Roy Powell
Roy Powell (born 2 October 1965 in Langham, Rutland) is a British pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer.
Biography
Powell has lived and worked for many years in Norway and is best known for his involvement with the groups InterStatic and Naked Truth. InterStatic consists of Powell, Jacob Young, and Jarle Vespestad; and Naked Truth consists of Powell, Lorenzo Feliciati, Pat Mastelotto, and Graham Haynes. As of 2010, Powell has been shifting from acoustic jazz to a more progressive, jazz-inspired rock. Powell released an album called Mumpbeak with Bill Laswell, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Shanir Blumenkrantz, and Lorenzo Feliciati, and on it Powell plays Hohner Clavinet through guitar effect pedals and amps.
Powell first gained recognition for his first CD A Big Sky, which was released in 1994. The Gramophone Jazz Good CD Guide 1997 called it "extraordinarily accomplished". He has performed and recorded with groups in Scandinavia, Germany, France, Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and has made many appearances at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.
His recordings have been noted in the Gramophone Jazz Good CD Guide, Gramophone Classical Good CD Guide, the Lord Discography, The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, and jazz magazines in Europe, Japan, and the United States. His composition "Bow Out" was adapted with a piece by David Bedford by the American choreographer Val Caniparoli to create a ballet piece also titled "Bow Out", which has been performed by ballet companies in Oakland, Richmond, Cincinnati, and Florida.
Selected recordings
- A Big Sky (Totemic)
- Holus (Resonant), with Terje Gewelt and Jarle Vespestad
- North by Northwest (Nagel Heyer), featuring Arild Andersen
- Solace (Nagel Heyer), with Terje Gewelt and Jarle Vespestad
- Peak Experience Trio (Totemic), with Per Mathisen and Ivan Makedonov
- Composition No.175/No. 126 Anthony Braxton (Leo, 2006)
- Rendezvous: Live in London (Nagel Heyer ), with Terje Gewelt and Andreas Bye
- Napoli (Tapas), with Lorenzo Feliciati and Maxx Furian
- Anthem (PVY), with Jacob Young and Jarle Vespestad
- Shizaru (RareNoise). with Cuong Vu, Lorenzo Feliciati, and Pat Mastelotto
- Holy Abyss (Cuneiform). with Cuong Vu, Lorenzo Feliciati, Dan Weiss and Joel Harrison
- InterStatic (RareNoise), with Jacob Young and Jarle Vespestad
- Ouroboros (RareNoise), with Graham Haynes, Lorenzo Feliciati and Pat Mastelotto
- Mumpbeak (RareNoise), with Bill Laswell, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Shanir Blumenkrantz and Lorenzo Feliciati
- Arise InterStatic (RareNoise), with Jacob Young and Jarle Vespestad
References
- The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Second Edition. UK: OUP. 2001. ISBN 978-0-333-69189-2.
- Gramophone Jazz Good Cd Guide Second Edition. UK: Music Sales Corp. 1998. ISBN 978-0-902470-80-4.