I am absolutely thrilled to announce that I recently worked on some recordings with composer/pianist, Lubomyr Melnyk, whose music I have been a fan of for a long time and is a big source of inspiration to my own playing. This is something that we’ve been talking about for around three years now and was recently made possible with the kind help of the folks at Cafe Oto. Watch this space for more news regarding the recordings soon.

Photo taken by John Chantler

April

Mon 23 Piacenza, Academy of Music

Wed 25 Brighton, Green Door Store

Fri 27 Bristol, Cafe Kino

May

Tue 1 Colchester, Arts Centre

Wed 2 London, Cafe Oto

Thu 3 Reading, Arts Centre

Fri 4 Manchester, Sacred Trinity Church

Sat 5 Glasgow, Whitehall Theatre

Sun 6 Liverpool, Mello Mello

Mon 7 Sowerby Bridge, The Works

Tue 8 Birmingham, Hare & Hounds

Wed 9 Cambridge, Unitarian Church

Fri 11 Dublin, Unitarian Church (with Alexander Tucker)

Sat 12 Cork, Triskel Arts Centre (with Alexander Tucker)

Sun 13 Dordrecht, [F]luister at Dordrecht Museum

Mon 14 Kortrijk, De Kreun (with Sir Richard Bishop)

Wed 16 Allones, La Peniche Excelsior

Thu 17 Paris, L’Espace B

Fri 18 Nancy, Auditorium De La MJC Desforges

Sat 19 Nantes, Museum D’Histoire Naturelle

June

Sat 30 Toulouse, Les Siestes Electroniques

‘Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death’

New CD / LP available on Important Records, April 24th, 2012

Written at a time of great emotional disquiet, the hauntingly beautiful and bittersweet ninth full-length studio album, ‘Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death’, from British guitarist-composer James Blackshaw was recorded at Soma Electronic Music Studios, Chicago in December 2011 by engineer Andrew Hernandez (Balmorhea). The six original pieces contained on the album (whose titles are lovingly misappropriated from those of short stories by the late, great science fiction author James Tiptree Jr AKA Alice B. Sheldon) are based alternately around nylon-string classical guitar and grand piano, with spare and subtle vibraphone and B3 organ parts overdubbed by Blackshaw himself. Geneviève Beaulieu (Menace Ruine/Preterite) adds her stunning and powerful voice and words to track ‘And I Have Come Upon This Place By Lost Ways’. ‘Love Is The Plan’ is an incredibly warm and intimate recording and perhaps Blackshaw’s most concise, consistent and overtly melodic work to date.