Jazz at the Third Eye: responses to the archive
Exploring jazz and improvised music at the legendary Glasgow arts space
As noted previously in Ion Engine, for the past few months I’ve been working on Jazz At The Third Eye, a Creative Scotland funded residency at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow. I’m creating a digital archive of jazz and improvised music at its previous incarnation, the Third Eye Centre, which launches on Friday 22 October with the first of a series of streamed events. The venue, which ran from 1975 to 1991, was a pioneering multi-arts centre with a strong community focus. Jazz and improvised music formed a significant part of its programming, with local artists appearing alongside touring acts. It’s no coincidence that Third Eye founding director Tom McGrath was himself a jazz musician: he would often play there alongside bassist George Lyle and drummer Nick Weston.
A former editor of the underground newspaper International Times, McGrath was appointed Glasgow director of the Scottish Arts Council in 1973, tasked with opening a new arts space. Initially working out of the former Society of Lady Artists building on Blythswood Square - to which he brought Allen Ginsberg, Derek Bailey, Earle Birney and many others to perform - McGrath realised Glasgow needed a bigger space. The venue at 350 Sauchiehall Street was secured and the rest is history.
This project partly builds on The Glasgow Miracle: Materials For Alternative Histories, which catalogued the Third Eye archives and digitised its video collection. Seeing the video of Glasgow group Birth supporting Brotherhood of Breath sparked my imagination, and I’ve been digging into the history of the Glasgow free music scene ever since, connecting it to the present day jazz and experimental scenes. I’m also indebted to the work of the Scottish Jazz Archive, and Edward Kitchen, whose collection of 1970s Glasgow jazz flyers has been an invaluable source of information.
For this project, I’m gathering material from these various sources and sharing it online. I’m also adding to the archive by conducting oral history interviews with those who were there, and commissioning new pieces responding to the archive from contemporary Glasgow musicians. Last week, a handful of the artists recorded their pieces in the CCA theatre.Check out sneak previews of the pieces from Caroline McKenzie, Kapil Seshasayee and Diljeet Kaur Bhachu, Tam Dean Burn and Una McGlone, and Tony Bevan at the Jazz at the Third Eye blog. There are brief notes on each piece and some relevant treasures from the archive.
I should add that the public call for contributions remains very much open. If you have any memories of the Third Eye to share please drop me a line at thirdeyejazz@gmail.com
You can catch up with the project at the Jazz at the Third Eye blog.