Information Tongues of Fire Info Street Bands Future Projects Workshops and Education Tim Hill Downloads Home
Tongues of Fire are
A modern street band inspired by the sounds of church and chapel, circus and gypsy brass bands,
the free jazz marches of Albert Ayler and the cosmic carnival of Sun Ra
.
An eight piece band featuring a riot of reeds, brass and percussion, playing new music inspired
by the richness of folklore, mythology, landscape and hidden histories and by the mysteries of improvisation and the glories of noise
Tongues of Fire play concert and club stages, outdoor festivities and processions creating new music with strong grooves, striking themes, rich arrangements, inspired soloing and riotous group playing.
As well as music by band leader Tim Hill we play arrangements of tunes by Sun Ra, Albert Ayler and Nino Rota
We also play street band sounds from Jamaica, the Balkans and the contemporary marching bands and ‘shout bands’ of the southern United States and mine English traditions like the west gallery and non-conformist chapel bands, seasonal celebrations, fairgrounds and ‘rough musics’.
All members of Tongues of Fire are dedicated improvisers and most pieces feature strong individual solos or group improvising. We especially like improvising in the street, sweeping people along with unpredictable but accessible playing. We are also interested in the context and function of music, the idea of making a strong sound, a ‘joyful noise’ for dreaming, dancing, celebration and protest and how that sound fits with the wider landscape and soundscapes in which its made.
The band was founded by saxophonist and composer Tim Hill in 2004 and features musicians drawn from the worlds of free jazz, brass bands, contemporary classical, theatre and samba.
CD’s of the various music we play and photos are available.
For further information contact
Tim Hill, 1, Lillesdon Court Cottages, Wrantage, Taunton, TA3 6BT07986 800354
What we do
Create new music for reeds, brass and percussion performing as an eight piece band at concerts, clubs and festivals
Play as a street band for outdoor events, carnivals and festivals. This seven/eight piece band features a riot of reeds and brass based round the whirlwind drumming of Steve Noble and Dan Fox.
Research street bands and processional traditions here and around the world
Devise education and participatory projects around street bands, processions and outdoor celebration
We can also combine these elements for special events and create one off celebrations combining music, performance, visuals and food. Tongues of Fire are working on procession ideas for performances in 2006.
Several members of the band have long experience with processions, feasts and outdoor performance. Dan Fox has been musical Director on the Ulverston Lantern Festival Finale for several years and has been a key member of Welfare State International and Doegtroup, two of the worlds finest outdoor theatre companies in the world. Harry Dawes and Simon Prince have worked with IOU Theatre Company, another highly acclaimed visual theatre company and Harry was part of the award winning ‘Lee and Dawes’ sound theatre group. Tim Hill has also worked for WSI for several years on processional projects, on the Lantern Festival and created feasts for their ‘Rites of Passage’ events. We have an excellent group of associate performers and artists.
In the last year we have played a joint concert with the Jaipur Brass Band for Oxford contemporary Music and performed at clubs in Oxford and London, at the Cowley Carnival and the ‘Streetlife’ and Charlbury Festivals, and created music for the ‘Burning Ambition’ Fire Show at SHP Arts Centre, Bracknell.
We have also received funding to develop street band music, performance and ideas from ACE South West
Musicians
Reeds and flutes - Geoff Hawkins, Pete McPhail, Simon Prince, Tim Hill
French Horn - Julian Faultless.
Trombone - Harry Dawes.
Bass - Dominic Lash.
Drums - Steve Noble and Dan Fox
Associated performers and artists
Jo Hamilton – soprano sax
Stuart Henderson - trumpet
Charles Spicer –early woodwinds and performance
Roger Bloomfield –stories and ideas, design, making and show devising
Martin West – maker and pryotechnician
Andy Glass – ceramics and pryotechnician
Dave Young - maker
Pete Winters – performance
Tom Lloyd – projections
Geoff Sawers – texts and banner
Pete Winters – performance
The bands collective credits include:
Welfare State International, The London Jazz Composers Orchestra, IUO Theatre, Ensemble Modern, Theatre d’Complicite, Salt, Trevor Watts Moiré Music, Motionhouse Dance Company, Lee and Dawes Theatre, Doegtroup, Pandaemonium, the Britten Sinfonia, The Bow Gamelan Ensemble and Stephen Mottram's Animata.
