Squash Recipe takes its name from an e-mail that went back and forth between Tom and I at one point. This seems to happen with all of our conversations and, actually, it's what happened with our friendship - what began as a back and forth about food ended up a back and forth about music.

Tom and I met at the Banff Centre for the Arts in May of 2001 and instantly hit it off: we were sitting at the same table at lunch (or dinner?) and, after convincing him that chocolate and zucchini can, indeed, be put into the same cake with fantastic results, we started talking about music, and that was that. (Come to think of it, it may have been breakfast - Tom eats cake at every meal as a rule...)

After leaving Banff, we agreed to try making music together as a duo. Squash Recipe appeared in London in August 2002 as a part of the Klinker series at the Sussex Pub and at the 291 Gallery in Hackney. Tom then joined me in Canada where we appeared in Toronto as a part of the aS iS series at the Oasis, on Gordon Allen's CIUT radio show, Full Circle, and in Guelph at the Youth Music Centre. We then drove down to New York and met up with a number of friends we had met at the Banff Centre the summer before.

One of these friends was the wonderful pianist, Bruce McKinnon. Talking about it later, Tom and I had both known upon hearing Bruce play for the first time that we would do what we could to make music with him at some point in our lives. And so, when we were given the opportunity to hold a session at the Cornelia Street Cafe one afternoon during our New York trip, the first person we called was Bruce.

We soon became a trio. We assembled to make music together in Toronto in August 2004 and a document of that music, Squash Recipe, is now available on little, silver, circular discs that you may purchase and listen to at home in your favourite chair. (You can also find it below.)

In February and March 2006 we toured England in support of our record. We appeared at the National Portrait Gallery in London; at the Cardigan Arms in Leeds on a bill with Paul Hession, Mick Beck, and Didrik Ingveldson; at "Shmazz at the Cloony" in Newcastle; at Ray's Jazz Shop on Charring Cross Road in London; at "The Others", again in London, as a part of the Soup Series; and then at the Broomhill Art Hotel in Devon.

We lost Bruce McKinnon to a long and well-fought battle with cancer in January 2007. His music, his wisdom, and his being are missed more than could ever be written in words. His family and friends have created the Bruce McKinnon Memorial Endowment to help provide opportunities for young musicians to take part in the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta. Bruce's legacy is a nurturing one for many of us.


"Squash Recipe is the antithesis of a grandstanding, look-at-me album. It's pensive, understated, unflashy, mostly pastel-coloured chamber music, equal parts free improvisation and contemporary conservatoire--and an equal-footing collective effort between the musicians." -- Chris May, allaboutjazz.com

Please give our music a listen or three. You can do that easily by clicking the buttons in the bandcamp window, below. Please go and visit Tom @ tom arthurs dot co dot uk as well. He's up to some wonderful things.