Guitarist/ composer Anton Hunter (of efpi records and Beats ‘n’ Pieces) has just been awarded the “2014 Irwin Mitchell mjf originals commission “, and will create a new work to be performed at the 2014 Manchester Jazz Festival (July 18-27)

The new piece, Article 11 is for an 11-piece ensemble. Mjf say their scheme, which to date has given rise to sixteen new works, is ‘the UK’s only open jazz commissioning scheme for composer-musicians’.

Anton Hunter told us: “It’s a suite . The name comes from the fact that are eleven musicians, but also that Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights is the right to free assembly. Musicians include Mette Rasmussen and Sam Andreae from Trio Riot, Cath Roberts of Lume, and my younger brother Johnny Hunter on drums. 

I’ve been inspired by the levels of freedom in the ensembles of Graham Collier and Ken Vandermark. What I’ve done. rather than having the composition fully formed, is to sent out 3-4 bar sections to the musicians and invited them to improvise and send their improvisations back for me to take the work further. So they’ve been involved right from the word go, rather than stepping in late in the day.”

Law firm Irwin Mitchell have stepped in this year as the new sponsor for the commissioning scheme.