Larry Stabbins & Mark Sanders

UK veteran Larry Stabbins has had a rich career, playing in such avant garde institutions as Keith Tippett’s Centipede, as well as co-founding 1980s pop-jazz unit Working Week. Now back from an extended sabbatical, he’s fully committed to free improvisation, playing a variety of instruments in a range of moods, alongside Mark Sanders’s typically sensitive and expansive percussion. On alto flute, he’s meditative, dipping into lilting trills and vocalised buzzes while Sanders bongs luminous gongs. On bass clarinet, he swerves from chocolatey lowing to pin-prick upper register, with Sanders at the kit suggesting submerged swing. On alto sax, he unleashes puking blasts while Sanders churns fast and free. It’s a welcome return. – Daniel Spicer, THE WIRE

Now 75 years old, it can be said that English saxophonist Larry Stabbins has had a great career. He worked in Keith Tippett’s band Centipede for a long time before playing in the Spontaneous Music Ensemble. He played with Peter Brötzmann and Elton Dean, among others, before surprising us by joining less radical bands, successful bands such as Weekend and especially Working Week, which he formed with guitarist Simon Booth. And even more surprising, he joined the Specials in the Jerry Dammers version! As he got older, he liked to distance himself from music to recharge his batteries. Currently, his form has returned as he is back on track and plays in two bands: 137 with members of Portishead and Polar Bear and Sarost with a bassist and drummer Mark Sanders. Known for having played with Dick Heckstall-Smith (Colossseum), Jah Wobble (PIL), Bill Laswell or Jaki Liebezeit (Can). We find these two musicians in this enigmatic album. Because “Cup & Ring” is also about enigmas. These symbols “engraved” in stone date from the Neolithic period, but other historians also speak of the Bronze Age, prehistory, the Druids… Some agree on their meaning on the religious aspect, others see the mother’s chest or eyes, the sun or speak of natural erosion! These two musicians are above all adepts, even specialists, of improvisation and, equipped with an alto saxophone, a transverse or alto flute and a bass clarinet for Larry and surrounded by Mark’s percussions, they will generate a whole series of sound enigmas. And often with reminiscences of the ancestral side of their album title. The sounds are refined, raw, tribal. They constantly evoke timbres, intonations related to those of African and Amazonian peoples. Or others still fixed in their sound traditions. To understand the urgency and certify the authenticity of their music, the two musicians recorded the eleven tracks, named “Cup” or “Ring” plus a number, in one day! The result is sometimes rough, sometimes softened, but it is always interesting, daring, intriguing. – Claudy Jalet, JAZZMANIA https://jazzmania.be/larry-stabbins/

This is tenor and soprano saxophonist Larry Stabbins’ second album in a duet with a percussionist fifty years apart after his seminal LP Fire Without Bricks (Bead Records) with Roy Ashbury, himself an early collaborator of John Russell. A common point between Fire Without Bricks and Cup and Ring: the cover of each of the albums is illustrated with prehistoric artifacts dating back to -3000 BC. Clay figurines found in the Eye Temple of Tel Brak in Syria on the front and Scandinavian rock carvings on the back for the album Bead 4 published in 1977. Marks of cups and rings on rocks from Kilmartin Glen in Scotland. The difference: in Fire Without Bricks, Larry focused on his two usual instruments, tenor and soprano sax, but it is with other reed instruments that he travels through these six Cups and five Rings: alto flute, concert flute, alto sax and bass clarinet, probably the first time he has recorded with other instruments. Each of the eleven tracks cultivates a different atmosphere, theme, melodic material in front of the superbly expressive, readable and coordinated free drumming of Mark Sanders, who also plays the bow with his cymbals by vibrating the surface of a gong accompanying a melancholic and ethereal chant on the flute. His bass clarinet is tumultuous and biting, even surly, and in a brief moment his alto sax evokes Ornette. It is therefore a magnificent duet where multiple sound and pulsatory approaches are envisaged with a lyrical inspiration and a transcendent experience, renewing the interest of the listener. The mastery of percussion is phenomenal… A beautiful album to listen to on the terrace on a summer evening or by the fire. – Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, ORYNX https://orynx-improvandsounds.blogspot.com/

With Cup & Ring (DISCUS 191CD), LARRY STABBINS and drummer MARK SANDERS circle the cup-and-ring petroglyphs in Scotland’s Kilmartin Valley. As Neolithic hierograms, as they can be found in Britain or also in Switzerland and Galicia, etc. Sanders needs no introduction. In the case of Stabbins, born in 1949, who alternates between flutes, alto sax and bass clarinet, I like to remember his time with Keith Tippett with Centipede, Ark and Tapestry, with SME, with Tony Oxley, Peter Brötzmann, the LJCO, up to Stonephace and 137 (both with Adrian Utley of Portishead) and Jerry Dammers’ Spatial AKA Orchestra. But he had also succeeded in creating a cross the border and file under popular with Weekend (with Alison Statton 1981-83) and Working Week (with Julie Tippett and Juliet Roberts 1983-91, respectively). He has been associated with Sanders since the quartet with Howard Riley & Tony Wren (2001-03) and is currently back as Sarost with Paul Rogers. The way they resonate an aura of the primordial, the solemn, the sacred, especially with flute and gong, dance and melodic archetypes and a hierocratic spirit all the way back to EEF or Beaker folk seem to be at play. However, it was broken by the black megalithic culture of the 1960s in New York. [BA 128 rbd] – Rigobert Dittmann, BAD ALCHEMY

Larry Stabbins is an amazing British saxist who has been around since the early 1970’s but rarely gets the recognition he well deserves. He has worked with/in Keith Tippett’s Centipede & Tapestry Orchestras, the London Jazz Composers Orchestra and in bands led by Peter Brotzmann, Tony Oxley and Trevor Watts, as well as the jazz/pop band Weekend. Mark Sanders is one of the best drummers to emerge from the British Creative Music Scene, having worked with Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall, John Butcher and many more. Mr. Stabbins and Mr. Sanders have worked together previously on a couple records from 2002 and 2012. On each of the 11 pieces here, Mr. Stabbins switches between alto & concert flutes, alto sax and bass clarinet, not playing his more popular tenor sax. Starting out on alto flute with what sounds like a gong, cymbal or timpani, the duo creates a soundscape of great suspense. Each sound is carefully placed over a solemn silence or space. Mr. Stabbins moves to alto sax on “Ring No 1”, his playing slow, thoughtful and assured. Mr. Sanders swings at moderate pace providing a fine groove of support. Stabbins switches to bass clarinet on “Ring No 2”, again taking his time as Sanders creates a rhythmic web, both players increasing the tempo and tension as they go. Stabbins switches back to alto sax for “Bong No 3” which erupts intensely and Stabbins blasting ferociously and Sanders keeping the pace and flow in line. It sounds like Sanders is playing a bass-line on his bass drum while he provides a fine groove on his drums and cymbals. On “Cup No 2”, it sounds like Sanders is bowing his cymbal(s) or gong, the sound is quite eerie with Stabbins on haunting flute. There is a righteous balance here between the more boisterous and the calming improvs. An excellent duo disc from two sympathetic creative spirits. – Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery NYC

Larry Stabbins (born 1949) is a versatile British reed player and composer. His work encompasses free improvisation and electronic jazz, as well as Latin and soul pop. Cross-pollination is second nature to him, as are daring and political engagement. Mark Sanders (born 1960), his partner on Cup & Ring, is a drummer and percussionist of British-Belizean descent who is primarily active in the free improvisation and jazz scenes. He experiments with unusual percussion sounds and frequently incorporates found objects. On Cup & Ring, both musicians choose the path of free improvisation in eleven numbered pieces. Stabbins regularly switches instruments: sometimes he makes his statements on various flutes, sometimes on alto sax and bass clarinet. His playing has a mesmerizing quality, regardless of the instrument, as if he wants to put you in a trance. Sanders, for his part, is constantly busy with drums, cymbals, a gong, and other percussion. At times, you get the impression the two musicians are playing independently, but that’s only a deceptive illusion. In reality, they fuel each other, creating an engaging, relatively accessible form of improvised European free jazz. If you want to capture every nuance of this album, headphones are recommended. – Patrick Auwelaert, JAZZ&MO https://jazzandmo.be/cup-ring

Inspired by the 5000 year old Neolithic rock carvings pictured on the sleeve, Cup & Ring opens and closes with brooding, ritualistic pieces in which Larry Stabbins’ breathy flute drifts like mist over Mark Sanders’ deliberate, processional percussion. These atmospheric bookends, along with similarly spare interludes throughout, frame a set grounded more deeply in the language of free jazz—a realm both musicians know intimately. Stabbins, returning to performance after a lengthy hiatus, brings a layered backstory to this project. His resume includes pivotal collaborations with figures such as Peter Brötzmann, Keith Tippett, Tony Oxley, and Louis Moholo-Moholo, in addition to surprising tenure in the 1980s pop-jazz crossover band Working Week. Perhaps that sensibility informs his improvisational approach: even at his most abstract, a fondness for catchy extemporized motifs and a certain lyrical restraint tempers the expected flares of extended technique. He operates at a low simmer, one that only rarely erupts into a boil. Sanders demonstrates once again his skill at transforming timbral explorations into a clattering pulse without recourse to overt meter. It is a talent which has made him one of the most in demand drummers, not only on the UK scene, where he has been integral to the groups of Evan Parker, Paul Dunmall, and John Butcher, but also internationally with Wadada Leo Smith, Matthew Shipp, Myra Melford, and Charles Gayle, among a host of others. While he avoids conventional solos here, Sanders regularly escalates the energy level, sharpening his attack and tightening his phrasing once Stabbins locks into spirited reiterations. The album divides into eleven tracks—five titled “Cup,” where Stabbins favors concert and alto flutes, and six labeled “Ring,” which showcase his work on bass clarinet and alto saxophone. Though the instrumentation might suggest that Eric Dolphy loomed large in his formative years, Stabbins’ playing veers elsewhere now. More explicit is his homage to Ornette Coleman, where on “Ring 3” he follows harsh buzzsaw alto shrieks with the bluesy contours of “Lonely Woman.” On bass clarinet, his tone moves fluidly from warm, woody burr to animated yelps, balancing the occasional squalls with a persistent melodic undertow. Far removed from the high-octane reed-drums model of John Coltrane’s Interstellar Space (Impulse 1974), Cup & Ring privileges gradual development over ecstatic release. Climaxes arrive, but their transience only underscores the drama of the ascent. Like the titular engravings, the real interest resides not in the briefly attained peaks but can be found in the crags and outcrops along the way. – John Sharpe, ALL ABOUT JAZZ https://www.allaboutjazz.com/cup-and-ring-larry-stabbins-and-mark-sanders-discus-music

Larry Stabbins, here on alto sax, flute, alto flute, and bass clarinet, had been out of the music scene for some time. A veteran of English improvised music and having performed in other contexts, he’s a music professional always available for a studio call. Here, he meets Mark Sanders, another English percussionist with ties to the avant-garde of figures like Roscoe Mitchell, Peter Brötzmann, and Evan Parker.
Jim Barr’s recording at JandJ Studios in Bristol captures the musicians’ moods and the sound that developed on the occasion. There are quiet moments when Stabbins plays flute, but also more aggressive moments, when he plays alto sax and Sanders masterfully responds to the bursts of energy. The entire suite flows like a lively dialogue between two musicians who, over time, have had time to get to know each other and meet, only to find themselves exchanging ideas and improvised sounds that present the listener with a convincing result. – Vittorio Loconte, KATHODIK https://www.kathodik.org/2025/07/27/larry-stabbins-mark-sanders-cup-ring/?_gl=1*diuzcf*_ga*NDIwMjI1MzMxLjE3NTM2MDU4NTM.*_up*MQ..

Eleven improv pieces by two veterans of the genre. Larry Stabbins (alto saxophone, bass clarinet, (alto) flute) has collaborated with Keith Tippett, Tony Oxley, and Peter Brötzmann, among others. Drummer and percussionist Mark Sanders, in turn, crossed paths with Roscoe Mitchell, Evan Parker, and Wadada Leo Smith. They present a program brimming with contrasts, ranging from an ethereal atmosphere reminiscent of traditional Indonesian music to pure action in which the two defend themselves like devils in a holy water font. A touch of mysticism is also present, with or without references to Coltrane. Suitable introductions include “Ring No. 1” and “Ring No. 5.” – Georges Tonla Briquet, JAZZHALO https://www.jazzhalo.be/reviews/cdlpk7-reviews/various/discus-a-grande-fam%C3%ADlia/

A welcome release that sees the veteran woodwindist operating in a field OF unfettered yet judicious improvisation in which Stabbins excels. He works regularly with the equally astute Sanders, and their empathy as a duo is apparent on this set of uncluttered, spacious and mostly short pieces in which their various instruments are allowed to convey their natural sonorities to good effect. FIVE STARS. – Roger Thomas, BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

After a ten-year absence, Larry Stabbins returns to work, with the help of one of the most virtuoso drummer-percussionists, Mark Sanders, for the creation of the opus CUP & RING. The sovereign tone of this CD, CUP & RING, the precise tone of the work, reveals itself to be musically flawless. It blends perfectly with the drummer-percussionist’s personal timbre, cautious and radiant at will in a climate other than his own, belonging to the winds. It is a stroke of genius to have produced this atypical album of eleven pieces, in a masterful incarnation with a magnetic adventure on each of them. With the eleven pieces thus stripped down, a charismatic dialogue between the two takes root, giving free rein to the very pure sine waves of the winds and brass. The alto flute on one, the alto saxophone on the other, or the bass clarinet; these noble instruments are always supremely accompanied by delicate percussion. You’ll savor each track like an enigma resembling the artwork on the cover, rediscovered symbols engraved in stone dating back to the most ancient era of life on Earth. CUP & RING excels comfortably in the progressive improvisation of bold timbres and logogriphs steeped in jazz. Larry Stabbins, born September 9, 1949, played for a long time in Keith Tippett’s band, Centipede. In his numerous performances and creations, he always plays with the same passion and delicious perfection. In CUP & RING, he plays alto saxophone, alto flute, and bass clarinet, while Mark Sanders plays drums and percussion.

The album was recorded without any editing, in one day by Jim BARR at his JandJ studios in Bristol. Mixed by Jim BARR and Larry STABBINS. Cover linocuts and interior photography by Manice STABBINS. CUP & RING invites you to experience the crazy fusion of his alto flute, alto saxophone, and bass clarinet with the power and absolute intelligence of percussion and drums, adapting to each piece.

The first cut, Cup No. 1, features the alto flute and percussion at 5:22. High notes rise in a crescendo. The beautiful timbre of the alto flute, noticeably more resonant in the lower register, gains in acuity; The warm percussion blends with more sweet and veiled intonation changes, before returning to the upper register, the strident, requiring the sticks to further mature their dry and brief playing as it moves. Ring No. 1, it’s the alto saxophone’s turn to take over at 8:09, around a spherical, melodic theme juggling seductive and languid tones with the sometimes torn but sumptuous sounds of the tormented saxophone. The saxophone is always well accompanied by the richness and complexity of refined percussion, setting its own milestones.

Ring No. 2, 4:48, the bass clarinet plays timelessly; Her breath is vibrant and soaring, her fullness is beautifully overflowing and dense. The percussion accelerates to the quick, following her in the slightest twists and turns of her deep, mushy, convoluted, and fabulous tones.

Ring No. 3, 4:59, an extraordinary epic is told with the alto saxophone blazing, roaring with cluttered sounds, as clumsy, heavy as they are light, always reborn in more lively bursts. The astonishing quality of the clear drums reinforces her performance, matching the insanely dynamic Coltrane-esque declamations of the great alto saxophone.

Cup No. 2, 4:10, a concert of soft, solemn solar flute, followed by a lunar therapy of exceptional gongs. Perfectly concentrated sounds of small, energetic bells and Zen percussion, plunging the alto flute’s entry into a deep, meditative atmosphere. An unparalleled musical auditory experience in this world of modern frequencies and textures with powerful vibrations. A flute concert transcended in a monumental interpretation by an idyllic percussion concert.

Ring No. 4, 6:28, returns the salutary bass clarinet with its phlegmatic, melody-focused playing, benefiting from the unwavering support of the incomparable cymbals and rapid percussion. Another original score beyond the norm. A resounding success in this poignant duet. The beautiful alto flute returns for a pilgrimage to the height of its contribution in Cup No. 3, 4:20, rivaling the beast of the wands in an imposing and impeccable performance. The breath of the beautiful magician swirls around the inspired hands, transporting the work to its timeless dimension. Nobility of sound glides through this impressive mass of subtle harmonies, the flute leading the way over the percussion and the princely tabla in a unique performance. The alto flute and percussion demonstrate distinctive resonances, with numerous attack modes contributing to the birth of a richness of timbres, a miracle for our ears.

Ring No. 5, 5:14, the traveling bass clarinet The jovial bass clarinet gives way to the wailing bass clarinet, using its dramatic Pythian skills. Never weary, even in the despair delivered by its slashed tones, which it expels magnificently. Its shrill breath, always on the attack against the mountains of percussion that follow and surround it. What is striking is their difference in conception, the darkness of the bass clarinet and the joyful luminosity of the percussion and cymbals offering an exceptional vigor driving the work with a beating drum.

Ring No. 6, 4:18, the alto saxophone soars melancholically in this duet. A poetic consistency featuring the virtuoso alto saxophone renewing its poetic performance. The musical fabric heard benefits greatly from the transparency of the drums and percussion, a true orchestra in the hands of the drummer, sheltered by the alto saxophone. A moving smile for the two heroes of the story in this ninth track, the work of the instruments, which yield in no way to the disturbing characterization of the sad sounds of the alto saxophone.

Cup No. 4, 4:46, or the all-consuming passion of a fascinating concert of chattering flute, all in beauty, holding its breath. We hear high-pitched flute tones, calling the percussion to itself. A musical language of great nobility, swirling around ever-refined percussion and the silky tom-toms of the tabla. Cup No. 5, 6:18, the captivating alto flute, truly splendid, wiping away the tears of the bass clarinet with its fresh timbre, takes over the more serene final act.

Always in a beautiful setting, which allows us to hear its best sounds wonderfully served by percussion and beats with a passion and strength that lifts its alto sonorous elevations.

CUP & RING, an original, captivating album, to be experienced as much for its impeccable interpretation as for its high technical quality. (****½)  – Marie Mesmer, HIGHLANDS

Drop the needle on the first track — or any track for that matter — and the first thing one is bound to notice is the amazing percussion skills of Mark Sanders. He’s not just keeping a rhythm here, but instead unfolding all of the possibilities that can come from a drum kit, constantly riffing and spilling amazing fills galore, and that’s really no surprise, he’s played with just about every jazz musician in the UK from the 80s onward, and all of that experience comes to light here on Cup & Ring; he knows what to play, exactly when to play it, and when not to play or when to hold back and give his partner in this duo, saxophonist Larry Stabbins, a chance to capture some of the spotlight. Stabbins has had an amazingly long and fruitful career as well, going all the way back to the early 70s as a member of Centipede, and remained in Keith Tippett’s orbit for many years, as well as being an associate of Peter Brötzmann, Tony Oxley, Trevor Watts, and many others at various points along an astonishing timeline. Across eleven simply titled tracks (“Cup No. 1” etc. out to “Ring No. 6”) the duo seems to be composing in the moment, allowing one another the space needed to create a beautiful set of improvisations, never stepping on one another (and I’m sure engineer Jim Barr had a lot to do with that), where Stabbins plays concert flute, alto flute, alto sax, or bass clarinet — one woodwind instrument per track and no overdubbing — and all eleven tracks were recorded in a single day, pretty much in the order presented. As a duo, there remains plenty of expressive space without a lot of musicians vying for the same sonic space, and in the end that’s what makes Cup & Ring so enjoyable on every level. One could say something about this track or that, but when all is done and the music stops, one can look back on the album as a whole and understand that it was a consistent experience, sometimes a wild ride and other times a quiet celebration — every piece fits together perfectly. – Peter Thelen, EXPOSÉ http://expose.org/index.php/articles/display/larry-stabbins-mark-sanders-cup-ring-3.html

British reed player Larry Stabbins has a career stretching back over 50 years performing in seminal improv groups including ensembles led by Keith Tippett, Mike Westbrook, and many others. He was also a regular at the London Little Theatre Club in innumerable free improv settings while working as a freelance musician in a variety of studio sessions, dance bands, and soul groups. Since those formative years, he has been a member of groups ranging from free improvisation to funk to pop music. In 2013, Stabbins took a decade-long hiatus from playing, returning in full force in 2022. One of Stabbins’ earliest recordings was a 1976 duo with percussionist Roy Ashbury. Cup & Ring, a duo with drummer Mark Sanders, recorded in September 2024 revisits that context with a series of 11 compact duets. For this session, Stabbins plays alto saxophone, concert and alto flutes, and bass clarinet, with each improvisation focusing on a different instrument to carve out a specific sound space. The two lock in on each piece, homing in on a singular pace and trajectory and assiduously exploring it. The five “Cup” pieces are flute explorations buoyed by Sanders’ percussion, ranging from unhurried, doleful melodicism to fluttering spare solemnity. Stabbins’ full-toned playing is effectively matched with Sanders’ spare approach favoring toms and the metallic splash of cymbals. The three alto sax “Ring” pieces range from measured, open lyricism to stabbing, searing vigor, bringing out a more active attack from the drummer. The three bass clarinet “Ring” pieces serve as a foil to those on alto sax and flute, with Stabbins mostly sticking to the lower registers of the horn. These are the most conversational with a casual back-and-forth though they tend to meander a bit. One welcomes Stabbins’ return to playing and one looks forward to seeing where he will continue to take things. – Michael Rosenstein, POINT OF DEPARTURE https://pointofdeparture.org/PoD92/PoD92MoreMoments4.html