....‘Diamonds in the Sand’ by guitarist Joel Bell ... Dr. Bell’s piece excelled in combining jazz elements, beat cycles and colours, with improvisational elements...good examples of creating engaging crossover works of both Eastern and Western influence in contemporary compositional style, but relying on older forms and musical archetypes to create something original.
-Calgary Herald, Banff, Canada, April 1, 2015, Stephan Bonfield
The glow-worm glows by guitarist Joel Bell, drawing bright and pulsing riffs over an ostinato that threatened to but never quite overwhelmed the line. They finished with pure improvisation, though the material was consciously ‘dirty’ in origin
-Amati Magazine
...highly intelligent and individual approach to the integration of improvisational techniques within notated composition...’
-Richard Barrett
The musical soundscapes-panoramas give us a sort of state-of-the-art window on ultra-post-modern-modern worlds. It makes for a beautiful listen.
This set breaks ground and stimulates the musical ears in rather profound ways. I do not hesitate to recommend it highly. An essential offering for what, indeed, is new out there right now."
(Guitar and composition on Kate Halsall's 'Miniaturised Concertos)
- Grego Edwards (Gapplegate Classical Modern Music)
Previous events
Collaboration with viol ensemble Fretwork.
Gokumi perform 'The Sound We Inhabit' - collaboration with composer/artist Benjamin McDonnell
Edouard Malingue Gallery, St. Saviour's Church Aberdeen Park London N5 2AR
The Sound We Inhabit' by Benjamin McDonnell performed by the Gokumi Ensemble at Edouard Malingue Gallery, London Wed, November 27, 2019 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM GMT
Edouard Malingue Gallery, St. Saviour's Church Aberdeen Park London N5 2AR
Playing traditional Korean folk music and a little k-pop thrown in too...
'The Sound We Inhabit' is a piece of music that Ben McDonnell has written during his month long residency at Chisenhale Studios. This piece will be performed for the first time to a public audience at the closing event of his residency on 5 September 2019 by Gokumi, a contemporary music ensemble comprises electric guitar, Korean flute, violin and bass clarinet. Ben has spent the past month on residency at Chisenhale Studios making work that uses photographic images, sculpture and sound as a way of re-seeing or re-understanding the built environment, using structures inherent in music and composition as a way of imagining an impermanent, speculative architecture. The performance will begin promptly in Studio 4 at Chisenhale Studios at 8:00pm. The duration of this performance is approximately 30 minutes. There will be a drinks reception from 8:30pm onwards.
RSVP is required via eventbrite.
Supported by Chisenhale Studios and Help Musicians UK Fusion Fund.
“F SHARP BRIGHT ORANGE (2019),” created and performed by Christophe Fellay (drums,electronics) and Marie-No Guex (video)
Premiere of my piece 'Garden Path'.
Trust, Perception and Nuance in Improvisation
A lecture recital featuring a demonstration of the half slide technique, an update of Mississippi Fred Mcdowell in the world of maqam and the philosophy and technique of ‘touch notes’, drawn from the Indian Sarangi as taught by the late Pt. Dhruba Ghosh
Joel Bell - Solo Concert
Private House concert Bayswater Art Gallery.
Seminar on how to write for the electric guitar in the context of contemporary music.