Stillefelt

Stillefelt — ‘quiet field’ in Norwegian — is the project of innovative bassist and electronic improvisor Chris Mapp. The trio’s debut recording was released in Spring 2020, featuring Mapp alongside trumpeter Percy Pursglove and guitarist Tom Seminar-Ford.

Following the success of Mapp’s 2017 double release on Stoney Lane Records with his band Gonimoblast, featuring Maja SK Ratkje and Arve Henriksen — which garnered acclaim from The Guardian, The Wire, BBC and UK jazz press — the Stillefelt debut is a dynamically quieter response to Gonimoblast. The ensemble name hints at its inspiration, with undulating electronic soundscapes blurring the lines between each instrument's voice, but still with their acoustic qualities at its heart, uniting three of Birmingham's most distinct voices for the first time.

Recorded live in spring 2018, the album uses material composed by Chris as starting points, destinations and waymarks to create free flowing improvised narratives, with liberal guitar effects pedals and audio processing creating sound beds for soaring trumpet and guitar lines over hypnotic grooves. Having already played the Manchester Jazz Festival and Birmingham Symphony Hall this year, Stillefelt ended 2019 with a four-day residency at the wonderful Birmingham venue Artefact, with a new set each day, meaning the music constantly evolved in new directions throughout the four days.

Percy Pursglove // Trumpet

Tom Seminar-Ford // Guitar

Chris Mapp // Bass

Concert postponed - please check back for updates!