Crossjam: Recent Episodes
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell
Crossjam is a daily music improvisation between Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell, recorded every lunchtime at their little workspace in Brockley Cross, London.
Jules and Stevie J grew up in a Northern Irish coastal town called Bangor and have known each other for 30 years. Between them, they have played with a host of bands and artists including Brian Eno, Dead Can Dance and AIR as well as creating soundtracks for shows at The Royal Opera House and Shakepeare’s Globe Theatre.
Crossjam is an opportunity for them to set aside their ongoing individual projects for about ten minutes each day and make some music with each other. The recordings are raw and unedited, published every weekday afternoon.
Infinite guitar with random note selections and drone synth descending. Ethereal, at times dissonant but chance occasionally delivers a degree of glory. Dismissed by Stevie J at the end.
Driven electric piano and guitar blues workout. Stevie's amp explodes bringing things to a short and not-so-sweet conclusion.
One of our favourites yet. Epic. SH-101, distorted keyboard solo and huge texture guitar. 4 unexpectedly amazing chords at the end.
One for Big Ken. Stevie J opts for a clean guitar sound with no effects for once, and Jules stays chilled with the electric piano.
On the day that our "Fragments from The Cross, Vol. 1" NFT sells out, we settle into an ambient piece of harmonizer electric guitar, Rhodes piano and synth.
After a stressful day getting our release announcement for "Fragments from The Cross, Vol. 2" out, we relax into a chilled, simple jam featuring Mani Maxwell on harmonium, Jules on electric piano and Stevie J on spacey guitar.
An oriental scent drifts into this spacey arpeggiated piece. Stevie J Jones on Jupiter 8, Jules Maxwell on electric piano and talky growly synth. Shimmering.
As Jules says at the end, "a stallion". 9/8 thing. Hard to hang on to but some great moments. Rolling, kicking, SH-101, guitar, synth and amped electric piano.
We are delighted to welcome Foy Vance as our special guest on drums and organ. We just agreed F#m, 175bpm, 5 minutes. We did ours. He did his. And we put them together to make this...
Jules and Stevie J explore their 80s side... Juno 60, SH-101, piano and organ, and of course, masses of Blade Runner type reverb.
Lighting things up a bit with a driving groove inspired by Bitches Brew... Jules on fire on the Rhodes, SH-101 bass and delay guitar.
A pattern of sorts. Chiming guitar, electric piano accents, SH-101 and the rare appearance of some distorted electro beats.
Getting the tempo back up with an eleven-beat SH-101 bass groove and some funksome electric piano and guitars.
A deep textural sea of organ, Juno 60, and little starlight sparkles of electric piano.
Completely random chords, another episode of "embracing the car crash" instigated by Jules. With many beautiful moments, and yes, the occasional pile-up. Spacious, chimey electric guitar, electric piano and some plucked keyboard synth or other.
Maudlin and slightly hazy through intake of celebratory red wine (it's release day for Jules's album "Nocturnes")... Juno 60 synth with some organ and EP ripples.
Goodbye February, hello March... polar electric guitars meet electric piano and resonant strings in pretty much our usual ambient space.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. A curious, slightly spiky exploration with electric guitar, Rhodes piano, ring modulator and some weird wah bass sound Jules dug up.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. A little piece for electric piano and Korg MS-20 in C minor.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. “Iceland”
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. Japanese influences creeping in from somewhere, and a nice little flourish at the end.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. A Blue Nile-esque thing, Featuring Luka & Poppy Jones on SH-101 bass and atmospheric synths.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. Randomly changing bass and sparkly electric piano textures. Slow moving and meditative.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. Another little meandering bassline idea from Jules. Quoth he: “Don't familiarise yourself with it – GO!”
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. A quirky little 7/8 arpeggiator, steam hiss keyboards and rhythm guitar.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. Acoustic guitar and electric piano in a wide open soundscape.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. Ambient chill.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. In which they completely lose the plot and have to start again.
Remote jamming again. Home schooling and all that. Today's rules: SH101 - straight and simple / Us - Sloppy dotted rhythm / Minor feel / Marc Ribot / 6 minutes
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. Featuring Mani Maxwell on atmospheres.
We're back in the room! Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London.
Stevie J: "I hate solos". Jules, created todays rules: Constant solo / No chords / Record with the bass / Take the bass out
The second of five related jams this week. Rules: Bb with a major flavour / alternate between slow / quick every minute / stick on one single note for 4 bars somewhere/ end on an unrelated chord
Today's rules: Funk / G / 130 BPM / 5 mins / Switch between solo and rhythm playing every 1 minute
With Jules in Clapham, another blind jam in which Stevie J demonstrates that he doesn't know what post punk means. Rules: Post Punk / 115 BPM / Gm / 2 mins 30 seconds
Today's remote jam rules: 7 minutes / Ascending in F#m / Descending in A/G / Ascend then descend / Finish on Dsus4
We are joined once again by Leo Abrahams on guitar (although it's highly unlikely you'll be able to tell it's a guitar due to Leo's mastery of sonic origami). Today's rules: 75bpm / Bells / Space / 6 mins
We're delighted to have Leo Abrahams with us today, on guitar. Another remote jam with Jules working from home. Here are today's rules: BPM 175 / Frenetic but funky / Dm – G, alternating every 2 bars / 5 mins
Stevie J's last day of self-isolation. 1. Texture... 2. Start with a bang... 3. End in a whisper... 4. 5 mins
Self-isolation continues... Jules sent Stevie J this: 1. Your notes are F#, B, C#, E, G 2. Tempo 136 3. Duration 7 minutes with a big change at 5 minutes 4. Start with the pips at noon
With Stevie J self-isolating, today's jam is us playing remotely, lined up by the pips of Radio 4's 12 o'clock news.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s daily jam from their workspace in Brockley, London. Featuring Mani Maxwell on SH-101.
Stevie J Jones and Jules Maxwell’s penultimate daily jam of 2020 from their workspace in Brockley, London.
Stevie's daughter Poppy (12) joins us on bass, playing one for the first time in her life.