Zephyrus ... biographies

Together the musicians draw on experience in a multitude of bands on the English folk circuit including Blowzabella, The Eel Grinders, Meridian, Misericordia, Moebius, Saxophony and The Wendigo.

Left to right: Dave, Chris, Judith, Lawrence, Annie, Terry, Jon
photo: Trudi Bide

Jon Swayne learned piano, recorder & flute at school and later took up the saxophone. Whilst working as a solicitor he developed a parallel career playing semi-professionally in a wide range of orchestras, bands and chamber groups in the South West. In 1977 he took a 3 year full time course in Early Woodwind Making at the London College of Furniture; originally intending to make baroque flutes, he soon became more interested in traditional music and in particular bagpipes. He was a founder member of Blowzabella, one of the most innovative & influential British folk groups of the 1980's (and still making occasional performances today). In 1981 he set up a workshop as a full-time maker of bagpipes, flutes, whistles & recorders and then in 1986 began to introduce the first of his family of Border style bagpipes, the instrument that Zephyrus use. In 1998 he wrote the Halfe Hannikin variations and founded Zephyrus to perform it. He can also be heard in the bagpipe trio Moebius and Blowzabella.

David Faulkner has a broad range of musical experience spanning genres such as classical, punk rock, brass bands, improvisation and traditional music. In the mid 1980's he took up English renaissance style pipes to play with a wild shamanistic Morris side on the edge of Dartmoor. Deciding to stay with the drones, he switched to Jon Swayne's versatile border pipes. Currently David also plays with Moebius, the Eel Grinders and music & storytelling group, Raven Tales. In addition he teaches pipes and runs the occasional bagpipe workshop and French music session.

Terry Mann has been a professional musician, composer, instrument repairer and teacher for the past 10 years, during which time he has lead instrumental and composition workshops for Folkworks, Folk Southwest, Emergency Exit Arts, Folkbeat and many major Folk Arts Festivals. As well as providing the percussive backbone for the pipers of Zephyrus, Terry is a talented multi-instrumentalist and founder of his own saxophone quartet Saxophony. He is currently studying for a PhD in composition at Goldsmiths College, where he is also a visiting tutor. Terry is administrator for Zephyrus and successfully managed their Arts Council tour in 2000.

Lawrence Morgan-Anstee came to folk music via early music playing recorder and crumhorn in a trio called Grimspound. He picked up Old English Bagpipes after realising their potential as a busking instrument and switched to Jon Swayne's pipes because of their tone and reliability. He later became interested in French & continental music and has spent time busking around various parts of Europe and at festivals. He was a founder member of the Eel Grinders and has a great deal of experience playing for dancing & concerts. He is also a member of the storytelling group Raven Tales.

Judith Rockliff first heard bagpipes on the shores of Lake Slapin, Isle of Skye, at the age of 6 and informed her parents that she would learn to play the pipes. However, she didn't discover folk music until the early 1980's and her first set of pipes were mouth blown Flemish pipes in the style of Breughel made by Jon Swayne, which she for English dance music. Whilst discussing the difficulties of learning with another piper, they agreed that there was a need for a forum to put pipers in touch with each other and the Bagpipe Society (with a current international membership of over 400 and an annual festival) was born. For the last 10 years Judy has concentrated on playing Jon's border pipes and was a founder member of Moebius. She now plays music mainly for dance, both traditional and contemporary, some of it self-penned and can be heard with the trio Umber who play traditional French dance music.

Anne-Marie Summers plays a large number of instruments including various bagpipes, shawm, recorder, gemshorn, harp & hurdy-gurdy and is probably best known for her work with Steve Tyler, winning the 1999 duet competition at St. Chartier, France, a pan European festival of bagpipe & hurdy-gurdy makers & players. Their duo, Misericordia, performs early music, mostly mediaeval, and the two of them also play with Julian Sutton (melodeon) in The Wendigo, a folk dance band playing mostly self-penned material in the traditional idiom. Anne-Marie is also an experienced workshop leader and has given workshops for beginners bagpipes, improvisation & harmony on bagpipes, mediaeval music and singing for dancing.

Chris Walshaw has been involved in folk music since the age of six and started played whistles & flutes as a teenager. His first set of pipes were made by Jon in 1989 and he has been playing English & French bagpipes ever since. Perhaps best known for his work with The Duellists with Nigel Eaton and Cliff Stapleton, he is currently a member of Meridian and ceilidh band Stocai. Chris also performs in Stepback, the percussive & display dance extravaganza, and with The Chase, in their show of new music and dance drawn from European traditions. He has occasionally guested with Chris Wood, Andy Cutting and Cliff in the Waltzer and worked with Jean-Pierre Rasle in his Radio 3 production of Cornemusiques - a potted history of French bagpiping - and its subsequent live performances at venues as diverse as St. Chartier Festival and the Purcell Room.

Maintained by Chris Walshaw ()