Daniel Thompson
The First Anecdote - January 2025
A Tail of Two Foxes (Fox)
In 2007 I went to a concert at The Vortex in Dalston, East London. Foxes Fox were playing. This, which I knew, was a group comprising Steve Beresford, John Edwards, Louis Moholo-Moholo and Evan Parker. I was 26 years old. It was a period of unequivocal change in my life. The Vortex at that time was a stunning place to hear free improvisation, quite often with monthly programmes of varying artists playing to packed audiences. When Foxes Fox played in 2007 this was no exception. I was standing at the bar throughout the entire evening as the club was filled to the rafters. I didn’t have a ticket so I felt lucky to even be let in.
During that period gigs at The Vortex would be billed to start at 8pm, often starting at 9pm. At around 8.45pm the tension was becoming unbearable. Then the music filled the space.
The first set was astonishing.
Thirty eight minutes later.
Interval.
Breathe.
Can they go further?
The second set did exactly that. Kenny Wheeler happened to be at the gig and his trumpet and flugelhorn were in his person. He was asked to sit in. I couldn’t believe it!
The quintet took the music further, further towards the unimaginable.
It was the first and only time I heard Kenny Wheeler play live.
After I’d been completely mesmerised by the evenings music, and had time to reflect, I would often remark that it was one of, if not the best gig I’d ever heard. I would say how it felt like the roof came off the club. The musicians raised the bandstand and raised the roof! Those feelings remained the same, and still do to this day.
A year or two had passed and I bumped into Martin Davidson at The Vortex. I remembered there being at least one microphone near the stage so I thought the music might have been ‘captured’. I asked if he had any idea if the music had plans for a release. At that time Martin didn’t know anything about such a thing. I think my initial desire to want to know if it had been recorded was so I could know that such an incredible evening of music could be heard by even more people. To be shared.
More years passed and I discovered that the music had in fact been released on Evan Parker’s wonderful label Psi. But, was the music as incredible as I remembered? After years of thinking this through and deciding whether to buy the record, in 2024 I finally did, I picked up a copy and began to get ready to not be ready, again.
Did I now have my memory in my hands?
It took me a long time to actually sit down and listen to the record. On the evening of the 25th January 2025, I did exactly that. The music enveloped me once again.
Few things in this world are truly great. The music played on that evening and the music I heard both live and on the record is that, it’s great. I often feel lucky in this world. I feel lucky to have heard this music when I went to The Vortex in 2007, and lucky to have been able to hear it again.
Thanks to all the musicians and everyone involved in the concert and the recording.
A Tail of Two Foxes (Fox)
In 2007 I went to a concert at The Vortex in Dalston, East London. Foxes Fox were playing. This, which I knew, was a group comprising Steve Beresford, John Edwards, Louis Moholo-Moholo and Evan Parker. I was 26 years old. It was a period of unequivocal change in my life. The Vortex at that time was a stunning place to hear free improvisation, quite often with monthly programmes of varying artists playing to packed audiences. When Foxes Fox played in 2007 this was no exception. I was standing at the bar throughout the entire evening as the club was filled to the rafters. I didn’t have a ticket so I felt lucky to even be let in.
During that period gigs at The Vortex would be billed to start at 8pm, often starting at 9pm. At around 8.45pm the tension was becoming unbearable. Then the music filled the space.
The first set was astonishing.
Thirty eight minutes later.
Interval.
Breathe.
Can they go further?
The second set did exactly that. Kenny Wheeler happened to be at the gig and his trumpet and flugelhorn were in his person. He was asked to sit in. I couldn’t believe it!
The quintet took the music further, further towards the unimaginable.
It was the first and only time I heard Kenny Wheeler play live.
After I’d been completely mesmerised by the evenings music, and had time to reflect, I would often remark that it was one of, if not the best gig I’d ever heard. I would say how it felt like the roof came off the club. The musicians raised the bandstand and raised the roof! Those feelings remained the same, and still do to this day.
A year or two had passed and I bumped into Martin Davidson at The Vortex. I remembered there being at least one microphone near the stage so I thought the music might have been ‘captured’. I asked if he had any idea if the music had plans for a release. At that time Martin didn’t know anything about such a thing. I think my initial desire to want to know if it had been recorded was so I could know that such an incredible evening of music could be heard by even more people. To be shared.
More years passed and I discovered that the music had in fact been released on Evan Parker’s wonderful label Psi. But, was the music as incredible as I remembered? After years of thinking this through and deciding whether to buy the record, in 2024 I finally did, I picked up a copy and began to get ready to not be ready, again.
Did I now have my memory in my hands?
It took me a long time to actually sit down and listen to the record. On the evening of the 25th January 2025, I did exactly that. The music enveloped me once again.
Few things in this world are truly great. The music played on that evening and the music I heard both live and on the record is that, it’s great. I often feel lucky in this world. I feel lucky to have heard this music when I went to The Vortex in 2007, and lucky to have been able to hear it again.
Thanks to all the musicians and everyone involved in the concert and the recording.