The history and context of an instrument, a music, a concert and a piece are some of the main concerns of ONGAKU:enjoy_sound. The idea of back-to-back solos is one approach to the field between these two poles. Ongaku’s first solos concert, ‘Trumpet: solo_improvisations’ in March 04, mapped some fascinating territory, and its successor ‘ear_drum’ is a concert of six back-to-back percussion solos from three musicians who have never performed at ongaku and three who have.

Shakeeb Abu Hamdan is an exciting young London musician who uses samplers, minidiscs, drum machines, drums and electric bass in the groups: Isambard Kingston Brunel, ‘Shakeeb Abu Hamdan and Oliver Reese Play the Screams of Prince’, Las Palmas Doradas and Metal Finger. He is also a sometime member of 9! and has succeeded in making some rare, fresh music. 

Better known for his work on cello and amplified textures than tam-tam, his instrument for this concert, Mark Wastell is a key figure among British improvisers today. The tam-tam on which he will perform has its own history, hand-crafted in Tuscany, Italy and a part of the collection of percussion instruments, which Roger Sutherland used in performance with British group Morphogenesis. 

Edward Perraud comes to London from Paris especially for this event, having last performed a superb set in London with Hubbub at Freedom of the City 2003, later aired by BBC Radio 3. He has played and recorded with a wide range of musicians from Arthur Doyle to Can's Damo Suzuki.   

Paul Hession, Steve Noble and Eddie Prévost have all performed at past events in various settings: 

An endlessly inventive drummer, Paul Hession, the power behind the great Hession/Wilkinson/Fell trio and collaborator with greats like Peter Brotzman, played with Joe McPhee and John Edwards last February, when he gave us an excellent impromptu drum solo. He makes the trip South again for this concert. 

One of the great drummers, blessed with an astonishing finesse, humour, touch and ability to pitch, derived in part perhaps from influences like Sid Catlett, Pete LaRoca and J.C. Moses, the wonderful Steve Noble makes a rare and timely solo appearance. 

Eddie Prévost performed at the very first ONGAKU:enjoy_sound, in duo with Derek Bailey. A founder member of AMM, a brilliant musician and deep musical thinker, he continues to ask questions of himself and us all.