Basil Kirchin
Basil Kirchin | |
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Born | Blackpool, Lancashire, England | 8 August 1927
Died | 18 June 2005 Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, England | (aged 77)
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1940–2005 |
Musical career | |
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Instruments |
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Basil Kirchin (8 August 1927 – 18 June 2005) was an English drummer and composer. His career spanned from playing drums in his father's big band at the age of 13, through scoring films, to electronic music featuring tape manipulation of the sounds of birds, animals, insects and children.[1]
Early life
He was born Basil Philip Kirchinsky, son of Lilian Kay Kirchin (Walters) and the bandleader
Evolution
Kirchin traveled to India in search of spiritual fulfillment around 1957 and spent five months in the
In 1961, Kirchin returned to Britain. His father Ivor had secured a residency at the newly opened Mecca Locarno club in Hull, and Basil spent his time between London and Hull. In Hull he befriended local musician
His experimental pieces were released on two albums both called World Within Worlds. The first was issued in 1971: Worlds Within Worlds, EMI Columbia (SCX6463) and included Part I – Integration 2; Part II – The Human Element. The second was not issued until 1974: Worlds Within Worlds Island Records (HELP 18) Part III – Emergence; Part IV – Evolution. Personnel included free improvising musicians such as Evan Parker, Derek Bailey and Kenny Wheeler. Liner notes for the second release included laudatory comments from Brian Eno. Neither record sold more than a handful of copies, and it was not until much later that their pioneering techniques were recognised. Meanwhile, Kirchin became frustrated with the record companies meddling with his material, and went into seclusion. He continued to produce work in Hull, working with his friend Keith Herd and Hull-based musicians Dane Morrell, Danny Wood, Bernie Dolman and Roy Neave at Fairview Studios in Willerby, Hull.
Kirchin continued to compose throughout his life, and 30 years after their initial releases his music became acknowledged by a new generation with the release of material by Trunk Records. Kirchin said "I wanted to try and leave something for young people who are starting in music and looking for something as I've been looking all my life".
He spent the later years of his life living back in
In early 2017, Hull-based production company Nova Studios Ltd worked with the Hull City of Culture 2017 team and Serious Music, to produce the documentary Mind On The Run, telling Kirchin's life story. There was also a weekend-long festival of Kirchin inspired music featuring The BBC Concert Orchestra led by Will Gregory, The Hidden Orchestra, Evan Parker, Alan Barnes, Bob Stanley, Sean O'Hagan, Tim Gane, Matthew Bourne and contributions from Jonny Trunk of Trunk Records, Jerry Dammers, Richard Williams and Matt Stephenson of Nova Studios.[9]
Works influenced
Kirchin's music influenced many musicians after him including Brian Eno and David Byrne. Brian Eno states "Basil realised long before the rest of us did that sound could become a malleable material," "He was like a painter. That idea of music as painting was something that became very important to me." "When we [Eno and David Byrne] made My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, with the idea of using found voices as the centre of the piece rather than having them as an ornament, I’m sure the boldness and confidence I had for that partly came from Basil.” [10] Sean O'Hagan says Basil Kirchin's music "felt very real, very odd and slightly dangerous," "It brought me to very odd areas - noisy experimental, totally unmusical forays but also very lyrical songs and some absolutely beautiful film music" And Bob Stanley remembers listening to a track called Mind on the Run and described it as "terrific," "possibly something from The Avengers, like a chase scene or something, there's that really frenetic drumming and organ work. It's a great piece of music."[11]
Discography
Solo
- 1968 – States of Mind[12]
- 1970 – Charcoal Sketches
- 1971 – Worlds Within Worlds: Part 1 – Integration/Part 2 – The Human Element[13]
- 1973 – Worlds Within Worlds: Part 3 – Emergence/Part 4 – Evolution
- 2003 – Quantum: Part 1 – Once Upon a Time/Part 2 – Special Relativity (recorded circa 1970)[14]
- 2005 – Abstractions of the Industrial North (a collection of library music for De Wolfe Music)[15]
- 2007 – Particles
- 2018 – Deja Vu: Basil Kirchin at Fairview 1965 - 2005[16]
In film
The whole Ivor and Basil Kirchin Band performed Jungle Fire Dance for a 1957, 2' 34"
2017 - The documentary Mind On The Run: The Basil Kirchin Story,[17] featured the above Pathe footage and tells the story of Kirchin's life and work.
Big Band
(see main article under Ivor Kirchin) 1964 - Johnny Keating and 27 Men - The Keating Sound (Kirchin credited as co-composer on the tracks "Listen", "Baghdad Blues", "Brave New World" and "Paris")
Soundtracks
- 1957 – Six-Five Special – season 1 episode 35 (TV series)[18]
- 1958 – Six-Five Special – season 1 episode 78 (TV series)[19]
- 1965 – Primitive London[20]
- 1965 – The Dave Clark Five: Catch Us If You Can (called "Having A Wild Weekend" in the US) (uncredited)[21]
- 1967 – The Shuttered Room
- 1968 – Assignment K
- 1968 – Negatives
- 1968 – The Strange Affair
- 1969 – I Start Counting
- 1969 – Journey to the Unknown – "The Madison Equation" (TV series)
- 1971 – The Abominable Dr. Phibes
- 1971 – Freelance
- 1974 – The Mutations
- 2023 - M3GAN (song "Silicon Chip", recorded in 1979 and released posthumously in 2017)[22]
Library music
Kirchin released a number of Library Music albums with De Wolfe Music.
- 1966 - The Wild One
- 1966 - Abstractions of the Industrial North
- 1966 - Mind on the Run
- 1966 - Town Beat
- 1967 - Don't Lose Your Cool
- 1967 - The New Breed
References
- ^ Richard Williams. "Obituary: Basil Kirchin". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ The quiet genius of Basil Kirchin, BBC Radio, retrieved May 1, 2020
- ^ a b c Bob Stanley (3 June 2003). "A journey into the unheard". The Times. p. 21.
- ^ Stephenson, Matt. "BASIL KIRCHIN: THE MAN BEHIND THE MUSIC", visithull.org. retrieved May 1, 2020
- ^ a b Mistry, Pritti, "Basil Kirchin: The Forgotten Genius of UK Music", BBC News, 15 Feb 2017
- ^ Williams, Richard, "Basil Kirchin: the first painter of music", The Guardian. 16 February 2017
- ^ Obituary The Independent 2 July 2005; Pierre Perrone; p. 38
- ^ Trainspotting: Home entertainment: Broadcast, The Guardian; 22 August 2003; Will Hodgkinson; p. 22
- ^ "Nova Studios Video Production Company Hull East Yorkshire". Novastudios.co.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^ Basil Kirchin The First Painter of Music, The Guardian. Retrieved May 1, 2020
- ^ Mistry, Pritti, "Basil Kirchin: The Forgotten Genius of UK Music", BBC News. 15 Feb 2017
- ^ "Charcoal Sketches/States of Mind". Trunkrecords.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Basil Kirchin Worlds Within Worlds – Factory Sample UK vinyl LP album (LP record) (456750)". Eil.com. 3 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Quantum". Trunkrecords.com. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Abstractions of the Industrial North". Trunkrecords.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Deja Vu: Basil Kirchin at Fairview 1965 - 2005, by Basil Kirchin". Freetownway.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^ "Documentary Film Makers | Hull, East Yorkshire". Novastudios.co.uk.
- ^ "Six-Five Special: Season 1, Episode 35 (12 October 1957)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Six-Five Special: Season 1, Episode 78 (16 August 1958)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Primitive London". Trunkrecords.com. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Having a Wild Weekend (1965) : "Catch Us If You Can" (original title)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ "Forgotten Treasures: Basil Kirchin "Silicon Chip"(1979)". Musicismysanctuary.com. 25 January 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2023.)
External links
- Basil Kirchin at IMDb
- Pritti Mistry, "Basil Kirchin: The forgotten genius of UK music", BBC News, 15 February 2017
- Basil Kirchin Profile
- A Brief History of Basil Kirchin
- Basil Kirchin: A Brief Memoir
- Who's who of British Jazz, by John Chilton; ISBN 978-0-8264-7234-2
- The Rough Guide to Jazz, by Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, Brian Priestley, Charles Alexander; ISBN 978-1-84353-256-9