GUITAR & TAMBURA
As a guitarist Adrian performs regularly at major folk festivals in the UK and Europe with trio Gavin Fairhall Lever (featuring leading London Irish Fiddler James Patrick Gavin). Past performances include with trio Alma (featuring leading English folk fiddlers John Dipper & Emily Askew) and Stepling (featuring champion UK clog dancer Toby Bennett).
He played for eight years with critically acclaimed folk and early music experimentalists Horses Brawl releasing three acclaimed albums with groundbreaking fiddle/recorder player Laura Cannell and performing at major UK festivals, arts centres and live on BBC Radio3 including an extended Late Junction feature from Bath International Festival. Other highlights include performing with Radio 2 folk-award winning singer Bella Hardy, with Macedonian singer Tanja Tzarovska (Troy, The Passion of the Christ) at the Barbican concert hall London, and with leading British flamenco guitarist Steve Homes at Lewes guitar festival.
Adrian is also a regular guitar-backer and mandola player on the London, Belgrade and Novi Sad traditional music session scene.
An obsession with the wonky additive rhythms of east took Adrian on bus trips to Bulgaria beginning 15 years ago to learn tambura (8-string long-necked lute) where he studied in Plovdiv with tambura virtuoso Vladimir Vladimirov.
Vladimir spent many generous hours teaching him traditional & contemporary melodies, ornamentation and improvisation approaches. Since then he has been busy writing Horos (dance tunes) and performing and creating music with UK–based Serbian singer and composer Jovana Backovic in ArHai.
For all booking and remote/studio session work enquiries please get in touch here
TAMBURA - ARHAI
GUITAR
“Adrian Lever’s guitar is a driving drum kit, the syncopated complex rhythm comping of a jazz pianist, a harp-like cascade, or just damn good fingerpicking.”
Adrian Jones - Cornwall Folk Festival
GAVIN FAIRHALL LEVER
“Captures the close-knit improvisational nature of their live performance…The three meld closely to work as one…circling in a perfectly balanced orbit around the tune. Their playing is nuanced as an ensemble and as soloists, rising wraithlike up through the music“
Songlines
“The vibrant trio bring their multi-instrumental talents to an impressive collection of mostly original material that is an absolute blast to listen to. One of my top favourites of the year… Brilliant”
RnR ****
ALMA
Is it folk? Is it early music? Who cares when it's as ethereal and seductive as this... The playing is spry, intelligent and joyous too. 5*" Clive Davis - The SundayTimes
STEPLING
"Musically magical...The whole assembly generates musical energy and a total enjoyment of their co-operative performance....totally better than the sum of the parts – though the parts are exceptionally good in their own right. please try to see them"
Sue Coe
SESSION WORK / MISC
Folk Album of the year - Backseat Mafia