ASHBURTON: Arts Centre

Sunday 8th June, 2025

7:00pm

Event information

“Grew’s pieces are captivating experiments in form and a masterclass in solo piano.” Chris Baber, Jazz Views (full review plus audio links here)

Stephen has been consistently touring nationally and internationally as a soloist and in group situations full time for 30 years, performing and recording with: Evan Parker, Keith Tippett, Howard Riley, Trevor Watts, Pat Thomas, and in the groups: Grew Trio, Grew Quartet and Grutronic, Watts & Grew Duo.

Martin Pyne wrote this review of his latest release, Fire – listen here on Bandcamp:
“I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of this album for some time now. Pianist Stephen Grew is, in my opinion, one of the most extraordinary improvisers active at the moment. He is a genuine “voice” - no other pianist sounds like this - and his improvisations have a single minded sense of purpose and a clarity of vision that is truly remarkable.
The opening gestures of the first piece on his new Discus Music release are wonderful. Like a master film editor he alternates between glimpses of vast sonic vistas and sudden moments of intense close up focus on tiny details. It took my breath away on my first listen through. The range and quickness of his musical thought is something to behold. Passages of ever evolving “not quite” ostinati can seamlessly and suddenly shift to tender lyricism without any sense of a musical handbrake turn. One thing that strikes me,and this is remarkable in the context of free improvisation, is how rarely I feel a sense of the pianist searching - it feels so decisive and inevitable, he knows just what his next move should be. Again I’m put in mind of a master film editor, but this is happening in real time.
To describe the music as pianistic would be an understatement. Stephen’s own notes to the album talk in detail about the instrument he recorded this music on, as well as the room it is in. He’s not just playing the piano, he is playing this piano in this space. He seems to wring every possible colour and nuance from the instrument and yet the whole is such a coherent artistic statement. It is staggering, glorious music making. I remain mystified that Stephen Grew is not more widely known and revered. We owe a big debt to Martin Archer for continuing to support this unique artist. Music to treasure!

Watch Piano Man on YouTube https://youtu.be/4g_ENOwtwyY

Stephen writes:
“My music presents the solo piano in a fresh and totally improvised way. The music charters many dynamic qualities of an acoustic grand piano and endeavours to provide the audience with a universe of highly rhythmic patterns, spatial interventions and a playful, visceral quality to the performances that makes listening a captivating spectacle, sometimes very fast! — other times…many things in between!”

“Stephen Grew: is one of Europe's most dedicated and imaginative pianists: Stephen's playing, free from the constraints of traditional harmonic, melodic and rhythmic structures, is a virtuoso tour-de-force of dynamic extremes, percussive effects and spontaneous atonal flourishes, by turn surprising, witty and breathtaking!” Steve Mead, Manchester Jazz Festival.

Reviews of recent solo albums

“Finally, one of the most arresting solo piano albums I’ve heard in recent times has to be Stephen Grew’s Now We Are Here, which he describes in terms of establishing a relationship with the idiosyncrasies of a particular instrument in a particular location. Pianists ranging from Stan Tracey to Vijay Iyer have commented on this phenomenon in different ways, but Grew seems to address it by effectively transforming the instrument into its own score. There are riffs and themes that are set up and developed or abandoned without regret, often seemingly in a matter of seconds. There are rolling, dense arpeggios that throw up clouds of murk or sparks, sometimes both at once. There’s also a little of everything in between. This music is visceral yet also profoundly thoughtful and, indeed, highly memorable. (Discus 174CD)” ★★★★★ Roger Thomas, BBC Music Magazine

Latest: “Now we are Here”
https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/now-we-are-here-174cd-2024

https://freq.org.uk/reviews/stephen-grew-chasm/

https://discus-music.co.uk/

https://www.jazzviews.net/stephen-grew---poseidon.html

https://www.jazzviews.net/stephen-grew---the-lit-and-phil-suite.html

Always three prices – please pay what you can. See Access, Tickets & Finding Us for more about why there are three ticket prices, plus other useful info about coming to events at Ashburton Arts Centre.
Level access from street – please contact us on boxoffice@ashburtonarts.org.uk if a wheelchair space is needed, or if you have any other special requirements.