Colour Fields by Trish Clowes & Louise McMonagle
Saxophonist Trish Clowes and cellist Louise McMonagle have been making music together for over 15 years, whether appearing as a duo, playing in Clowes’s band and her Emulsion festival, or recording for BBC Radio 3 studio sessions. Both artists have built a reputation for delivering powerful performances, premiering and commissioning new works, and forging alternative paths on the London contemporary music scene. Colour Fields brings a collection of collaborative compositions and improvisations, exploring texture, mood, and melody – think Wayne Shorter meets Kronos Quartet.
“Why do we not hear more of the cello and sax as a duo? Their sound-worlds, as shown by these two musicians, belong together. This is a warm, playful, exquisite partnership which has the perfection of Bach and the physicality of dance. It’s inquisitive, reaching out into every possibility the instruments have at their disposal, while making the listener believe we’ve known this all along. An intimate space, a vast cathedral, the open air, a frozen lake, a beach – this is music and a musical partnership which works in every imaginable setting, in the company of two compelling musicians.” - Fiona Talkington, BBC Radio 3
Tracklist
| 1. | Cells | 4:58 |
| 2. | Dance with Me | |
| 3. | Song for Saariaho | |
| 4. | Rise | |
| 5. | Haze | |
Credits
‘Cells’, ‘Dance with me’ and ‘Song for Saariaho’ written by Clowes; ‘Haze’ written by McMonagle; ‘Rise’ written by Clowes and McMonagle.
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Recorded July 5th 2022, Love Electric Studios;
Engineered by Andy Hughes;
Mixed and mastered by Chris Kelly;
Cover image by Will Darkin.
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Huge thanks to Chris Mapp and Tony Dudley-Evans for enabling the recording of this project, the genesis of which goes back to Clowes and McMonagle’s college days; to Sam for releasing this collection of compositions and improvisations on his label; to Andy for capturing our sounds, and to Chris for presenting them; and to Will for the use of his beautiful photograph for the cover.
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Stoney Lane Records - SLR1996
Released 30th January, 2026
License
All rights reserved.Tags
Saxophonist & composer Trish Clowes has been described as “an improviser to be reckoned with” (Downbeat Magazine) and “one of the most agile and original jugglers of improv and adventurous composition to have appeared in the UK in recent times” (The Guardian). Clowes is currently an Associate Artist at Wigmore Hall. Background artwork by Tríona Milne. Profile photo by Chris Kelly