Just a quick note to let you know we're not going to be updating our Myspace as regularly as before so please visit our website, www.theleaflabel.com, for the latest news and live dates.
Yes, yes, yes. More of the best from Leaf HQ. Here's this month's Spotify playlist.
The Walker Brothers - No Regrets Tyler, The Creator - Yonkers The Fall - The Marshall Suite O.V. Wright - A Nickel And A Nail And The Ace Of Spades Jai Paul - BTSTU Sufjan Stevens - Djohariah Agitation Free - Fragments various - Diabolical Hoodoo: Vintage Songs of Devilry, Doom & Hellfire 1920-1952 Pharoah Sanders - Thembi Tindersticks - The Bloomsbury Theatre 12.3.95 Billy Paul - 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul Kode9 vs The Spaceape - Black Sun John Zorn - Nova Express Donovan - Mellow Yellow Trumpets Of Death - Teeth + Teeth = Teeths various - Disco Discharge Dominatrix - The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight Sonic Youth - Simon Warner A Disparu Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll Jilted John - True Love Stories
Polar Bear and Jyager, who collaborated on last year's Common Ground mini-album, will now be known as Jyager Bear, to differentiate the project from the 'regular' Polar Bear band. In future, shows featuring Jyager will be billed as Jyager Bear, though there are a handful of gigs that were booked before the name change that may still appear as Polar Bear shows. Confused? We hope you won't be...
The Jyager Bear line-up will also feature saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, playing alongside Pete Wareham. The current plan is that both Polar Bear and Jyager Bear will record new albums in the next year. In the mean time make sure you catch one of their shows over the summer (for details visit our live page).
The band recently recorded a session for The Selector, which you can find on Soundcloud.
For all your Polar Bear and Jyager Bear news, you can follow them on their new Twitter feed: @polarbear_uk. Seb still has his personal Twitter page: @polarbearseb for his other projects. Follow them both for all the news!
Don't forget that if you sign up to Polar Bear's mailing list you will receive an exclusive free Jyager Bear track, 'Do It All Tha Time'.
In other Polar Bear-related news, drummer Sebastian Rochford releases a new album with theremin player Pamelia Kurstin on Slowfoot Records on June 13. You can pre-order the album here and listen to a track here.
We are delighted to welcome the award-winning musician Matthew Bourne to The Leaf Label. We've had an eye on him for a few years now, and he becomes the first Yorkshire-based artist we've worked with since we relocated to God's Own County five years ago.
In the ten years since he won the Perrier Young Jazz Award, pianist, cellist and composer Bourne has been involved in many far reaching projects, including The Electric Dr. M, jazz trio Bourne/Davis/Kane and the insanely fierce Bilbao Syndrome, as well as collaborations with a vast range of artists including Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Seaming To and Polar Bear'sPete Wareham.
Despite widespread acclaim for his emotionally and physically intense solo performances, Bourne has never released a solo studio album… until now. This new relationship with Leaf marks a significant change in direction from his previous work - stripping away technological influences and focusing on the bare potential of the instruments. We can't wait to hear what he comes up with. He is currently writing and recording new material which is planned for release later this year.
His latest project, a commission with the London Sinfonietta called 'Written/Unwritten', puts together the differing worlds of improvisation (Bourne) and composed (London Sinfonietta). The event takes place at London's Kings Place on Friday 3 June, then on Saturday 4 June he will be collaborating with The KX Collective alongside the London Sinfonietta and Paul Griffiths for a one-off performance. Find out more and book your tickets here.
Before this, Bourne performs the world premiere of 'Montauk Variations' at The Great Hall in Dartington, Devon, on May 24. Following the gig, Bourne will use this magnificent 14th Century hall to record his new album.
You can find more info on all of Bourne's forthcoming shows here.
