{"title":"Tom Skinner","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTom Skinner is a London based drummer, composer and producer. With his unique blend of musical talent and creativity, he has established himself as a prominent figure in the music industry. Tom's passion for rhythm and melody shines through in his compositions, which are known for their captivating melodies and intricate rhythms. Whether performing live or producing in the studio, Tom's expertise and versatility make him a sought-after collaborator for artists across various genres. His dedication to his craft is evident in every note he plays, making him an artist that music lovers can't afford to miss.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"voices-of-bishara-live-at-mu","title":"Voices of Bishara Live at \"mu\"","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn January 2023, Tom Skinner and his ensemble performed material from his recently released album Voices of Bishara at London club “mu”— a venue founded by the curators at Brilliant Corners and named after the seminal Don Cherry live album. The set was augmented by a rendition of Tony Williams’ “Red” and three pieces by Abdul Wadud, whose 1977 self-released solo cello album, \u003ci\u003eBy Myself,\u003c\/i\u003e was a primary inspiration for Voices of Bishara.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe soloists featured on the album — Shabaka Hutchings and Nubya Garcia— are replaced in Skinner's live ensemble with saxophonist Robert Stillman (who also plays with Skinner in The Smile) and saxophonist \/ flutist Chelsea Carmichael. The extended rhythm section of Tom Herbert (double bass) and Kareem Dayes (cello) round out the lineup, with Skinner on drums. It’s clear from the jump that this band’s aim is to excavate the deep corners of this material, kicking the set off with a 15-minute rendition of Skinner’s own composition “Bishara” that employs the same relationship to rhythmic and tonal freedom found in the Abdul Wadud cello work that inspired it. That aesthetic connection is even more clear by the time the group moves into their 20-minute exploration of Waded’s “Oasis,” the stunning centerpiece of the set.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHearing Skinner’s compositions - flexed and stretched with extended improvisation, and in context with works by Wadud and Williams - both places them and this band firmly in the creative music continuum they honor, and provides us with an unobstructed view of where that continuum is leading us.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"International Anthem Recording Co","offers":[{"title":"Black LPx2","offer_id":50404976066891,"sku":"2195741","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Tape","offer_id":50404973314379,"sku":"2166040","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50404975214923,"sku":"2195740","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a1081356019_65_91df97dc_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726572701"},{"product_id":"voice-of-bishara","title":"Voice of Bishara","description":"\u003cp\u003eDrummer and producer Tom Skinner (The Smile, Sons of Kemet) releases this lean and beautiful album, in which he edited a starry recording session into a sonorous, tuff and beguiling new shape.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe title of Tom Skinner’s first release under his own name is a reference to cellist Abdul Wadud’s ultra-rare 1978 solo album ‘By Myself’, which Skinner listened to repeatedly during lockdown. Wadud’s album was privately pressed on his own label, Bisharra, and whilst Skinner’s title uses the more conventional spelling of this common Arabic name, they both have the same intention or meaning: it translates as ‘good news’, or ‘the bringer of good news’.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a classic-sounding record that connects backwards to Skinner’s 2017 Hello Skinny collaboration with American composer and Arthur Russell-collaborator Peter Zummo on ‘Watermelon Sun’. It links sideways to Makaya McCraven’s beat maker-inspired treatments of jazz sessions, and it offers a musical bridge to Sons of Kemet’s most meditative moments.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brownswood Recordings","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50506968367435,"sku":"1166605","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50506968498507,"sku":"1166607","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/35c96fcc-2bf2-4885-9d48-b40fdb3aa795_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727834730"},{"product_id":"kaleidoscopic-visions","title":"Kaleidoscopic Visions","description":"\u003cp\u003eDrummer-composer Tom Skinner returns with \u003cem\u003eKaleidoscopic Visions\u003c\/em\u003e, his second solo album, via Brownswood Recordings and International Anthem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eKaleidoscopic Visions\u003c\/em\u003e unfolds across two distinct sonic landscapes. Side A presents entirely instrumental compositions performed by Skinner's live Bishara band—bassist Tom Herbert, cellist Kareem Dayes, and Robert Stillman and Chelsea Carmichael on various woodwinds and reeds—with electric guitar on two tracks courtesy of Portishead's Adrian Utley. A drummer-composer bringing his wealth of experience to bear on the role of bandleader, Skinner composed primarily on guitar, embracing the freedom that came with writing on his secondary instrument.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brownswood \/ International Anthem","offers":[{"title":"LP - Yellow","offer_id":52978569675083,"sku":"R0873-6651","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":52978569642315,"sku":"R0873-5554","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":52978569609547,"sku":"R0873-1918","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a14cfb05-c818-4ebf-90f2-1cba350d60cd.jpg?v=1753184648"},{"product_id":"voices-of-bishara","title":"Voices of Bishara","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe title of Tom Skinner’s first release under his own name is a reference to cellist Abdul Wadud’s ultra-rare 1978 solo album \u003cem\u003eBy Myself,\u003c\/em\u003e which Skinner listened to repeatedly during lockdown. Wadud’s album was privately pressed on his own label, Bisharra, and whilst Skinner’s title uses the more conventional spelling of this common Arabic name, they both have the same intention or meaning: it translates as ‘good news’, or ‘the bringer of good news’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVoices of Bishara\u003c\/em\u003e began life when Tom Skinner asked some musician friends to join him for a Played Twice session at London’s Brilliant Corners. The regular event had a simple format: play a classic album in full through their audiophile system and then have an elite ensemble improvise their response. The night in question focused on drummer Tony Williams’ 1964 Blue Note album Life Time and the music he and his friends conjured up was so special that it inspired Skinner to write an album’s-worth of phenomenal new music based on the work of Wadud, with a process inspired by this group-reimagining of Life Time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is a tight, hypnotic and unique 31-minutes of music. \u003cem\u003eVoices of Bishara\u003c\/em\u003e is sculpted around timeless and deeply emotional music that contains masses of movement and exceptional harmonic depth and texture. It sweeps and soars through soundworlds, rich in musicality and always anchored by the deep doubling of cello and bass. It also, of course, contains Skinner’s percussive magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“We’re individual voices, coming together collectively,” says Skinner. “The idea was that we could collectively bring something more positive to the table. It’s the start of something.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTom Skinner and Voices of Bishara: bringers of good news.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"International Anthem Recording Co","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":53205088043339,"sku":"R3253-1794","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":53205088076107,"sku":"R3253-2963","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/click_834881e8-3f72-4c5b-ba6c-16ee41d92cc2.jpg?v=1755599284"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_f32151ea_thumbnail_4096_33ed87a0-3348-4938-a1eb-cee39e4f66c1.jpg?v=1726572660","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/tom-skinner.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}