Alister Spence and Tony Buck + Biliana Voutchkova / Michael Thieke / Luigi Marino
The Literary and Philosophical Society (The Loftus Room)
Saturday 4th October October 2025
Doors: 7.30pm (Music Starts 7.45pm - 9.45pm / 10.00pm)
Tickets are priced at £14 with an optional £2 festival donation available (+ Booking Fee)
7.45pm - 8.30pm
Biliana Voutchkova / Michael Thieke / Luigi Marino
Biliana Voutchkova (Violin / Voice) / Michael Thieke (Clarinet) / Luigi Marino (Percussion)
8.45pm - 9.45pm
Alister Spence and Tony Buck
Alister Spence (Piano) / Tony Buck (Drums and Percussion)
Part of Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music
This concert is presented by Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music in association with The Literary and Philosophical Society and Jazz North East
TICKETS FOR ALL EVENTS ARE AVAILABLE HERE
https://www.seetickets.com/tour/jazz-north-east
TICKETS FOR THIS EVENT ARE AVAILABLE HERE
https://www.seetickets.com/event/alister-spence-and-tony-buck-nfojaim-2025-/the-lit-phil/3477276
DOWNLOAD THE DIGITAL PROGRAMME AND SCHEDULE BY CLICKING HERE
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WU2x96X7OF9IiuhdLJQjF3LDoajDG2YY/view?usp=sharing
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Alister Spence and Tony Buck
Alister Spence (Piano / Prepared Piano / Percussion)
Tony Buck (Drums and Percussion)
Alister Spence and Tony Buck are two endlessly curious, deeply committed, distinctive improvisers. They share a fascination with submerged rhythm, oblique extended forms, entwined interplay, and sound for its own sake. As contemporaries their musical histories have run in parallel—and occasionally intersecting—for the last thirty years. The duo’s debut release, Mythographer (ASM013) was listed in the ‘Best Albums of 2023’ by the New York City Jazz Record (January 2024 edition).
Both musicians bring a wealth of musical experience, offering each other the opportunity to dig deep into their vocabularies in order to engage in genuine, interactive dialogue. Whether playing wide-ranging abstract improvisations, swinging driving pieces, or more reflective soundscapes the pair manage to find focus and form wherever the music takes them.
‘an extremely free dialogue between two telepathically communicating personalities ... What's particularly fascinating is the precision ... they just sync the rhythm, drawing out the details attentively’ - Laima Slepkovaitė (Musika Magazine)
‘A tour de force’ - Bill Shoemaker (Point of Departure)
’A special capacity to see through time and space to a different territory’
- Stuart Broomer (FreeJazzBlog)
Watch/Listen
Alister Spence
Over more than 30 years Alister Spence has established a reputation as a pre-eminent creative force as pianist and composer in jazz and improvised music in Australia and internationally. He has recorded and toured numerous times with the Alister Spence Trio featuring Lloyd Swanton (the Necks), and Toby Hall. In 2020 the trio joined with rock electric guitarist Ed Kuepper (The Saints, The Laughing Clowns) to form Asteroid Ekosystem.
Spence also tours and records regularly with Satoko Fujii (Japan), Raymond MacDonald (Scotland), and Joe Williamson and Christopher Cantillo (Sweden). Past recordings and tours include with Myra Melford (US), The Australian Art Orchestra, and Clarion Fracture Zone. Albums released with these collaborators have received numerous awards and are frequently reviewed and mentioned in ‘Best Of’ lists in magazines and blogs such as The Wire (UK), New York City Jazz Record (US), Jazzwise (UK), Jazz Forum (Poland), Music Magazine (Japan).
Tony Buck
Tony Buck, regarded as one of Australia's most creative and adventurous exports, with vast experience across the globe, he is involved in a highly diverse array of projects but is probably best known as a member of the trio The Necks.
Past collaborations include: Brian Eno: Ilan Volkov, David Sylvian, John Surman, Lee Renaldo, Underworld, Swans, and The Ex, to name a few. Current projects include: THE NECKS; UNEARTH (solo music and installation); SPILL with Magda Mayas; Das B with Mazen Kerbaj, Magda Mayas, Mike Majkowski; GLACIAL with David Watson and Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth) and VELUM with John Butcher and Magda Mayas. He has received numerous ARIA and APRA awards and, as a member of The Necks, was awarded the 2019 APRA award for Distinguished Contribution to Australian Music.
Biliana Voutchkova / Michael Thieke / Luigi Marino
Biliana Voutchkova (Violin and Voice)
Michael Thieke (Clarinet)
Luigi Marino (Percussion)
The music of the Voutchkova/Thieke duo focuses on micro tonality, imagery and intensely dynamic, often slowly developing and moving soundscapes. Biliana and Michael have worked together within (and in between) both compositional and improvisational methods since 2011.
In 2016 the duo started developing their concept Blurred Music which is dedicated to the translation of the visual concept of blurriness into sonic forms and strategies. The project brought the duo on an elongated concert tour in the USA which culminated with the release of a triple album with recordings from the live concerts, selected as Record of the year 2018 in the reader's poll of Free Jazz Blog. In 2018 Voutchkova/Thieke received a grant from Musikfonds in Germany to develop this concept into two new directions - a quartet extension with bass recorder player Miako Klein and double bass player Andrew Lafkas, and a new long length installation format with durations of up to 5 hours.
The duo is also engaged in multi disciplinary projects and collaborations with various guest artists and for Newcastle Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music they will be joined by the outstanding percussionist Luigi Marino.
Read More About Blurred Music Here
http://www.bilianavoutchkova.net/voutchkovathieke-duo.html
Listen to Blurred Music Here
Watch Michael Thieke and Luigi Marino Here
The Literary and Philosophical Society
The Literary and Philosophical Society, 23 Westgate Road, NE1 1SE
0191 232 0192 /
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www.litandphil.org.uk
The Literary and Philosophical Society
Age Restrictions: All ages welcome with under 18’s accompanied by an adult.
Accessibility: The Loftus Room and Joseph Swan Room at The Lit and Phil are partly accessible. There is a lift at the venue entrance for wheelchair users to access the building and performance space, no wheelchair accessible toilets are available in the building.
The festival has permissions for visiting wheelchair users to access toilets located on the ground floor in Sleeperz Hotel which is just a few doors down (16 ft) to the right of the Lit and Phil as you exit the building.
Accessible toilets are also available at 5 Quarter Cafe Bar to the left as you exit the building.
The Private Members Library is not a wheelchair accessible space and is preceded by a small number of stairs.
Travel: Any Bus and Metro to Central Station which is located less than 300 ft from the venue (approximately 2 minutes walk).
There is limited street parking, the closest car park is at Central Station
(Charges may apply).
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