SFZ MUSIC, the independent label for HIS MAJESTYS SAGBUTTS & CORNETTS, are pleased to announce their latest venture, an exploration of the world of contemporary organ music in Britain. Volume 1 contains the complete organ music of GABRIEL JACKSON and LAURENCE CRANE. The latter is a leading exponent of British minimalism, wonderfully moving and placid: all Crane’s pieces are recorded here for the first time, and The Swim includes possibly the first fade-to-digital-silence ever included on an organ album. Gabriel Jackson is a star of the contemporary music scene, well-known for his beautiful choral music and recently appointed associate composer of the BBC Singers. Many of these organ pieces are recorded here for the first time: Comeragh Litanies and Southwark Symphonies are prime examples of Jackson’s scenic style; St Asaph Toccata is a thrilling shower of notes; Aquarius for Quartz and Copper is a joyful outburst, featuring the trumpet playing of Mark O’Keeffe. Both volumes are recorded at ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST, UPPER NORWOOD: the organ there, by TC Lewis (who also built the organ of Southwark Cathedral) is one of the finest in London and has a wide range of beautifully voiced and balanced sounds. The organist, MICHAEL BONAVENTURE, is renowned for his interpretations of contemporary music: his recent recordings of Messiaen for Delphian Records have received widespread critical acclaim, and he is much sought after as a recitalist in Britain and abroad. He has commissioned over 60 new works for the organ, from all the composers featured on these recordings and from others such as James MacMillan, Jean-Pierre Leguay, and Judith Weir. Volume 3 of the series will be recorded this summer in Coventry Cathedral and will feature music by Bonaventure himself, Glyn Perrin, Elisabeth Lutyens, David Bedford, Graham Fitkin and many others. Future volumes are planned, featuring the music of Paul Patterson, Geoffrey King, and John McCabe.