S.O.S.

John Surman, Mike Osborne, and Alan Skidmore, three of the very most groundbreaking saxophonists in Uk jazz from the ’60s and ’70s, had recently been building their marks in a number of contexts — executing and saving both collectively and aside — if they formed the S.O.S. trio in 1973. All three saxmen have been members from the Mike Westbrook Concert Music group (showing up on both quantities of 1969’s Marching Track), with Surman and Osborne playing in Westbrook ensembles since 1962, and Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breathing (appearing around the Brotherhood’s eponymous debut in 1970). Nevertheless, dates beneath the command of Surman and Skidmore had been particularly essential in laying a base for the afterwards introduction of S.O.S. Baritone and soprano saxophonist Surman led a past due-’60s group offering altoist Osborne, and both Osborne and tenor guy Skidmore made an appearance on Surman’s 1970 outing JUST HOW MANY Clouds IS IT POSSIBLE TO See?, and had been also area of the ten-piece lineup that performed under Surman’s command in the German NDR Jazz Workshop tv plan in 1969, simply because documented with the Cuneiform label’s 2011 Compact disc/DVD established Flashpoint: NDR Jazz Workshop – Apr ’69. Also, Surman and Osborne both made an appearance in the B-side of TCB, an record with the Alan Skidmore Quintet released by Philips in 1970. Regarding to Costs Shoemaker’s liner records towards the S.O.S. two-disc collection Searching for another One released by Cuneiform in 2013, Surman initial proposed the thought of the trio to Alan Skidmore when Skidmore was hospitalized carrying out a 1972 car accident. S.O.S. shaped in Apr of the next year and started rehearsals, touring European countries in the fall as period allowed provided the trio people’ myriad various other commitments. With all three trio people obviously most widely known because of their saxophone virtuosity, S.O.S. are seen by some being a precursor towards the Globe Saxophone Quartet and Rova (both founded in 1977), however in truth the group was also a multi-instrumental affair, with Surman playing synthesizer and keyboards (simply because foreshadowed by his 1972 overdubbed single record Westering Home, and in addition presaging his voluminous afterwards result for ECM), and Skidmore also playing drums. The entire year 1974 was a significant one for S.O.S., simply because the group set up its unique identification — melding avant jazz, free of charge improvisation, consumer electronics, Irish folk, as well as classical components — in live shows ranging from membership and festival schedules to a residency on the Paris Opera. In early 1975 the trio documented the eponymous SOS record for Ogun; released afterwards that year, it might be the just S.O.S. record issued through the group’s lifetime. S.O.S. documented more (unreleased) studio room periods up to Sept 1975, supplemented that month by visitor drummer Tony Levin in the Alan Skidmore Quintet, but a complicated financial environment in Britain and health issues experienced by Osborne led the group to disband by past due 1976. The trio’s scant documented proof was supplemented by these 2013 Cuneiform established Searching for another One, which highlighted a 1974 live documenting in the Balver Hoehle Jazz Celebration in Balver, Germany and London studio room periods from 1974 and 1975, including two Sept 1975 tracks offering Levin.