These recordings were originally made by Erik Moore on Monday 2 December 2019 at Rookery Towers, High View Road in Crystal Palace with Improvisations by Alison O’Melia - Piano, Harpsichord, Percussion, Voices; George Harris - Electronics, Typewriter, Melodica and Percussion with Voices; 
Erik Moore - Bass Guitar, Percussion; Mark Hill - Electronics and Radio Effects with some percussion 
(all fuelled by home made curry cooked up by George on his birthday).

The next line in recording narratives began with a film soundtrack for the Crystal Palace Festival taking place before initial lockdown. Where Exquisite Placements and In The Tic Toc were both put together with footage made by Erik Moore and George Harris. The sound was added to with some over dubs of Voice, Bowed Dulcimer by George and Omnichord by David Rothon respectively. This was also a time where George added Flugelhorn to some other tracks along with some initial Vocal tracks.

Then and around this time in the initial lockdown of 2020 George and Alison did a few online gigs under the name Rookery from their living room with virtual help from Erik Moore. The same living room the initial recordings of this album took place. With the last performance happening in November. 
Throughout, Alisons health was fluctuating after being diagnosed at the beginning of the year with a terminal condition, and so gaps and time to care for Alison were prioritised until her sad passing in December 2020.

As part of the grieving process, writing words was the initial focus of help for George, with some of the resulting work becoming part of the 
album Islets Of Langerhans. This title was once an alternative name to Rookery that Alison wanted to use.
So in 2021, around February March, George and Erik decided to complete the album and gradually put it together through a process of time. 
This was simultaniously initiated by chatting to Demi Sabat Garcia in a super market and the conversation resulted in him putting drums on two tracks. 
Jessica Cahill recorded some Hurdy Gurdy drones, giving both artists the choice to do what they felt on the tracks. Keeping the spirit of the initial
improvisations in the overdubs, David Rothon also added more to the tracks including some Pedal Steel and Omnichord. We also wanted to keep the spirit of initial ensemble. So we asked Mitzy Valentine to do some Vocal and Flute. Mitzy came down from the Midlands to record on three of the tracks 
once it was safe to do so in London. 

All later recordings took place at Sydenham Opera House and the musicians houses when lockdown was preventing all to meet in 2021.
	
This Album of Sounds, Words, Songs and Improvisation is here as a tribute to Alison O’Melia x
An artist, musician, therapist, lover, partner, daughter, sister, auntie, reader, speaker, teacher, lecturer, campaigner and friend. 
The cover has artworks that were created by Alison as part of some art therapy sessions with St Christophers Hospice in their care for her in 2020. 

The title Islets of Langerhans is a medical term /ˈlaŋəhanz/
groups of pancreatic cells secreting insulin and glucagon

Produced at The Sydenham Opera House / Crystal Palace by Erik Moore 
All Spoken Words by George E Harris
Sung Words by Mitzy Valentine
Mastered by Pete Maher www.petemaher.com
All Compositions © Rookery Ensemble 2023

All Layouts and Design - Skoot 2023
Vinyl Album Manufactured by Deepgrooves.eu

Purchase

ISLETS OF LANGERHANS

Choral Interlude in D

Alison O’Melia – Piano /  Voice
George E Harris - Sung Voices 
Mark Hill – Radio Effects / Electronics
Erik Moore – Bass Guitar 
Mitzy Valentine – Sung Voices / Flute 
David Rothon – Pedal Steel

05 Choral Interlude In D

Giant Butterflies in the Snow

Alison O’Melia – Piano / Voice
George E Harris – Spoken Voices / Electronics / Flugal Horn / Melodica
Mark Hill – Radio Effects / Electronics
Erik Moore – Bass Guitar / Percussion 
Mitzy Valentine – Sung Voices / Flute 
Demi Garcia Sabat – Drums / Percussion

04 Giant Butterflies In The Snow

Hyper Reality Star / Radio Visionaires
Alison O’Melia – Percussion / Harpsichord
George E Harris – Spoken Voice / Percussion / Electronics
Mark Hill – Radio Effects / Electronics / Percussion
Erik Moore – Bass Guitar  
David Rothon – Omnichord

03 Hyper Reality Star / Radio Visionaires

Exquisite Placements

Alison O’Melia – Harpsichord / Percussion
George E Harris – Spoken Voices / Bowed Dulcimer / Electronics
Mark Hill – Radio Effects / Electronics
Erik Moore – Bass Guitar 
David Rothon – Omnichord / Pedal Steel
Jessica Cahill – Hurdy Gurdy Drones

01 Exquisite Placements

In The Tic Toc                                             

Rookery Ensemble on this track are
Alison O’Melia - Piano *
George E Harris - Spoken Voices / Electronics / Percussion*
Mark Hill - Radio Effects / Electronics *
Erik Moore - Percussion *
David Rothon - Omnichord 	
Demi Garcia Sabat - Drums / Percussion

Part of the Rookery Ensemble forthcoming album Islets of Langerhans released on 14 February 2023 
This is one of eight tracks that was started as an improvisation in 2019 with just four people*. One of those four Alison O'Melia sadly passed away in December 2020 after an illness and terminal condition diagnosed earlier that year. The album including this track was completed in tribute to her throughout lockdown in the musicians individual home studio spaces and brought together at the Sydenham Opera House by Erik Moore with George E Harris. Its coming out in February and raising money for St Christophers Hospice charity. Its being released as a limited double vinyl (eco friendly pressing from deepgrooves), download on bandcamp and streaming via various sources including spotify. Distributed by the Rookery Ensemble via foot and other means. https://rookeryensemble.bandcamp.com/album/islets-of-langerhans

words: 

The old man walks,
timed precisely
with carry all on hand,
everyday in the early morning
towards the flats near my stop.

Last night the conversation delved
into our Sci-Fi world with things going so fast,
its outdated as soon as it hits the market.

The numbing effect of the day to day stops,
bring on the chants of the beautiful fog,
take it forward in your stillness of open possibility.

The digging takes place in the city boroughs,
planned or just goes ahead without an after thought,
underground lairs of the wealthy,
unseen in subterranean grooming.
Flipped and reliving,
Wells time machine in
advanced Victorian engineering
and 21st Century technological
knowing of the fourth wall,
bitten through and advancing into the 6th dimension.

Missing letters of verse, those that I never wrote,
the winding spine, triumphs in the tic toc,
pastures of utopia in my constant waking
and sleep inside this crust,
cemented in the consciousness.

I’m the spirit in and out ghostlike on the margins,
partially dissolved fruit in the still pool
champions of contracted diversion
on a morning ride to prop up higher gains.
Co-operate you need to speak it out,
remember as well as write it down.
Hooded mirrored faced sentinels,
guardians on this morning ride, side by side,
criss-cross slides shifting the auto-plane.

Drifting in with dreaded feelings under the soft sunrise.
Those electric sounds now floating behind,
reading and encapsulating the no rhythm and non reason.
This wake up call of
governmental street peddlers,
upper this and lower that,
ripping the human rights from under us.
Now on a path to hold with account and take the sight
In the Tic Toc...

02 In The Tic Toc

Holes

Covered In Holes (Live from the garden)

110623

Elephant Feet

Jet lag insomnia led to me to record this at 4am

In Somnia We Rust

taken from the 1981 album 'Running Out Of Time' to be re-issued on URU/Lucky Number on March 18th, 2016. 

Pre-order:
http://smarturl.it/rexy
http://www.roughtrade.com/albums/100400

http://www.luckynumbermusic.com
http://uru.world




Rexy - Alien

From the first album - 5 string litungu, gongs, santoor, bells, metallophone, vocals, shakers

Maggie

Musuc for recent Kathakali performance.  Keith Bray Bansuri Flute and Mohan vocal.

Old wounds

Instrumental Track Created by Jerry Hope of the Dust Collectors around 2006 or before.

Folky Stuff

Shipping Forecast - Jerry Hope

Eulogy for Peter

Jerry Hope solo spoken word in studio recording

Solo performance

Hindsight - Jerry Hope

Rookery Ensemble would like to say a few words in honour of Alison O'Melia founding member who passed away just before Christmas 2020 after a illness. We will miss you; love you in so many ways. Its still so hard to comprehend but we will follow the paths you set in music and sound. Your patterns of spirit are there rich with colour and transcend the mundane. We hold our hands up and touch those stars above in which way they shine xxx 

Rookery Ensemble were founded by
George Harris and Alison O'Melia 
they were previously called Brother G and The Trouble and World Of Surprises and started in 2011. Performing a number of concerts as a duo and ensemble.
They have ploughed several furloughs in the land of contemporary music. Currently based around George E Harris with Erik Moore and Mark Hill bringing in others in the hear and there. 
Through the lockdown in UK, Alison and George played a number of home performances for Crystal Palace Lockdown Live online which you can hear a best of album on soundcloud and bandcamp.  As well as view some on YouTube and the CPLL Facebook group page. The bandcamp album is available to buy and is raising money for St Christopher's Hospice. This was with the help of Erik Moore on various tracks virtually. 
Rookery Ensemble have just released their first vinyl album Islets Of Langerhans that was started with Alison and completed since her passing.  This album is available on Bandcamp as well as here and other streaming services and the sales are part going to St Christophers Hospice.
Other members of Ensemble  of late have been Hilary Robinson - Piano, Melodica and keyboards, David Rothon on various instruments including the Omni Chord, Pedal Steel and Melodica, Mark Hill - Electronics and Radio, Erik Moore - Bass, K- Keyboards and Percussion, Annabella Maneljuk - Melodica, Glockenspiel and Keyboards.
With previous  collaborations  from Agata Liswoska on Violin with occasional appearances by  Mitzy Valentine - Flute and Voice, Victoria Potterton on Trumpet and Voice. 
Rookery Ensemble continue to build on the fluid nature of the music through various incarnations and sounds.

01 Exquisite Placements

Rookery Ensemble

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