduced Leigh to the budding Canterbury scene
Canterbury Scene
The Canterbury scene is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians, many of whom were based around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
and musicians like Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
, Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
and Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
.
In the early 1970s Leigh performed with Henry Cow
Henry Cow
Henry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
on several occasions, having known the band's drummer, Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
from school. Leigh accepted Henry Cow's invitation to join the band in 1972, and he played on their first album Legend (1973). After a tour of Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
at the end of 1973, and his preference for playing composed
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
as opposed to improvised
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
music, Leigh left Henry Cow. (Leigh himself insists it was the other way round - he found the composed music becoming more complex for the sake of it, and the improvisations too contemporary classical for his essentially free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
approach).
As Henry Cow were, at the time, signed to Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, Leigh took advantage of Virgin's network of artists and performed and recorded with a number of their musicians and groups, including Slapp Happy
Slapp Happy
Slapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group consisting of Anthony Moore , Peter Blegvad and Dagmar Krause . The band formed in Germany in 1972. The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged with Henry Cow, but the merger ended soon afterwards and Slapp Happy split up. Slapp...
, and Hatfield and the North
Hatfield and the North
Hatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter.-Career:...
.
In November 1973, Leigh participated in a live-in-the-studio performance of Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
's Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells
Tubular Bells is the debut record album of English musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1973. It was the first album released by Virgin Records and an early cornerstone of the company's success...
for the BBC, with Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
, Steve Hillage
Steve Hillage
Steve Hillage is an English musician, best known as a guitarist. He is associated with the Canterbury scene and has worked in experimental domains since the late 1960s...
and members of Henry Cow, Gong
Gong (band)
Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...
and Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
. It was released on Oldfield's Elements
Elements - The Best of Mike Oldfield (video)
Elements - The Best of Mike Oldfield is a video collection by Mike Oldfield released in October 1993. It was released by Virgin Records on VHS and Laser disc...
DVD. He also guested on Henry Cow's album, In Praise of Learning
In Praise of Learning
In Praise of Learning is an album by British avant-rock groups Henry Cow and Slapp Happy, recorded at Virgin Records' Manor studios in February and March 1975...
(1975).
In 1974, Leigh formed Radar Favourites, with Gerry Fitzgerald (vocals, guitar), Cathy Williams (keyboards, vocals), Jack Monck
Jack Monck
Jack Monck is a bass guitarist. He has worked with Syd Barrett and David Thomas and Phil Miller from In Cahoots and Delivery.He was also in Stars, Delivery, and The Pedestrians...
(bass guitar) and Charles Hayward
Charles Hayward (musician)
Charles Hayward is an English drummer and was a founding member of the experimental rock group This Heat. He also played with Mal Dean's Amazing Band, Radar Favourites, Dolphin Logic, and gigged and recorded with old schoolfriend and "Pooh and the Ostrich Feather" member Phil Manzanera in the...
(drums). After only a few months, musical differences led to Monck and Fitgerald leaving, to be replaced by Charles Bullen (guitar), and Alan Möller (bass). The group disbanded the following year after Virgin Records turned them down (for purely financial reasons) - Hayward and Bullen went on to form This Heat
This Heat
This Heat were a British experimental music group formed in early 1976 in Camberwell, London by multi-instrumentalists Charles Bullen , Charles Hayward and Gareth Williams .This Heat were active in the ascendancy of British progressive rock and punk rock, but stood apart...
, one of the most seminal and influential groups of the time. Leigh and Williams then embarked on a long musical relationship - their first project was a duo, Rag Doll, followed by Red Balune, a music theatre collective they formed in 1976. Red Balune grew over the next few years and attracted a number of musicians, including Colin McClure (bass), Robin Musgrove (drums), Henk Weltevreden (keyboards), Aloijsius van Saus (industrial sounds and performance), and Anne-Marie Roeloffs
Annemarie Roelofs
Annemarie Roelofs , also spelt Anne-Marie Roelofs and Anne Marie Roelofs, is a Dutch trombone player and violinist, and is a professor at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. She is a member of several musical groups and has performed in Holland and England.-Biography:Roelofs...
(trombone).
In December 1977 Red Balune toured Holland and returned to England in January 1978 to begin recording an album. The album was never finished, but they did release a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Spider in Love" c/w "Capitalist Kid", in 1978, on their own MCCB record label, which became a "seminal underground classic". In April 1978 the band relocated to Holland, recording the EP Maximum Penalty in early 1979, which featured guest appearances by ex-Henry Cow members Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
(guitar, violin), Tim Hodgkinson
Tim Hodgkinson
Tim Hodgkinson is an English experimental music composer and performer, principally on reeds and keyboards. He is best known as one of the core members of the British avant-rock group Henry Cow, which he formed with Fred Frith in 1968...
(keyboards, alto saxophone, clarinet), Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
(piano scrapes and general burning ideas), and Aksak Maboul
Aksak Maboul
Aksak Maboul were a Belgian avant-rock band founded in 1977 by Marc Hollander and Vincent Kenis. They made two studio albums, Onze Danses Pour Combattre la Migraine and Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits , the last one with ex-Henry Cow members Chris Cutler and Fred Frith...
founder Marc Hollander
Marc Hollander
Marc Hollander is a Belgian musician, producer and creator of the independent record label, Crammed Discs.Hollander was a founding member of the Belgian avant-rock group Aksak Maboul in 1977, which released two albums, Onze Danses Pour Combattre la Migraine and Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits...
(bass clarinet).
By then Leigh was spending more time in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, playing with experimental bands Aksak Maboul and Univers Zéro
Univers Zéro
Univers Zero are an instrumental Belgian band known for playing dark music heavily influenced by 20th century chamber music. The group's name has had three variant spellings, the others being Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero....
, and after the release of his highly acclaimed solo EP Chemical Bank in 1979, played solo performances for almost 18 months, mainly in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1981 Leigh moved back to Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and formed the Kontakt Mikrofoon Orkest, featuring once again Colin McClure, Aloijsius van Saus (vocals, guitar, alto sax, keyboards, electronics), Gert van Seters (drums), and Jos Valster (saxophones and clarinets). This very short-lived group recorded one single on the MCCB label, "Living In Rotterdam" / "Do The Residue" before splitting in late 1981. But the seeds of the most infamous of all the MCCB groups were already sown - Black Sheep, a "surrealistic variant on Henry Cow", with Colin McLure and Aloijsius van Saus. In 1981 they released a 12" maxi single, Animal Sounds, and contributed "Strangelove" (on which Zeena Parkins
Zeena Parkins
Zeena Parkins is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. Parkins plays standard harps, as well as several custom-made one-of-a kind electric harps; she also plays piano and accordion...
made her recording debut, as backing vocalist) to a Recommended Records
Recommended Records
Recommended Records is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler in March 1978. RēR features largely "Rock in Opposition" and related music, but it also distributes selected music released on other independent labels.In 1982 Cutler established November...
compilation disc, and toured extensively in Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
After leaving the Black Sheep in 1982, Leigh formed several bands which owed more to world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
than any of his previous work, the most long-standing being Random Bob, featuring once again Colin McClure, Henk Weltevreden, and percussionist Asad Oberoi, later replaced by drummer/percussionist Coen Aalberts.
In 1986, Leigh once again headed back to Brussels, where he became even more closely involved in the world music scene, performing with Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n singer Hamsy Boubaker, and Moroccan oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
players Hassan Erragi and Abid. With Abid he co-composed and performed the music for a one woman theatre production with Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n/Belgian actress Sabra Ben Arfa, produced by renowned Moroccan actor/producer Amid Chakir a close associate of Belgian film maker Chantal Akerman
Chantal Akerman
Chantal Anne Akerman is a Belgian film director, artist, and professor of film at the European Graduate School. Akerman's best-known film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles , exemplifies a dedication to the ellipses of conventional narrative cinema.-Early life:Akerman was born to...
. The play was performed many times in Belgium, as well as in Tunisia and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Around this time Leigh also had a long-term musical partnership with Moroccan guimbri player, vocalist, and percussionist Jalil El Afra.
Leigh also continued working with Rotterdam-based percussionist Asad Oberoi, composing and performing music for several dance productions. Via his contacts in Brussels he worked with film maker Alain de Halleux on many TV and movie ads, including an infamously groundbreaking trilogy of ads for Perrier
Perrier
Perrier is a brand of bottled mineral water made from a spring in Vergèze in the Gard département of France. The spring is naturally carbonated...
. Several short-lived but artistically creative duos and one-off projects from this period included musicians John van Rymenant (saxophones, electronics, programming), Peter Beyls (self-designed software, controllers, interfaces, electronics), Claude Janssens (alto saxophone, trombone, programming). Leigh played with Pierre Jacobs (keyboards, flutes, percussion, vocals) in the fusion group Sables from 1988 until 1992, and in 1988 formed the Morton Fork Gang with British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
saxophonist Joe Higham - the band included Daniel Denis (drums) and Guy Segers (bass guitar) from Univers Zéro, cellist Jan Kuijken, and saxophonists Mark Bogaerts and Daniel Stokart.
In 1992 Leigh was diagnosed with dystonia
Dystonia
Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder, in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. The disorder may be hereditary or caused by other factors such as birth-related or other physical trauma, infection, poisoning or reaction to...
, an incurable neurological condition, contracted after a badly performed dental operation some two years earlier, which effected his performing capabilities to such an extent that he was eventually forced to stop playing altogether. He managed to fulfil some concert obligations with Morton Fork and Sables in Brussels in early '93, and after returning permanently to the UK, even rehearsed and performed in small venues with original Radar Favourites bassist Jack Monck
Jack Monck
Jack Monck is a bass guitarist. He has worked with Syd Barrett and David Thomas and Phil Miller from In Cahoots and Delivery.He was also in Stars, Delivery, and The Pedestrians...
and Moroccan percussionist Lahcen Lahbib, as the Highly Irregulars.
But fortunately the medication Leigh was prescribed (Trihexyphenidyl
Trihexyphenidyl
Trihexyphenidyl , also known as benzhexol, is an antiparkinsonian agent of the antimuscarinic class. It has been in clinical usage for decades...
Hydrochloride, formerly known as Artane) did actually work - only about 1 in 10 sufferers can tolerate this medicine, and the chances of it having a long term positive effect are very slight. Throughout the 1990s he slowly regained sufficient control of the condition to resume work.
In 1999 he formed the ethno-fusion band Ex-Wise Heads with bass/guimbri player Colin Edwin
Colin Edwin
Colin Edwin is a member of the British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, where he plays both fretted and fretless bass guitar as well as double bass and guimbri. He joined the band in December 1993...
from renowned progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree
Porcupine Tree is a progressive rock band formed by Steven Wilson in 1987 in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England. Their music is difficult to categorise, being associated with both psychedelic rock and progressive rock, yet having been influenced by trance, krautrock and ambient due to Steven...
. The band have to date released three CDs on their own Hard World label; an exclusive download 5 track EP Grounded has just been made available from Burning Shed
Burning Shed
Burning Shed is an independent record label established in April 2001 by musicians Tim Bowness and Peter Chilvers, in association with duplication company manager and former Noisebox Records boss, Pete Morgan....
; an exclusive vinyl release is due for release on Rotterdam based Tonefloat Records; a new CD Liquid Assets was released in September 2007.
A chance meeting in 2002 with Berliner Tom Zunk (waterphone
Waterphone
A waterphone is a type of atonal acoustic musical instrument constructed largely of a stainless steel resonator "bowl" with a cylindrical "neck", which may or may not contain a small amount of water, and with brass rods around the rim of the bowl. The waterphone produces a vibrant ethereal type of...
and Indonesian percussion
Music of Indonesia
The music of Indonesia demonstrates its cultural diversity, the local musical creativity, as well as subsequent foreign musical influences that shaped contemporary music scenes of Indonesia. Nearly thousands of Indonesian islands having its own cultural and artistic history and character. This...
) led to the formation of the duo Men Working Overhead - they performed several concerts in Germany and London between 2002–04, often augmented by dancer/video artist Elke Postler.
Since the re-release in 2005 of the entire MCCB back catalogue on Ad Hoc Records (a subsidiary of Recommended Records
Recommended Records
Recommended Records is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler in March 1978. RēR features largely "Rock in Opposition" and related music, but it also distributes selected music released on other independent labels.In 1982 Cutler established November...
USA), the Black Sheep have got back together and recorded a new album, Out Of Quarantine, featuring both previously unreleased material from 1981-2, and recordings from 2005-8 - this will initially only be available as a download.
As a result of renewed interest in the MCCB release, Leigh and Cathy Williams have also started working together again - Cathy has been involved with Indian music and musicians for many years now, and a CD of their new project Mirage was released on the Hard World label in December 2006. They released their 2nd CD Child's Play in 2007, augmenting the group with Sam Christie (percussion), and Gem McSweeney (mandolin and various strings, flutes, and percussion).
In July 2005 Leigh played a one-off concert in London with Faust
Faust (band)
Faust are a German krautrock band. Formed in 1971 in Wümme, the group was originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, Hans Joachim Irmler, Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron, Rudolf Sosna and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with record producer Uwe Nettelbeck and engineer Kurt Graupner.-History:Faust...
founder members Jean-Hervé Péron and Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, then played with Lucianne Lassalle (voice, electronics) as Henrico Reed & Lulu at the Faust Avant Garde Festival near Hamburg in September '05. The duo performed again on the 2006 festival, and also contributed to the Faust UK tour in October/November 2005 - a 3 CD/1 DVD box set,
Faust....In Autumn was released on Dirter Records in December 2006, featuring the band plus both Leigh and Lassalle. Leigh performed solo at the 2008 Faust festival.
2009 : Leigh is currently involved in several projects, including solo performances, a duo with Simon Crab (laptop processing, ex-Bourbonese Qualk
Bourbonese Qualk
Bourbonese Qualk are an Experimental Music group which existed from 1980 to 2003.Bourbonese Qualk's credentials as early and important contributors to the Industrial scene is born out by their presence on the seminal Elephant Table compilation from 1983. Up until 1987, they were essentially a...
), and several on-line collaborations. He also has several archive releases in the pipeline, including a Radar Favourites cd release, and hopefully a cd from the Morton Fork Gang. A cd with Japanese pianist/vocalist/composer Yumi Hara Cawkwell is planned for release in June. He has become something of a regular at Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
Electric Palace Cinema, recently voted one of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
's Top Ten UK arthouse cinemas, contributing live improvised soundscapes to short experimental movies.
Recent activities include 5 concerts & 2 workshops in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with Yumi Hara, plus a guest appearance with Japanese psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
rock band Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest...
. Leigh & Yumi Hara were joined by legendary Japanese drummer Tatsuya Yoshida for a concert in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. In August Leigh performed at the annual Avant Garde Festival in Schiphorst, Germany, with Yumi Hara and ex-Henry Cow members Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler
Chris Cutler is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. Best known for his work with English avant-rock group Henry Cow, Cutler was also a member and drummer of a number of other bands, including Art Bears, News from Babel, Pere Ubu and Gong/Mothergong...
(drums) and John Greaves
John Greaves (musician)
John Greaves is a British bass guitarist and composer, best known as a member of Henry Cow and his collaborative albums with Peter Blegvad...
(bass/vocals). He was also invited to perform with the infamous Nurse With Wound
Nurse with Wound
Nurse with Wound is the main recording name for British musician Steven Stapleton. Nurse with Wound was originally a band, formed in 1978 by Stapleton, John Fothergill and Heman Pathak...
. In late October Leigh played solo at the Nodutgang Festival in Bodo, Norway, and several concerts in Sweden with Magnus Alexanderson (guitar, electronics).
2010 : After playing a short tour of Italy in February with guitarist Adriano Lanzi, Leigh decided to take a break from live performances due to ongoing dental problems, which have obliged him to temporarily stop playing saxophone. However the year saw a handful of local performances, including two appearances at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
's Spirit Of Gravity, one with the Warrior Squares, the second with cellist Bela Emerson. Three new cd's were released - Radar Favourites, Ex Wise Heads, and Uwe Bastiansen's
"Stadtfischflex", featuring Leigh alongside Jean-Herve Peron and Zappi Diermaier (Faust), and Tim Hodgkinson (Henry Cow).
Discography
- 1970 Mouseproof: Mouseproof ##
- 1970 Mary-Anne Paterson: Me ##
- 1971 Crazy Mabel: Crazy Mabel
- 1973 Henry CowHenry CowHenry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
: Legend - 1974 Henry CowHenry CowHenry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
: Greasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance HallGreasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance HallGreasy Truckers Live at Dingwalls Dance Hall is a 1974 live double album by various artists recorded at an October 1973 Greasy Truckers concert at the Dingwalls Dance Hall at Camden Lock in Camden Town, London...
(side 2) - 1974 Slapp HappySlapp HappySlapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group consisting of Anthony Moore , Peter Blegvad and Dagmar Krause . The band formed in Germany in 1972. The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged with Henry Cow, but the merger ended soon afterwards and Slapp Happy split up. Slapp...
: Slapp HappySlapp Happy (album)Slapp Happy is an album by German/British avant-pop group Slapp Happy, recorded at Virgin Records' Manor studios in 1974.... - 1974 Hatfield and the NorthHatfield and the NorthHatfield and the North were an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter.-Career:...
: Hatfield and the NorthHatfield and the North (album)Hatfield and the North is the first album by experimental Canterbury scene rock band Hatfield and the North.In the Q & Mojo Classic Special Edition Pink Floyd & The Story of Prog Rock, the album came #34 in its list of "40 Cosmic Rock Albums".... - 1975 Slapp HappySlapp HappySlapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group consisting of Anthony Moore , Peter Blegvad and Dagmar Krause . The band formed in Germany in 1972. The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged with Henry Cow, but the merger ended soon afterwards and Slapp Happy split up. Slapp...
/Henry CowHenry CowHenry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
: Desperate StraightsDesperate StraightsDesperate Straights is an album by British avant-rock groups Slapp Happy and Henry Cow, recorded at Virgin Records' Manor studios in November 1974... - 1975 Henry CowHenry CowHenry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
/Slapp HappySlapp HappySlapp Happy was a German/English avant-pop group consisting of Anthony Moore , Peter Blegvad and Dagmar Krause . The band formed in Germany in 1972. The band members moved to England in 1974 where they merged with Henry Cow, but the merger ended soon afterwards and Slapp Happy split up. Slapp...
: In Praise of LearningIn Praise of LearningIn Praise of Learning is an album by British avant-rock groups Henry Cow and Slapp Happy, recorded at Virgin Records' Manor studios in February and March 1975... - 1977 Aksak MaboulAksak MaboulAksak Maboul were a Belgian avant-rock band founded in 1977 by Marc Hollander and Vincent Kenis. They made two studio albums, Onze Danses Pour Combattre la Migraine and Un Peu de l'Âme des Bandits , the last one with ex-Henry Cow members Chris Cutler and Fred Frith...
: Onze Danses Pour Combattre la MigraineOnze Danses Pour Combattre la MigraineOnze Danses Pour Combattre la Migraine is the debut album by Belgian avant-rock band Aksak Maboul. It was largely the work of one of the band's co-founders, Marc Hollander and was credited to Marc Hollander/Aksak Maboul... - 1978 Red Balune: Spider In Love / Capitalist Kid #
- 1979 Red Balune: Maximum Penalty #
- 1979 Geoff Leigh: Chemical Bank #
- 1979 Pierre VassiliuPierre VassiliuPierre Vassiliu is a French singer and songwriter.His first record, "Armand", co-written with his brother Michel, appeared in 1962. It was an enormous success, selling 150,000 copies. This opened the doors of the Olympia in Paris to him, where he opened for the Beatles in 1964...
: La Piscine - 1980 Pierre VassiliuPierre VassiliuPierre Vassiliu is a French singer and songwriter.His first record, "Armand", co-written with his brother Michel, appeared in 1962. It was an enormous success, selling 150,000 copies. This opened the doors of the Olympia in Paris to him, where he opened for the Beatles in 1964...
: Le Cadeau - 1981 Kontakt Mikrofoon Orkest: Living in Rotterdam / Do The Residue #
- 1981 Black Sheep: Animal Sounds #
- 1981 Black Sheep: Strangelove (ReR compilation) #
- 1987 Hamsy Boubaker: ?
- 1988 Geoff Leigh and Frank Wuyts: From Here to Drums
- 1988 Geoff Leigh: The Russians are Coming
- 1989 9T2: Why Politicize?
- 1989 Pierre Jacobs: Sables
- 1990 Bassline Boys: Baby B
- 1999 Ex-Wise Heads: Everything is Hear
- 2000 Steve WilsonSteve Wilson (jazz musician)Steve Wilson is an American jazz saxophonist and flautist.-Biography:As a teenager, he played in various rhythm and blues and funk bands. After a year accompanying singer Stephanie Mills, he attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where he majored in music. In 1987 he moved to New...
: IEM - 2000 Ex-Wise Heads: No Grey Matter
- 2003 Ex-Wise Heads: Time and Emotion Study
- 2005 MCCB Compilation: Things from the Past
- 2006 Uli TrepteUli TrepteUli Trepte was a German musician best known for his collaborations with various influential Krautrock bands in the early 1970s.-Early career:...
: Multiphonic Music - 2006 Ex-Wise Heads: Holding Up the Sky
- 2006 Mirage: Mirage
- 2006 FaustFaust (band)Faust are a German krautrock band. Formed in 1971 in Wümme, the group was originally composed of Werner "Zappi" Diermaier, Hans Joachim Irmler, Arnulf Meifert, Jean-Hervé Péron, Rudolf Sosna and Gunther Wüsthoff, working with record producer Uwe Nettelbeck and engineer Kurt Graupner.-History:Faust...
: Faust...In Autumn - 2007 Ex-Wise Heads: Grounded (exclusive download from Burning ShedBurning ShedBurning Shed is an independent record label established in April 2001 by musicians Tim Bowness and Peter Chilvers, in association with duplication company manager and former Noisebox Records boss, Pete Morgan....
) - 2007 Ex-Wise Heads: Liquid Assets
- 2007 Mirage: Child's Play
- 2008 Ex-Wise Heads: Celestial Disclosure (limited vinyl release)
- 2008 Geoff Leigh / Simon Crab: Track on Antibothis Compilation CD
- 2009 Henry CowHenry CowHenry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
: The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box SetThe 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box SetThe 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set is a nine-CD plus one-DVD limited edition box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, and was released by RēR Megacorp in January 2009. It consists of over 10 hours of previously unreleased recordings made between 1972 and 1978 from concerts, radio... - 2009 Geoff Leigh / Yumi Hara: Upstream
- 2009 Geoff Leigh / Yumi Hara: Riverhead (Limited Edition CD-R)
- 2010 Radar Favourites: Radar Favourites
- 2010 Ex-Wise Heads: Celestial Disclosure (cd version plus bonus track)
- 2010 Stadtfisch: Stadtfischflex
- # Re-released 2005 on MCCB Compilation CD
- ## Re-released 2006
All Ex-Wise Heads & Mirage cd's available from http://www.burningshed.com/store/hardworld