Caroline Kraabel is a London-based improviser, saxophonist, artist, conductor, and composer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2022 Kraabel founded a large improvising group made up of all sorts of trans-masc, trans-fem, non binary, and women improvisers. Since then they have been exploring improvisation and difference in monthly labs and regular performances (recent release, Live at the Vortex July 2024<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024 Kraabel received a Developing Your Creative Practice<\/a> grant from Arts Council England to work on a long text about improvisation in life, art, and music. WATCH THIS SPACE!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kraabel’s soundfilm, London 26 and 28 March 2020: imitation: inversion<\/a> won the 2021 Ivor Novello Award for Best Sound Art Composer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent release: Transgressive Coastlines<\/a>, with John Edwards, Pat Thomas, Steve Noble, on the Shrike label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other active groups: duo with John Edwards (double bass) \u2013 Soundtrips<\/a>70 tour and 2024 CD, Sparrow Dance<\/a><\/em>. Duo with recorder player Teresa Hackel<\/a>, Durst Dust<\/a><\/em> released 2025. Duo with Zhuyang Liu<\/a> (guzheng). Duo with percussionist Bex Burch<\/a>. 2024 CD release of Still Dancing<\/a><\/em> CD with Daniel Thompson (acoustic guitar) and Max Reed (dance). Duo with cellist Khabat Abas<\/a> \u2013 Five Communiqu\u00e9s<\/em> <\/a>released 2023; Transitions Trio<\/em> (with Charlotte Hug<\/a> and Maggie Nicols<\/a>, new CD release: On Dizziness<\/a><\/em>); OTO-Moers Quartet, with Bex Burch<\/a>, Simon Camatta<\/a> and Ra\u00efssa Mehner<\/a>; Fit To Burst<\/a><\/em>, a song-based trio with Sarah Washington<\/a> and John Edwards; a duo with Pat Thomas<\/a> (CD release, whats wrong<\/a><\/em>, August 2023); and the Poetry Quartet<\/em> with Rowland Sutherland<\/a>, John Edwards and Sofia Vaisman Maturana<\/a>, which incorporates live poetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kraabel has performed and recorded with many other improvisers, including Robert Wyatt (CD, LAST1 LAST2<\/a>), Louis Moholo, Cleveland Watkiss, Hyelim Kim, Annie Lewandowski (duo CD, In The Garden City<\/em>), Susan Alcorn (duo CD, Giving Out<\/em>), Mark Sanders and Veryan Weston (trio CD, Playtime<\/em>; duo CD on Emanem with Weston, Five Shadows<\/em>), Mari\u00e1 Portugal, Neil Metcalfe (duo CD, March<\/a><\/em>), Crystabel Riley, Pei Ann Yeoh, Charlotte Keeffe, Alex Ward, Cath Roberts, Dee Byrne, Damsel Elysium, Chris Corsano. Groups played with include The Shock Exchange, X-Ray Eyes, Ganger, Guapo, Half Japanese, The London Experimental Ensemble (Child Ballads LP)…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Radio: Improvisers and Improvisation<\/em>, made with John Edwards, is a 22-hour radio piece including music, noise, electronics, live performance and many new interviews with improvisers; part of 2022\u2019s Radio Art Zone<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kraabel\u2019s solo saxophone improvisations while walking in London and elsewhere with her infant child\/ren in their pushchair were broadcast weekly 2002-2006 on Resonance 104.4 FM<\/a> as Taking a Life for a Walk<\/em> and more recently (without babies) as Going Outside<\/em>. Other radio work includes a ResonanceFM series of interviews with improvisers in many media (music, dance, visual art, politics, activism), Why is Improvising Important<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some Kraabel compositions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Performances for Large Saxophone Ensemble 1<\/em>, 2<\/em>, 3<\/em> and 4<\/em>, for 21-piece spatial saxophone\/voice ensemble (one CD and one LP released); Get Used To Balancing<\/em>, a suite of pieces for alto sax, percussion and two flutes; Now We Are One Two<\/em>, a solo performance piece and CD; Recording The Other<\/a><\/em>, for soprano, cello, flute, piano and four recording devices; LAST 1<\/em>, 2<\/em> and 3<\/em> for pre-recorded voice (Robert Wyatt) and ensemble (CD, LAST1 LAST2<\/a>, on Emanem label); many songs; numerous pieces for large improvising ensembles in London and around the world, including Une note n\u2019\u00e9coutant qu\u2019elle-m\u00eame<\/em> and Missing<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing: with support from an Arts Council England DYCP grant (2024), Kraabel is working on a long text about why improvising is important. She also translates non-fiction<\/a> and poetry<\/a>, mostly from French to English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the Covid 19 lockdown periods, Kraabel performed live off- and on-line, and while walking through London; made and shared many recordings of duo and solo live improvisation, including a Takuroku release, Day Night<\/a><\/em>, with John Edwards; made a piece of performance art (Depletion<\/em>) for exhibition at APT Gallery<\/a>, London; created a number of socially distanced large-group pieces for the London Improvisers Orchestra; was artist-in-residence at UNCOOL in Poschiavo, Switzerland; and made a 40-minute soundfilm about lockdown London (London 26 and 28 March 2020: imitation: inversion<\/em>)<\/a>, which received its avant-premi\u00e8re at London\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Oto on 25 February 2021, is available on the Jazzed app, and won the 2021 Ivor Novello Award for Sound Art Composer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kraabel conducted and played with the London Improvisers Orchestra (LIO) from 1998-2022, featuring on all of LIO’s recordings during that time, and organising their 20th anniversary festivities in 2018 (celebrating illustrious LIO members from throughout the group\u2019s history).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Caroline Kraabel is a London-based improviser, saxophonist, artist, conductor, and composer. In 2022 Kraabel founded a large improvising group made up of all sorts of trans-masc, trans-fem, non binary, and women improvisers. Since then they have been exploring improvisation and difference in monthly labs and regular performances (recent release, Live at the Vortex July 2024). 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