John Russell – Guitarist Born December 19, 1954; died January 18, 2021 John Russell, who has died aged 66, was a pioneering guitarist, who dedicated himself to free improvisation, both in his own playing, and in organising platforms for his peers, live and on record. Russell’s own music, played primarily on an acoustic guitar, was a concentrated, spacious and always exploratory experience, both solo and in numerous collaborations over the last half-century. These ranged from veteran saxophonist Evan Parker to former Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore, taking in the likes of sax player Lol Coxhill, trumpeter Henry Lowther and vocalist Maggie Nicols en route. In 1981, Russell founded Quaqua, a large pool of improvising musicians, put together in different combinations and contexts. A decade later, Russell began Mopomoso, which went on to become the longest running concert series for primarily improvised music. The name for Mopomoso came from taking the first two letters o
An archive of arts writing by Neil Cooper. Effete No Obstacle.