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 Jeremy’s colourful
singing journey has taken him through territory as diverse as Congolese Pygmy camps, Pakistani Muezzins, Boy-Band Backing groups and warring tribes of medieval musicians.
As a singer he has been through many incarnations including classical, opera, rock, world, folk and jazz and Middle eastern phases. He is now very definitely in an Askew and Avis phase!
 Traditionally he started singing at his Grandfather’s knee (who was a church organist) and aged 8 was plucked from the bosom of his family and sent away to become a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. He survived.
 During teenage years he studied operatic technique with Geraldene Hacket-Jones and then became a Choral Scholar at New College Oxford before running for the hills of Africa and re-inventing his whole approach to singing by embarking on a 12-month vocal tour of Africa studying the songs of traditional peoples.
Back in UK he sang for the medieval band The Dufay Collective in 1992-93 before a four-month stay among Baka pygmies in Cameroon. He has lived three years in Israel, studying Sephardic song with Esti Knaan Offri, Arabic music with George Yusef, singing at the Camelot Jazz club and under the baton of Zubin Mehta in the ISO Chorus.
Two years in NW. Cameroon followed: singing and playing xylophone in a funeral masquerade group.
 Since returning to the UK he has broadcasted and recorded with medieval groups Joglaresa, the German–based Oni Wytars Ensemble and his own World Music band, Junglebean (ie. Womad in 2000).
He has a particular interest in Middle-Eastern and Sephardic folk-song and has recently sung muezzin-calls for ENO Studio and Radio 4, and worked withJocelyn Pook, Leslie Garret and Japanese fashion-designer Kei Ito.
He has recently been touring as a member of Orlando Gough’s vocal big-band The Shout in USA and Austria. This year he recorded a CD of Christmas music from the time of Thomas Hardy with the Mellstock Band, written two soundtracks for theatre and of course the album : Dry Land.
Email Jeremy here.
   
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 Rebeca
is a singer and composer of jazz and contemporary
music. She is also a highly sought-after creative
music workshop animateur.
She has been singing with the internationally acclaimed
vocal ensemble The
Shout since 1999, taking part in numerous national
tours, several live radio broadcasts and performances
at festivals in Vienna and USA. The most recent
productions have included pieces written by her.
As well as being engrossed in the Askew and Avis
project, she has also recently written, arranged
and performed the music for a children’s shadow
puppet show based on Lear's "The Jumblies"
and has been performing in "Flam", a music
theatre piece for two women by Orlando Gough, commissioned
by the Visions Festival, Brighton.
She is also an experienced improviser and interpreter
of jazz standards and originals. She led a quintet
for a number of years performing her own compositions,
for which she organised two Jazz Services sponsored tours
and recorded the CD "Invisible World".
In 1997 she did postgraduate studies in "Jazz
and Studio Music" at the Guildhall School of
Music and Drama, which included performing
alongside legendary trumpeter and composer Kenny
Wheeler in several performances of his "Sweet
Time Suite" with the Guildhall Big Band.
Other theatre pieces she has composed and performed
include:
"Far Sky Country", a puppet show
for children which toured extensively to theatres
and schools
"Higher Arc", a show for the Millennium
Dome aerial artists team which played at The Circus
Space, Hoxton
"Pope Joan", a one act opera about cross-dressing
for ENO Baylis Programme
"Sun by Day, Moon by Night", a community
opera performed in a rain forest in Queensland,
Australia
Rebecca also works in a wide range of community
arts contexts. Her recent work focuses on vocal
improvisation and song writing. In the last
year, amongst other projects, she has been commissioned
to devise a song of celebration with the children
of Lewes New School and led professional development
sessions for the Nordorff Robbins Institute of Music
Therapy and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Other organisations she has worked for includes
The Science Museum, The National Portrait Gallery,
The Baylis Programme at ENO, The Guildhall School of Music
and Drama, Hackney Music Service, the Handel House
Museum, The City of London Sinfonia, Sinfonia 21
and Children's Music Workshop.
Email Rebecca here.
 
C opyright
Evening Standard
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 Robin was born in Ryton a mining village just outside of Newcastle-upon-tyne.
He studied music at school and outside extensively (classical/choral/jazz) He went on to gain a 2nd class BA(hons) degree in popular music and sound recording (2000) at Salford university, Greater Manchester.
Robin’s main musical instruments over the last decade are bass guitar (fretted/fretless), double bass, piano/keyboards, guitar (acoustic/classic), vocal and all things percussion. Robin produces his own material (electro/world/groove/acoustic) at his studio working with other musicians and writers.
Robin has played in numerous bands and sessioned at many professional studio’s. Robin currently works in a specialist guitar, bass, acoustic instrument shop as the main instrument technician. This is where Jeremy met him and the rest is history. Robin is also interested in all things connected with the subspace energy field and its amplification i.e. crop circles, stone circles, and leylines. Good energies all and lets see what the mayan long count calendar brings the world (21/12/2012) at the conclusion of its circle!!!
Email Robin here.
 
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