DECOY (John Edwards/Alexander Hawkins/Steve Noble plus, on request, Joe McPhee)

‘an improvising trio that rocks and swings so hard it’s dangerous…a band that redefine the words “shock and awe”’ – Duncan Heining, Jazzwise

Decoy is the UK improvising trio of John Edwards (double bass), Alexander Hawkins (Hammond B3 Organ), and Steve Noble (drums and percussion). Their three albums have met universal critical acclaim. Following the first two, John Fordham in the Guardian suggested that ‘a cult following is not far behind’; of the third, a live album with Joe McPhee, Clifford Allen wrote that ‘Hawkins, Edwards, Noble and McPhee have created a performance—and a record—for the ages.’

‘a vision not just of what music can be and do, but of what it can become’ – Richard Williams, liner notes, Oto

Alexander Hawkins was called in a recent review ‘[t]he most interesting Hammond player of the last decade and more’, where it was commented that he had ‘already extended what can be done on the instrument’ (Brian Morton, Point of Departure). In both 2010 and 2012, he was named on the official ballot for the Annual Downbeat Reader’s Poll in the organ category. He has also topped the ‘Keyboard’ category of the polls of Argentine journal El Intruso.

Steve Noble is one of London’s leading drummers, a fearless and constantly inventive improviser whose super-precise, ultra-propulsive and hyper-detailed playing has galvanized encounters with Derek Bailey, Matthew Shipp, Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Stephen O’Malley, Joe McPhee, Alex Ward, Rhodri Davies and many, many more. ‘An engaging mix of jazz time, free–rock and abstract improv, Noble is one of the country’s most creative drummers’ (the Guardian)

John Edwards is a true virtuoso whose staggering range of techniques and boundless musical imagination have redefined the possibility of the double bass and dramatically expanded its role, whether playing solo or with others. Perpetually in demand, his status as one of creative music’s finest bassists has seen him working with a vast range of musicians, including the likes of Evan Parker, Roscoe Mitchell, Sunny Murray, Derek Bailey, John Wall, Joe McPhee, and Lol Coxhill.

Contact: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Listen: http://soundcloud.com/user9899925/sets/decoy

Discography 2009: Decoy (Volume 1): Spirit (Bo’Weavil Recordings: Weavil 40) – CD Decoy (Volume 2): The Deep (Bo’Weavil Recordings: Sidra 02) – LP 2010: Decoy with Joe McPhee: Oto (Bo’Weavil Recording: Weavil 41) – CD Decoy with Joe McPhee: Spontaneous Combustion (OTOroku: ROKU002) – LP