Biography
Given the challenges of securing income within the music industry, attention naturally turns toward performers whose work itself justifies investment, regardless of how little their names suggest financial promise. Drummer Tony Buck, an Australian whose surname offers no such implication, has built a substantial body of work both independently and in partnership with others. Over several decades he has immersed himself in avant-garde circles across his home country and abroad, forging especially strong connections in Europe that eventually prompted moves first to Amsterdam and later to Berlin.
One facet of his output appears with the Necks, a group whose minimalist approach can unsettle listeners averse to repetition and restraint. A contrasting dimension emerges through his involvement in more aggressive improvisation ensembles such as PERIL and Kletka Red; the latter unites him with Andy Ex of the Dutch band the Ex and the Russian guitarist Leonid Soybelman, whose abrasive style adds further intensity. Former teachers at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music might find these directions surprising after Buck completed his studies there and entered Australia’s mainstream jazz circuit, where he accompanied visiting soloists including saxophonists Clifford Jordan and Ernie Watts.
During an extended stay in Japan he formed PERIL alongside Otomo Yoshihide and Kato Hideki. He subsequently relocated to Europe, where an array of projects unfolded, among them a residency at Amsterdam’s STEIM electronic music studio. Additional alliances have taken him onstage and into recording studios with Jon Rose, Tenko, John Zorn, Phil Minton, Peter Brötzmann, Hans Reichel, Shelley Hirsch, and Palinckx.
One facet of his output appears with the Necks, a group whose minimalist approach can unsettle listeners averse to repetition and restraint. A contrasting dimension emerges through his involvement in more aggressive improvisation ensembles such as PERIL and Kletka Red; the latter unites him with Andy Ex of the Dutch band the Ex and the Russian guitarist Leonid Soybelman, whose abrasive style adds further intensity. Former teachers at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music might find these directions surprising after Buck completed his studies there and entered Australia’s mainstream jazz circuit, where he accompanied visiting soloists including saxophonists Clifford Jordan and Ernie Watts.
During an extended stay in Japan he formed PERIL alongside Otomo Yoshihide and Kato Hideki. He subsequently relocated to Europe, where an array of projects unfolded, among them a residency at Amsterdam’s STEIM electronic music studio. Additional alliances have taken him onstage and into recording studios with Jon Rose, Tenko, John Zorn, Phil Minton, Peter Brötzmann, Hans Reichel, Shelley Hirsch, and Palinckx.
Albums
Singles
