P53 (band)
Encyclopedia
P53, sometimes written p53, was an experimental music
group commissioned by English percussionist Chris Cutler
to play at the 25th Frankfurt Jazz Festival in Germany in September 1994. Their performance was recorded and released by Recommended Records
in 1996 on a live album entitled P53
. The group reassembled in May 1997 to play at the Angelica International Festival of contemporary music in Bologna
, Italy. In November 2006 a new and reduced lineup of P53 performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
in Glasgow
, Scotland, which was recorded and broadcast by the BBC
in March 2007.
P53 was an musical improvisation
al project that centred around the music of two classical
grand pianists, accompanied by percussion
, homemade guitar, turntable scratching
, and real-time sampling
/processing of the pianists.
was asked by the organisers of the 25th Frankfurt Jazz Festival in Germany as to whether he had a project for the event. Cutler said "yes" and took the opportunity to try out a new musical idea involving "real-time montaging
" that he had been contemplating. He used the festival's generous budget to form a quintet
of musicians from around the world. Billed as "The Chris Cutler Project" before there was time to give it its name, P53 consisted of Cutler (percussion, electronics), German classical pianist Marie Goyette (grand piano), Polish classical pianist and composer Zygmunt Krauze
(grand piano), German composer and performer Lutz Glandien
(samples, real-time processing), and Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist Otomo Yoshihide
(turntables, homebuilt guitar).
P53's performance at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival was filmed and later broadcast several times on German television. An album of the concert called P53
was also released by Recommended Records
in 1996. In May 1997 P53, with the same lineup, performed for the second time at the Angelica International Festival of contemporary music in Bologna
in Italy. An extract from this performance appeared on the Angelica 1997 compilation CD.
In November 2006 Cutler assembled a new and reduced lineup of P53 comprising Cutler, Australian violinist Jon Rose
and American harpist Zeena Parkins
, to perform with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
in Glasgow
in Scotland. This event was recorded and broadcast by the BBC
on 24 March 2007.
tumour
suppressing gene
that was discovered in 1979 by David P. Lane
and others. Because of its role in preventing cancer
, the gene has been described as "the guardian of the genome
"
2006 lineup
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
group commissioned by English percussionist 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...
to play at the 25th Frankfurt Jazz Festival in Germany in September 1994. Their performance was recorded and released by 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...
in 1996 on a live album entitled P53
P53 (album)
P53, sometimes written p53, is a 1996 live album by experimental music group P53. It was recorded at the 25th Frankfurt Jazz Festival in Germany on 16 September 1994, and was released in 1996 in the United Kingdom by Recommended Records....
. The group reassembled in May 1997 to play at the Angelica International Festival of contemporary music in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Italy. In November 2006 a new and reduced lineup of P53 performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation , it is the oldest full-time professional orchestra in Scotland...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland, which was recorded and broadcast by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in March 2007.
P53 was an musical improvisation
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...
al project that centred around the music of two classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
grand pianists, accompanied by percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, homemade guitar, turntable scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
, and real-time sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
/processing of the pianists.
History
In 1994 English percussionist Chris CutlerChris 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...
was asked by the organisers of the 25th Frankfurt Jazz Festival in Germany as to whether he had a project for the event. Cutler said "yes" and took the opportunity to try out a new musical idea involving "real-time montaging
Sound collage
In music, montage or sound collage is a technique where sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage, the use of portions of previous recordings or scores...
" that he had been contemplating. He used the festival's generous budget to form a quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
of musicians from around the world. Billed as "The Chris Cutler Project" before there was time to give it its name, P53 consisted of Cutler (percussion, electronics), German classical pianist Marie Goyette (grand piano), Polish classical pianist and composer Zygmunt Krauze
Zygmunt Krauze
- Biography :Polish composer and pianist , who studied composition and piano at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He is known as a composer of unistic music, based on the theory of unistic art adopted from the painting of Wladyslaw Strzeminski...
(grand piano), German composer and performer Lutz Glandien
Lutz Glandien
Lutz Glandien is a Berlin-based German avant garde composer and musician. He has composed a number of classical and electroacoustic pieces, released four solo albums, and collaborated with English percussionist Chris Cutler to record two acclaimed avant-rock albums, Domestic Stories and P53...
(samples, real-time processing), and Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist Otomo Yoshihide
Yoshihide Otomo
is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist.He first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the noise rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked in a variety of contexts, ranging from free improvisation to noise, jazz, avant-garde and contemporary classical...
(turntables, homebuilt guitar).
P53's performance at the Frankfurt Jazz Festival was filmed and later broadcast several times on German television. An album of the concert called P53
P53 (album)
P53, sometimes written p53, is a 1996 live album by experimental music group P53. It was recorded at the 25th Frankfurt Jazz Festival in Germany on 16 September 1994, and was released in 1996 in the United Kingdom by Recommended Records....
was also released by 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...
in 1996. In May 1997 P53, with the same lineup, performed for the second time at the Angelica International Festival of contemporary music in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
in Italy. An extract from this performance appeared on the Angelica 1997 compilation CD.
In November 2006 Cutler assembled a new and reduced lineup of P53 comprising Cutler, Australian violinist Jon Rose
Jon Rose
Jon Rose is an Australian violinist born in the UK in 1951. Rose began playing violin at age 7 after winning a music scholarship to King's School in Rochester. For over 35 years, Rose has been at the sharp end of new, improvised, and experimental music and media...
and American harpist 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...
, to perform with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is a broadcasting symphony orchestra based in Glasgow, Scotland. One of five full-time orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation , it is the oldest full-time professional orchestra in Scotland...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in Scotland. This event was recorded and broadcast by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on 24 March 2007.
Music
The instrumentation of the P53 project consisted of two grand pianos, amplified turntables, a homemade electric guitar, percussion, electronics and real time processing. The pianists were instructed to play "a few small sections from the classical repertoire", in any way and at any tempo, while the other musicians were free to improvise around them. Glandien periodically played back amplified and distorted live samples of the pianists.Name
The group's name was taken from the p53P53
p53 , is a tumor suppressor protein that in humans is encoded by the TP53 gene. p53 is crucial in multicellular organisms, where it regulates the cell cycle and, thus, functions as a tumor suppressor that is involved in preventing cancer...
tumour
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
suppressing gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
that was discovered in 1979 by David P. Lane
David P. Lane
Sir David Philip Lane FRS, FRSE FRCPath is a British oncologist. He is best known for his work on the p53 tumour suppressor protein. Besides his position at the University of Dundee, he also founded the Cyclacel biotechnology company and is the Chief Scientist of Cancer Research UK.He was made a...
and others. Because of its role in preventing cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, the gene has been described as "the guardian of the genome
Genome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
"
Members
1994 and 1997 lineup- Chris CutlerChris CutlerChris 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, objects, low grade electronics - Marie Goyette – grand piano
- Zygmunt KrauzeZygmunt Krauze- Biography :Polish composer and pianist , who studied composition and piano at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He is known as a composer of unistic music, based on the theory of unistic art adopted from the painting of Wladyslaw Strzeminski...
– grand piano - Otomo YoshihideYoshihide Otomois a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist.He first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the noise rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked in a variety of contexts, ranging from free improvisation to noise, jazz, avant-garde and contemporary classical...
– turntables, homebuilt guitar - Lutz GlandienLutz GlandienLutz Glandien is a Berlin-based German avant garde composer and musician. He has composed a number of classical and electroacoustic pieces, released four solo albums, and collaborated with English percussionist Chris Cutler to record two acclaimed avant-rock albums, Domestic Stories and P53...
– computer, samples, real-time processing
2006 lineup
- Chris CutlerChris CutlerChris 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...
– percussion - Jon RoseJon RoseJon Rose is an Australian violinist born in the UK in 1951. Rose began playing violin at age 7 after winning a music scholarship to King's School in Rochester. For over 35 years, Rose has been at the sharp end of new, improvised, and experimental music and media...
– violin - Zeena ParkinsZeena ParkinsZeena 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...
– harp
Appears on
- Various artists: Angelica 1997 (1998, CD, Dischi di Angelica, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) – includes one P53 track