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E in omaggio a un altro irriducibile dell'improvvisazione radicale della scena britannica storica, Paul Burwell (1949-2007), si è tenuta a inizio mese a Londra al Cafe Oto una speciale serata con la proiezione del film documentario Burning Bridges, prodotto da Nova Studios, e gli interventi di tre tra i suoi più cari amici e collaboratori ai tempi del London Musicians' Collective, David Toop, Evan Parker e Sylvia Hallett. Ve n'è traccia su YT.
Burning Bridges tells the story of Paul’s remarkable and exciting life and work, but also throws light on a period in British art and music that is often overlooked. "Well before punk there was an exciting underground movement in UK art and music that was rooted in the DIY culture that punk claimed as its own” explains Burning Bridges director Matt Stephenson. "These artists and performers were exciting and iconoclastic in the way they challenged the boundaries of safety and acceptability, but the work also explored a dark side too. People often regard punk as a kind-of ground zero, but the rebellion, the cut-and-paste, kick-down-the-walls, junk-as-art approach was being employed by Paul and his friends long before Malcolm Mclaren and the Pistols."
Described by saxophonist Evan Parker as 'The world’s first fine art drummer' Paul started his career in a duo named Rain In The Face with musician and writer David Toop, who he first met at a midnight jam at Camden’s famous Roundhouse. The pair worked closely with the influential poet Bob Cobbing, who also happened to be the father of Paul’s girlfriend Sheila. In the later 1970s Burwell and Toop were founder members of the London Musicians Collective. In the 80’s Burwell teamed up with the now-internationally acclaimed artists Anne Bean and Richard Wilson to form the Bow Gamelan Ensemble, making huge musical sculptures from junk and playing large scale events all over the world, gaining wide coverage in newspapers and on TV. Paul’s work, which involved magick, explosions, amazing drumming, and death-defying acts of danger, blurred the lines between life, entertainment, performance art and improvised music, “He was regarded as having a kind-of Samurai nature” says Paul’s closest friend, collaborator and sometime partner, Anne Bean, “People were scared of him, but he could be very gentle and thoughtful too.”