Lol Coxhill, Veryan Weston

*200 copies limited edition* "Once upon a time, Lol Coxhill and Veryan Weston shared a home in a grand neoclassical mansion from the Regency era, located in the garden city of Welwyn Garden City, about 40 km north of London. That mansion was Digswell House, which at the time was run as a space for young artists to live and work. It wasn't just musicians—painters and sculptors gathered there too. Lol moved into Digswell House in 1976 and lived under the same roof as the already-resident Veryan for about eight years, until 1984. Lol eventually moved back to London, but Veryan stayed in Welwyn Garden City, where he still lives as of 2025.

During their Digswell days, two of Lol's albums that came out around the same time as this cassette are The Joy of Paranoia (1978, Ogun Recording Ltd.) and Digswell Duets (1979, Random Radar Records). Both are officially under Lol's name, but Veryan played on them as well. On both albums, he plays a key role in shifting the musical direction from Side A to Side B—more than just flipping the record over. Around that time, they were gigging often, and their duets grew not just in improvisation but in depth and connection. They also learned from each other's philosophies and stayed close until Lol's passing.

This cassette, A Night in Gloucester Avenue, captures a performance at a London Musicians' Collective event—an experimental music concert on a night in Gloucester Avenue, London. As Veryan puts it, “A Japanese guy who happened to be in the UK somehow managed to preserve this precious recording,” and it eventually found its way to my label, fischiff. Now it's out in the world, a little piece of the friendship between Veryan and Lol.

One thing I really should apologize for: I completely forgot to credit the instruments played on this cassette—it just felt so obvious at the time. Lol Coxhill was my favorite soprano saxophonist, a true wanderer known not only for his free music but also for his unique spoken word and vocal experiments. Veryan Weston is a pianist whose playing seamlessly balances tenderness with discipline—capable of both softness and force, always thoughtful and precise. When I visited Welwyn Garden City in 2024 and got lost, he kindly welcomed me into his home and studio, and even invited me along on his daily walk. Lol was with us too, in spirit. And as always, in the woods of Welwyn Garden City, the blackbirds were singing." - Daisuke Ninomiya