Free Improvisation Projects
Smart/Arben Duo
Freely improvisation project with multi-reeds player James Arben.
James and Shirley met whilst playing with Ethiopian vibes legend Mulatu Astatke, and our duo project grew out of Green Room discussions on tour!!
With a shared interest in free improvisation and musical dialogue, this project draws on our shared musical knowledge and experiences of jazz, classical and folk traditions.
It occasionally extends to a quintet version (below) and frequent collaborations, most recently with drummer/percussionist Demi Garcia Sabat.
The duo released an album 'Entanglement' on FMR records in 2020, and future releases are planned.
James Arben - tenor sax, flute, bass clarinet
Shirley Smart - cello
Live dates here
Quintet
James Arben - tenor sax/flute/bassclarinet
Shirley Smart - cello
Alex Hawkins - piano
Liran Donin - bass
Jon Scott - drums