upcoming gigs
Sunday May 24th, 2026, 2-4pm: The Invisible Apples, Spirited, Bristol
Wednesday May 27th, 2026: You Are Here (the music of Keith Tippett & others), Bristol Music Club
Thursday June 4th, 2026: JOW, The Sanctuary, The Long Table, Stroud
Saturday June 6th, 2026: The Invisible Apples Trio, El Rincon, Bristol
Friday June 12th, 2026, 1-2pm: JOW, The Chapterhouse, Bristol Cathedral
Sunday June 14th, 2026, 7-9pm: Barr, Judge, McMurchie, The Old Fishmarket, Bristol
Friday June 19th, 2026: Two Trumpets Improv Duo with Matt Davis, St Anne’s Church, Bristol
Wednesday July 15th, 2026: Orfic, Steam & Whistle, Cheltenham
Tuesday December 8th, 2026: Uphill Game, The Flute & Tankard, Cardiff
Thursday September 17th, 2026: JOW, The Greenbank, Bristol
Wednesday December 9th, 2026: Uphill Game, Ashburton Arts Centre, Devon
Monday December 14th, 2026: Uphill Game, North Devon Jazz, Appledore, Devon
Tuesday December 15th, 2026: Uphill Game, St Ives Jazz Club, Western Hotel, St Ives, Cornwall
Thursday December 17th, 2026: Uphill Game, El Rincon, Bristol
new releases
looks like a bumper year for releases is in prospect, starting with two collaborative projects. Uphill Game at long last releases its debut album (on vinyl and digital formats), recorded live in St George’s Bristol, in April. Also in the spring, Eyebrow releases its first studio album for 7 years – “and all the giants” is a cinematic evocation of Bristol, its setting and history, with words by pete’s very good friend jon hamp. And watch out for news of “piano 4” very soon…
monochords & thickets
it was a joy to get the chance to premiere some new work for solo-ish trumpet (see “dycp” below) in Bristol’s centrespace gallery, surrounded by the gnomic artworks of four exemplary contemporary illustrators & artists, on october 12th 2025. Thirteen short ‘monochords’ from a growing sequence of compositions inspired by the Greek poet Yannis Ritsos’s collection of the same name, plus ‘field margins’, some new pieces developed as site-specific responses to Mike Perry’s ‘Y Cae’ art/ecology project in North Pembrokeshire. More of this to come soon
dycp 2024/2025
in october 2024, pete was the grateful recipient of some ‘developing your creative practice’ funding, courtesy of arts council england, to work at composing for solo trumpet. This enabled him to work on composing methods and project ideas, with mentoring input from trumpet maestri arve henriksen and laura jurd; recording techniques, with advice from gtb’s jim barr; rehearsal strategies, with the generous support of st george’s bristol; and also to sequester himself on the west welsh coast for a creative residency in collaboration with photographer / rewilder mike perry. Irons are slowly emerging from the creative fire…
“piano 3” on crd
delighted to reveal that “piano 3”, recorded on the magnificent steinway grand in st george’s bristol in 2022, now has a full digital release on all the major streaming platforms, thanks to the very lovely people at crd records (https://www.crdrecords.com/). It also has a rather humbling four-star review in bbc music magazine. And you can hear me talking about the inspirations behind the album, and the creative processes involved in its making, on an episode of crd’s classical greenroom podcast here
spring 2024
this spring sees the release of this is the kit‘s “live at the minack theatre” (as album and film), featuring pete on flugelhorn. he’ll also be back at st george’s bristol in late april to record the much-anticipated new three cane whale album (the band’s sixth release, and its first since 2019)
may 2022
pete plays trumpet in Benji Bower’s extraordinary “symphonic love-letter to the earth” TERRA CODA, premiering with three sold-out performances at the new The Mount Without in Bristol
april 2022
debut album by the invisible apples (“the golden threads and mystic lights of duka”) is released on cd https://theinvisibleapples.bandcamp.com/album/the-golden-threads-and-mystic-lights-of-duka
march 2022
JOW records new ep in st ambrose church, with special guest alex garden
february 2022
“piano + film” at st george’s bristol, in a double-bill with harriet riley & alex garden’s “sonder ii” album launch. https://www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk/whats-on/alex-garden-harriet-riley-stevie-toddler/
december 2021
the dings, new electro-acoustic duo with multi-instrumentalist and filmmaker tony orrell, releases its debut album “booster” on bandcamp https://thedings.bandcamp.com/releases
december 2021
aardman animation’s film “robin robin” is released on netflix, with music composed by the bookshop band and featuring pete on trumpet and tenor horn. the soundtrack is oscar and ivor novello award nominated https://www.aardman.com/robin-robin-streaming-now-on-netflix/
november 2021
JOW, new acoustic duo with cellist james gow, releases its eponymous debut album on cd and bandcamp https://jowduo.bandcamp.com/releases
october 2021
“river echoes” (a live sound, music and film event on and under the waters of Bristol, created by kathy hinde) takes place in bristol’s bathhurst basin, with pete playing cornet in a canoe http://kathyhinde.co.uk/river-echoes-2021/
september 2021
“comfort in chaos”, a new suite for jazz septet & poets, composed in collaboration with harriet riley, is recorded at j&j studios, released on CD and bandcamp, and premiered live at the 1532 Performing Arts theatre in bristol. The suite celebrates the work of the charity 1625 Independent People, which works with young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. https://www.1532bristol.co.uk/comfort-in-chaos-a-jazz-suite
summer 2021
the track “frond three” (from ‘piano 2’) is used as the theme music for the bbc radio 4 extra series “new creatives dramas”
july 2021
the band of waites (duo with dejan ilijic) releases “planet”, first single from forthcoming album release
march 2021
silver stairs of ketchikan single ‘old god’s tongue’ (on which pete plays trumpet and flugelhorn), released march 2021
https://www.silverstairsofketchikan.bandcamp.com
february 2021
a new painting of pete appears in debut exhibition by bristol legend big jeff johns
https://bigjeffjohnsart.com/
winter 2020
“piano 2” sheet music: eleven transcriptions released
november 2020
“piano + film”: new collaboration with audio-visual artist kathy hinde, premiered live at st george’s bristol, 28th november 2020
https://kathyhinde.co.uk/
autumn 2020
“a short film about ice”, dir. adam laity, featuring music from “piano”, released autumn 2020 (‘best climate emergency film’ at the ahrc research in film awards 2020, ‘best short film’ at belgrade greenfest 2020)
https://www.adamlaity.com/a-short-film-about-ice/4595083877
october 2020
this is the kit “off off on” (featuring pete on flugelhorn) released on rough trade reaching the top 10 of the uk album charts
serbian band eyot’s album “557799” (pete plays trumpet on the opening track) released on ropeadope
spring 2020
“piano” sheet music: eleven transcriptions released