1966–Present
The full concert, recording and composition history behind the Music page.
Formal Training
Classical piano (Grades 1–6), 1954–57, with Kathleen Gorman, West Vancouver. Drum studies, 1962–65, at Jim Blackley’s Drum Village, Vancouver, plus high school and community bands, 1961–64. Early club gigs and sessions with Frank Foster, Chris Gage, Flip Nunez, Jack Wilson, Philly Joe Jones, Don Thompson, P.J. Perry, Glenn MacDonald, Ron Proby, Brian Barley and Al Neil.
Concert History, by Decade
1960s: Al Neil Trio, International House, UBC (1967); duo concert with Al Neil, Vancouver Art Gallery (1968); Al Neil Trio tour and Intermedia Nights, Art Gallery of Ontario, Hart House, Norman MacKenzie Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery Dome Show, and a triple bill with Janis Joplin/Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Grateful Dead at the Sound Gallery and Motion Studio (1966–69).
1970s: New Atlantis Houseband, Vancouver Art Gallery (1971); Al Neil Jazz Probe, Vancouver Art Gallery and Open Space Gallery, Victoria (1972); Apex Quintet at the PNE (1973); Sunship Ensemble opened for Keith Jarrett, Commodore Ballroom (1974); duo tour with Don Druick across Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto (1975); Vancouver Sound Ensemble, Oil Can Harry’s Jazz Room (1976); New Orchestra Quintet, UBC Music Building (1978); Sessione Milano tour, C.O.R.D. Orchestra at the Museum of Anthropology (1979).
1980s: NOW Festival, Western Front (1980); ESB (Eppel, Simpson, Bell) tour of Montreal, Kingston, London, Toronto, Calgary (1981); Paul Cram Trio tour across Canada (1982–84); guest residency with Michael Snow and the CCMC, Music Gallery, Toronto (1980); Lunar Adventures and Vancouver Art Trio at the du Maurier Jazz Festival, including the first Coastal Jazz and Blues Festival at Granville Island (1985) and Expo ’86; Lunar Adventures at the Earshot Festival, Seattle, and Vancouver Art Trio at Musique Actuelle, Victoriaville (1987); duet with Glenn Spearman at the du Maurier Jazz Festival (1988–90).
1990s: Trio with Marylin Crispell and Lisle Ellis, The Knitting Factory, New York (1990); trio with Peter Brötzmann and Clyde Reed, Vancouver East Cultural Centre (1990); Tribal Dynamics, Pitt International Gallery (1993); duet with Paul Plimley, New Music America Series, Seattle (1992); Henry Boudin Trio with poet Jamie Reid, du Maurier Jazz Festival (1994); New Orchestra Workshop 20-Year Reunion, Roundhouse Centre (1997).
2000s–Present: Al Neil tribute band with Paul Plimley, Clyde Reed, Vivianne Houle and Stefan Smulovitz, Roundhouse Community Centre (2005, 2008–10); Coat Cooke Trio, The Cellar (2006); Sound Image Net, UBC Museum of Anthropology (2011) and Anne MacDonald Hall (2014–15); Paul Plimley Trio, WAVES Jazz Festival, West Vancouver (2011–12).
Compositions
Public Nuance, Symbolist Waltz #1, Samba del Oro, Blues on Pluto (1978); Budapest Steppe, Memno, Slow Curve (1979); Seein’ It Through (1981); Duende, Strange Air, Symbolist Waltz #2, Loopfinder, Forest City Blues, Blue Orient (1982); Paganology, Night Rider, Oscillation (1983); Canyon Suite, The Fever, Green Mansions, Basement Blues (1984); Solomon, Harmolodic Highlanders, Celtic Calypso (1985); Mirage Dance (1986); Cairn (1987); Song of the Soil, Stone’s Throw (1988); Jou Jouka Jig (1989); Reelin’ In (1992).
Recordings
Pacific Rim, Sunship Ensemble, CBC LP (1975); Music for the Living, Eppel/Simpson/Bell (1979); Up ‘Til Now, New Orchestra Quintet (1979); Blue Tales in Time, Paul Cram, Onari, Toronto, Juno-nominated (1982); Mirage Dance, Gregg Simpson compositions for synthesizer (1988); Swinging Planets, Paul Plimley Trio (1988); The Future Is N.O.W. and Alive in Seattle, Lunar Adventures (1989); Now You Hear It, Lunar Adventures (1992); Drum Fire, Gregg Simpson solo and duets (2001); Retrospective: 1965–68, Al Neil Trio (2002); Gravity Boots, Ralph Eppel Quintet (2003); Sunship Jazz Ensemble, with booklet (2004); Harmolodic Highlanders (2005); Round One, Paul Cram Trio (2010); The Complete Recording 1977–79, New Orchestra Quintet, 6-CD set (2012); Full Moon, Standing Still, Live at Oil Can Harry’s Jazz Room, and Live at the Knitting Factory (2015); East Meets West, Paul Cram Quartet and Quintet, and Orwell Predicted It, Sessione Milano (2016). All available via Condition West Recordings on Bandcamp.