New Scratch, UK

by Ciaran Curtis

New Scratch is based on a musical group who existed in the 1960′s and 1970′s from Britain called the Scratch Orchestra. They were mainly concerned with making modern, highly experimental music, open to the public. For instance they once performed a piece where they hung upside down from a tree playing Clarinets in one of London’s public parks (and before you ask no my idea doesn’t involve hanging upside down, or climbing anything).

Essentially New Scratch involves three or four musicians improvising (and by this I mean play anything they want) in a sort of conversation to each other, across a public space.