14.12.05
«John Stevens was a great drummer, a pioneer of improvised music and the godfather of contemporary community music. His mixed-ability workshops, and the performances that grew out of them, were exhilarating and served as a lasting inspiration to many. Label boss, Martin Davidson, being a completist and unsure of some of the contributors is unprepared to divulge any. It would be of historic significance to know if we are talking name players or workshop unknowns but in truth it¹s unimportant. He does, however, note that Stevens plays no drums here and restricts himself to cornet, his favoured workshop instrument. I have a fond memory of Stevens silencing a busy pub one afternoon while demonstrating to me, in a typically spontaneous moment, the new cornet he¹d acquired. Stevens was like that, a strange combination of intense sensitivity and larger than life bullishness. This album serves as a reminder of one side of his musical legacy and is a fascinating companion to his seminal workshop manual Search And Reflect, which remains a bible to many a 'community musician' to this day. Full credit to Emanem for this one» - Gus Garside
posted by eduardo chagas
@ 14.12.05 
