Glasshouse - Silence is a Flower (2024)

THIS ALBUM is a record of a single ‘live in the studio’ set performed by the band on 22nd May 2024. Nine tracks all improvised spontaneously in the moment, with no pre-planning, and presented here in the order in which they were played. The gaps between the pieces have been edited out, but the performances are all un-edited with no overdubs and no post-production treatment beyond ensuring a balanced mix of instruments. Unlike our previous albums which featured varied pieces selected from a number of recording sessions, this album captures the mood and atmosphere of one particular evening, and how we interpreted that in the nine pieces we played.
SILENCE IS A FLOWER is a Japanese expression which means ‘shut up’. The relevance of this to improvisation is that each piece has to start with silence: moments of contemplation before one band member makes the opening musical gambit. Before joining in, the other two players must ‘shut up’ and listen to that opening in order to intuit how best they should respond to it.

James Hancock-Evans, piano and keyboards; Lee Relfe, saxophones; John Franks, drums and percussion. All tracks improvised (composed) by Hancock-Evans, Relfe, & Franks. Recorded at Greenhill Studio. Cover Design by John Franks. © Glasshousemusic 2024.