John Pope is a composer and bass player based in the North East. As a musician, his main interest is exploring the limits and combinations of jazz and free improvisation. His main projects include a chordless quintet made up of Northern musicians (John Pope Quintet and Northern Line 2019 ambassador artist artists), a composition project that blends structured pieces with free improvisation, as well as a flexible chamber group’ ensemble. This was developed during Sage Gatesheads’ 2019 ‘Summer Studios. John is also the co-leader of CARTOON, an avant-jazz trio with UK improv veterans Chris Biscoe, Roger Turner, as well as a founding member and award-winning garage-jazz group Archipelago, led by Faye MacCalman (Take Five Edition XIV). He also performs in various jazz and improvised music groups, such as Ponyland (2018 Northern Line Artists), and The Lindsay Hannon Plus (2015). He is also an active participant in the UK’s improvised music scene. He has performed as an improviser solo throughout the country as well as with internationally renowned artists. This includes appearances at festivals such as the London Jazz Festival, Manchester Jazz Festival and Gateshead International Jazz Festival. John is an active practitioner of education and community outreach, as a composer/arranger, and facilitator. from https://serious.org.uk
