"Peter Urpeth has more than 30 years experience in the creative industries and in creative talent development. He is co-Director of Emergents Creatives - a social enterprise company funded by HIE and Creative Scotland - that supports and nurtures creative careers and the creative economy in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, with particular focus on the writing, publishing, fashion, craft, design and textiles sectors.

Originally Peter Urpeth was a jazz musician (pianist) working in free improvisation, and he has worked with some of the leading European musicians of the age including Evan Parker, Maggie Nicols, John Russell and Lol Coxhill. In the 1980s and 90s Peter Urpeth expanded his music career into journalism and artist management, becoming a music editor at Time Out magazine when it was the second highest selling consumer magazine title in Europe, and manager of the internationally renowned South African township pianist, Dollar Brand (Abdullah Ibrahim). In 1989, Peter Urpeth organized the first UK tour of South African township musicians in the Apartheid era, bringing Abdullah Ibrahim's Ekaya to play 13 sell-out nights at London's Jazz Cafe, to considerable critical and political acclaim.

In the 1990s Peter Urpeth started working in music in theatre, performing live music to Steve Berkoff's Fall of The House of Usher and winning a Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for a musical with Donald Swann (Flanders & Swann). Later he would compose and perform nine further shows at Edinburgh Fringe before starting to write drama for stage performance. He was a regular performer in pantos, including accompanying Barbara Windsor in various seasonal melodies. As a journalist, Peter continued to cover the European and US new music scene, and he had international success with (front cover features for Jazz Hot, Paris, Jazz UK etc) his interviews with New York jazz musicians including John Zorn & Geri Allen, and a few articles that came from spending 8 days flat sharing in the company of young, unknown graphic artist Matt Groening.

Fiction and poetry quickly followed the interest in drama, and in the mid 1990s Peter's poetry was first published in journals and magazines. Peter moved to Scotland and became a freelance arts journalist for The Herald and The Scotsman whilst working as a housing and homelessness advisor for Shelter. Peter's interviews with traditional Gaelic singers began appearing in leading folk and world music magazines in the late 1990s, including regular front cover features for Folk Roots and The Wire.

In 1999 Peter became the editor of the Stornoway Gazette and a feature writer for The Observer. In 2002 Peter founded his own local newspaper, The Hebridean, selling it to its rival title two years later.

In 2003, Peter Urpeth was awarded a Scottish Arts Council Writers Bursary and in 2006 his first novel, Far Inland, was published by Birlinn Polygon. In 2004, Peter became Talent Development Manager for HI-Arts, the arts development agency for the north of Scotland, developing Emergents Creatives after its closure.

In 2012, Peter Urpeth delivered one of the 100 Nights for John Cage concerts - the international celebration of composer John Cage's centenary - and a performance that was broadcast live from Stornoway to New York, and was heard by over 750,000 radio listeners in the States.

Peter Urpeth is currently working (with comedian Stewart Lee) on a biography of the jazz musician Evan Parker, and self-publishes digital poetry pamphlets. Recent music activity has included two major commissions for new scores and performances to silent, b&w vampire movies (Nosferatu and Vampyr) as part of the Faclan Festival."

"I'm a jazz and improv double bassist, based in Hastings, SE England.

I lead and compose for The Olie Brice Quintet, which released our debut album 'Immune to Clockwork' in 2014. The quintet was named as one of the 'new bands 2014' in the El Intruso Critics Poll, and was described by Richard Williams as "one of the most interesting and satisfying bands on the current UK scene". The current line-up of the quintet features George Crowley on tenor, Alex Bonney on cornet, Mike Fletcher on C-melody sax and Jeff Williams on drums. Our 2nd album, 'Day After Day' will be released in Jue 2017 on the Babel label.

I'm also involved in several collaborative projects, including;

a Trio with Tobias Delius - tenor sax, clarinet and Mark Sanders - drums

duos with Achim Kaufmann - piano, Rachel Musson - tenor sax and Tom Challenger - tenor sax

BABs (James Allsopp - bass clarinet, Alex Bonney - laptop)

and am in a few people's bands, including:

Mike Fletcher Trio (Mike Fletcher - C melody sax, Jeff Williams - drums)

Dee Byrne's Entopri (Dee Byrne - alto sax, Andre Canniere - trumpet, Rebecca Nash - piano & Matt Fisher - drums)

Alex Ward Quintet (Alex Ward - clarinet, guitar, Rachel Musson - tenor sax, Tom Jackson - bass clarinet, Hannah Marshall - cello)

Loz Speyer's Inner Space Music (Loz Speyer - trumpet, Chris Biscoe - alto sax, alto clarinet, Rachel Musson - tenor & soprano, Gary Willcox - drums)

Alex Bonney Quartet (Alex Bonney - trumpet, James Allsopp - reeds, Jeff Williams - drums)

Other musicians I've appeared with include Tony Malaby, Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall, Ingrid Laubrock, Ken Vandermark, Steve Swell and many others..."

"Terry Day: Multi-instrumentalist, Improvisation Pioneer, Song Writer, Tune-Smith, Lyricist, Poet, Painter, Conductor even.

I began Improvising on the drums in a drum duet with my brother Pat in 1955, and in 1960 formed an improvising trio of Piano, bass & drums. Russell Hardy (piano) later became Music composer in Ian Dury's Kilburn & the Highroads.

I am an early 60's First Generation Pioneer of Improvisation, Free Jazz & experimental music. Since the 1960s I have collaborated with many improvising musical Luminaries, Groups, dancers, painters, poets, Artists from around the world, & performed / acted in Alternative Theatre, Events, Rock & Roll, and Nigerian High Life band. .......most of which went unrecorded, or remain "bad" recordings unreleased in my own & private Archives.

I once played many instruments (piano, cello, mandolin, alto & soprano sax), but ill health prevented me from playing for 13 years (1987-2000). Depending on who I am working with, I now play Bamboo Reed Flutes, Drums, Sopranino, Recorders, Balloons & Improvise with my Lyrics, Prose, Verse ( which many call poems - but for me They Are Lyrics ).

Since 2000 I have performed regularly with the London Improvisers Orchestra (LIO) playing Bamboo Reed Flutes, Sopranino, Recorders, Balloons, Drums, & Simultaneously Conducting & Reciting Lyrics, prose, verse with the LIO. I have also performed Recitation Conductions with the Malaga, Tokyo, & Madrid Improvising Orchestras. My recitations also include collaborations with groups & individuals which can be viewed on my website.

Since 2000 I have continued to collaborate with the New Luminaries of improvisation from around the world, & old Veterans such as the People Band. I toured Japan in 2012 working solely with Japanese improvising musical Luminaries, dancers & the calligrapher Setsuhi Shiraishi. I toured Brazil in 2013 giving workshops, performing solo & with Brazilian musicians. I have appeared regularly on Malaga annual music festivals."

"Ntshuks Bonga was born in Johannesburg, 1st October 1963. He moved to London with family in 1970. He took lessons on guitar & violin at school, and is mostly self taught on saxophones and clarinets. His past projects & collaborations include: various wonderful Maggie Nicols groups circa 1991-1993; Louis MoholoÕs Exiles [Louis Moholo, Gibo Pheto, Pule Pheto, Claude Deppa] circa 1992; Silapha [with Gibo Pheto & Pule Pheto]; Ntshuks BongaÕs Tshisa [with Marcio Mattos & Ken Hyder]; Robyn Hitchcock; Claude DeppaÕs fabulous Horns Unlimited [12 horns, 3 percussion CMN tour in 1998); Ntshuks BongaÕs Tokolosho [with Veryan Weston, John Grieve, Winston Rollins, Brian Abrahams, Mark Sanders, Julia Doyle]; Lucky RankuÕs African Jazz All Stars; FJQ [with Robin Musgrove, Jerry Bird and Alfredo Genovesi] recorded FJQ in 1998; Lydia Lunch (fabulous winter tour in 2004; still receovering!); Dave Draper/Jim LeBaigue/Ntshuks Bonga trio"