Down a narrow country lane near the Northumbrian village of Heddon-on-the-Wall, there is a large boulder which is known locally as ‘Bay’s Leap’. Local folk tradition, passed by word of mouth, holds that a large bay horse once leapt from this rock, falling and breaking its neck.
We took the name Bay’s Leap not for the tragic end of the poor animal, but for the heroic image of a leap into an unknown space. Our music is improvised, and each time we play, we take just such a leap. However, we are not divorced from tradition: we enjoy our instant harmonies and counterpoint just as much as we enjoy discovering novel and challenging musical forms. We are not afraid of the new, but neither do we avoid the old. We find that we love each other’s contributions and simply follow where those ideas lead.
Bay’s Leap consists of Clare Simmonds on piano, Noel Taylor on clarinet and James Barralet on cello.
