Many of the links on this site are now obsolete and a new site has been designed for launch at some point in the future... However, because this will mean many hours of involvement by JH & BT, it will have to wait until after the completion of several ongoing projects...

So read this page first for any news, updates and links.

News Update - November 2012

Playing the Band, the book about the life & times of Jon Hiseman & Barabara Thompson is now available to read on Amazon's Kindle. See the bottom of this page for details,

Jon Hiseman's 1981 Album 'A Night In The Sun'

Originally released only on vinyl, this album dates from 1981 and has never been previously released on CD. The original analogue tapes, recorded in, and rescued from, Rio de Janeiro in Brazil , were lost until recently. After a 4-hour baking in an oven to remove the accumulated moisture that had been attracted to the oxide binder, Jon Hiseman was able to transfer the tapes into the digital domain in pristine condition while they were, literally, still hot.

He flew out to Rio for 10 days in 1981, taking only a few cymbals and a snare drum, to meet some of Brazil's finest musicians for the first time and play their music.  Since they had recorded mainly at night, while sleeping through the heat of the day, the album title had to be... "A Night in the Sun"!

Available from Amazon.co.uk

Perpetual Motion released 16th July 2012
Nimbus Alliance NI 6200 and available now from Amazon.co.uk

Perpetual Motion - The Apollo Saxophone Orchestra
10 original compositions by Barbara Thompson for 12-piece saxophone orchestra

See the track 'Dear Bach...' performed by
Barbara & the ASO on YouTube

Andy Scott and Rob Buckland of the Royal Northern College of Music suggested Barbara write and arrange enough pieces to make a CD for large saxophone ensemble back in July 2011. The power of the twelve saxes was awesome in the concert hall at the RNCM which was ideally suited to record the ASO and resulted in a unique sound, truly orchestral beyond its size.
The CD was launched at a tribute concert for Barbara at the recent 16th World Saxophone Congress in St Andrews in Scotland. Barbara and Jon attended and a short version of the BBC documentary, "Playing Against Time" was shown.
Barbara even fell in love.... with a new Yanagisawa soprano saxophone which she purchased from Howarths of London who were exhibiting there. Thanks to all at Howarths and Yanagisawa and their distributors Barnes & Mullins, who supported this project.

'Playing Against Time' and 'Barbara Thompson in Concert' was transmitted by BBC TV on February 19th 2012. Go HERE for a fine and detailed review that appeared in the medical journal 'The Lancet'.

"Barbara Thompson's Paraphernalia Live '05" DVD (TMDVD0611) is now available now in the UK from at Amazon.co.uk and in Germany from viking-music.de - Go HERE for more details.

The TM Transcription service now offers SHADOWSHOW(1984) in addittion to the three Paraphernalia Albums from the late '70s - early '80s. Go HERE for all the details.

Meanwhile.....

Barbara is working on a new Paraphernalia CD and Colosseum will get into the studio before xmas '12 to continue the recording of their new album "Anno Domini" .