sound:

Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra

The Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra have been expanding and developing their music since 2002 through varied collaborations and projects. Throughout this period of growth the abiding concern of the band has been to explore improvisation in a large group context. This can take many forms and GIO is committed to exploring all possibilities including, for example, graphic scores, conduction techniques, conventional and non conventional notation etc.

One area of particular focus is completely free large ensemble improvisations. There is significant debate within the improvisation community as to whether large ensembles can effectively play improvised music that is completely free i.e. has no preconceived structure or plan or conductor/leader. Indeed, many of the visiting musicians that the band worked with over the years have suggested that completely free improvisation in a band of more than nine members is futile. GIO continues to argue through performance and collaboration that this is not the case.

Associations

GIO contains leading musicians from the Scottish contemporary music scene, and its members work or have worked with: Age of Wire & String, Alasdair Roberts, Andy Shepherd, Appendix Out, Ashtray Navigations, Astrid, The Babe Docs Collective, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Belle and Sebastian, Bill, George & Tom's Suburban Adventure, Bill Wells Octet, Blair Douglas, Carla Bley, Lol Coxhill, The George Burt/Raymond MacDonald Quartet, Colditz, Composers in Red Sneakers (Boston), David Byrne, The Delgados, Michel Doneda, Duck Fat, Ecclesbrech Ceilidh Band, Edinburgh Quartet, ensemble m.use (The Netherlands), Franz Ferdinand, Fraser Fifield, Satoko Fujii, Gamelan Naga Mas, Gamelan Sekar Petak, Green Room Trio, Barry Guy, Hebrides Ensemble, The Hung Drawn Quartet, International Airport, The International Composers & Improvisers forum Munich e.V., Joz Tenuto, The High Society Jazz Band, Natsuki Tamura, George Lewis, The London Improvisers Orchestra, Lucky Luke, Lindsay Cooper's Ornelious Jellybird Joys, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Mediamix York, The Melting Pot, Mick West Band, Mirror, Mount Vernon Arts Lab, Mr McFall's Chamber, nerve8, Maggie Nicols, Steve Nobel, The One Ensemble of Daniel Padden, Opera Minora (The Netherlands), The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Orchestra of St John's, Evan Parker, The Pastels, Paragon Ensemble, Phosphene, Piano Possibile (Munich), Power of Scotland Big Band, Quinn, Walter Prati, The Fred Quimby Quartet, Rattlebone Folk Trio, Remember Fun, Keith Rowe, Richard Youngs, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Rutabaga, Salsa Celtica, Ravi Shankar , Rich in Knuckles, Scatter, Scottish Ballet Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Scottish Jazz Composers Ensemble, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, Steve Swallow, Sweet T and The Section, Telstar Ponies, Keith Tippett, Olivier Toulemonde, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Volcano the Bear, V-twin, Trevor Watts etc

• website link for Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra: www.glasgowimprovisersorchestra.com/
• other artists and composers involved in sound 2008