Charlie Beresford: Acoustic guitar/piano/voice
Sonia Hammond: Cello
Since their first album release in 2014 ‘The Science of Snow’ Beresford Hammond have continued to, in the words of Ian Mann, “bring true beauty to the art of free improvisation, once again producing an intimate, accessible and strangely beautiful album to both intrigue and beguile the listener. The filmic quality of the work is very much rooted in the restless beauty, and at times unforgiving nature, of the Welsh Marches where they are both based.”
Over the last seven years they have taken their unique and lyrical approach to improvisation to venues as varied as Cafe Oto in London, through to the Schwartzberg in Vienna via Jazzaj in Budapest, also taking in a number of atmospheric churches and venues throughout the UK along the way. Since 2014 along side their afore mentioned debut ‘The Science of Snow’ (2014), they have released a further two duo records ‘Each Edge of the Field’ (2017) and ‘Circle Inside the Folds’ (2019). In 2016 they were joined by Carolyn Hume to make the Beresford Hammond Hume trio record ‘The Lightning Bell’ which also contained performances by singer Judie Tzuke.
Charlie Beresford’s CV covers a lot of ground. As well as working as a solo artist, he plays with Fourth Page, Sonia Hammond, French guitarist and composer Christian Vasseur, and long time collaborator Tim Harries. As a musician and recording engineer, he has been involved in classical, folk and improv projects with artists such as Russian free jazz saxophonist Alexy Kruglov, June Tabor, and Ian McMillan among others. In 2019 he was part of the Viennese based Borderline Improvisations group alongside Franz Hautzinger, Johannes Kretz, Wei-Ya Lin, and Huiseung Yoo. In his other life as a visual artist he founded ‘The 52nd’ project with Quebec based art photographer/filmaker Gaëna Da Sylva. Which later spawned The 52nd record label.
Having graduated from the Birmingham School of Music with a B.A. Hons First Class Degree in Performing and ABRSM Diplomas in Teaching, Performing and Recital all with distinction Sonia Hammond (nee Oakes) completed Post Graduate studies at the Royal College of Music. She has since forged an eclectic freelance career from recording with Chloe Goodchild, Barb Jungr, Babysnakes, Ennui and Philip Kane to playing in venues ranging from the rooftops of Timbuktu, the great rift valley in Kenya , the Lotte concert hall in Seoul with the London Cello Orchestra to the Camphill Communities of UK and Europe. She is currently principal cellist of both the Brecknock and St Woolos Sinfonias and plays regularly with Castalia String Quartet, Adrian Crick and Charlie Beresford.
“We must hope that the duo repeat their winning formula again soon. This stuff could very easily become habit-forming.”
John Eyles All About Jazz (4.5 stars out of 5)
‘This is a beguiling album, rich in emotional inflexions. Its mimetic melancholy is offset both by the immediacy of the performance and its poetry. It is really quite beautiful.’
Tim Owen Dalston Sound
“a prime example of pure creativity.”
The Musician (album was stand out for the issue)
“It’s the science of snow, its rarely recurring forms, its logic-defying crystal building and eventual sublimation that this music attempts to convey. This stuff comes from a border country and a border state.”
Brian Morton The Wire