Welcome to the Carnyx & Co. website. Founded in 1997 Carnyx & Co. is a charitable company which provides a unique interface between musical archaeology and the world of contemporary performance and recording. We have commissioned many new works featuring the reconstructed Deskford Carnyx, documented on seven CDs, three film sound tracks, and live performances and lectures world wide.
Since 2000 Carnyx & Co has also become the parent organisation of a number of exciting ensembles and collaborative projects which continue to generate new work in the fields of contemporary and ancient music, film and theatre. The reconstruction of this iconic Celtic instrument has become the catalyst for a wave of contemporary artistic expression.
As Artistic Director of Carnyx & Co, the future is full of challenge and excitement as our current projects: Trio d’ART, Carnyx Brass, Tam Lin, Red Shift and HeadSpace Ensemble, perform and record new works around the world. My own solo project The Mouthpiece of The Gods continues to reach audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds, enabling me to tell the story of the fabulous carnyx, and the evolution of the great family of lip reed instruments.
Carnyx Brass: Paul Archibald (trumpet) Etienne Cutajar (horn) and John Kenny (trombone & carnyx). The trio is the purest of all brass ensembles, demanding clarity and virtuosity of the players at all times. There is nowhere to hide, for performer or composer. Carnyx Brass explores the fine existing repertoire and actively commission new work.
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Possibly the world’s most unusual brass ensemble, featuring quadriplegic trumpeter Clarence Adoo playing an electronic instrument which enables him to perform an astonishing variety of sounds, with Torbjorn Hultmark, trumpets and flugal horn, John Kenny, trombones & carnyx, and Chris Wheeler, electronics and turntables.
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The Mouthpiece of the Gods: recital, lecture, detective story. John Kenny traces the development of the horns and trumpets from the origins of man to the 21st century, including conch shell, pod trumpets, Bronze Age horns, sackbuts and modern trombones, featuring the magnificent 2000 year old Carnyx.
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Red Shift is the most exciting recent development on the UK jazz scene: an improvising composers’ ensemble comprising five trombones and blistering rhythm section, lead by Rick Taylor and John Kenny.
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Tam Lin is the best known of the ancient Border Ballads of Scotland. John Kenny (trombones & fujara flute) Dick Lee (clarinets & recorders) and James Ross (piano) were commissioned by Celtic Connections festival to create this six movement suite, combining folk, jazz and classical styles, interspersed with the ancient poetry.
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Trio d’ART is the antidote to the classical piano trio. Paul Archibald (trumpet) Helen Reid (piano) and John Kenny (trombone) explore the riches of this little known medium in works that have been hailed as contemporary masterpieces, both avant garde and neo-romantic.
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Thursday 5 January 2012
2011 was full of new initiatives and collaborations with old freinds and colleagues. 2012 promisses to be a fascinating period of development in the area of musical archaeology, with further work on the reconstructed Tintignac Carnyx, re-examination of the the acoustics and reconstruction of the Deskford Carnyx, and exploration of what I believe to be their
Sunday 30 October 2011
Life is busy, but full of fascinating projects: in addition to my very full schedule of teaching at Guildhall in London, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, and St. Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh I am continuing work on a research project with fellow members of La Banda Europa into the relationship of language patterns and musical style and articulation. This