Spontaneous Music Ensemble

The Spontaneous Music Ensemble were a loose collection of free improvising musicians usually convened together by the late South London based jazz drummer and trumpet player John Stevens.

Above; The SME playing in Islington, London, 1991. Roger Smith plays guitar and Nigel Coombes plays violin. John Stevens plays drums and cornet out of frame

Over the course its history, those who worked as the SME included Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Tony Oxley, Roger Smith and others.

Selected discography

• Karyobin (1968, (Island Records) (featuring; John Stevens, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Dave Holland}
• John Stevens/Spontaneous Music Ensemble (1969, Marmalade Records) (featuring; John Stevens, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Trevor Watts, Peter Lemer, John Dyani, Maggie Nichols, Carolann Nichols, Pepi Lemer)
• So What Do You Think? (1971, Tangent Records) (featuring; John Stevens, Trevor Watts, Kenny Wheeler, Derek Bailey, Dave Holland)
• The Longest Night (unsure year, Ogun Records) (featuring John Stevens and Evan Parker)
• Biosystem (1977, Incus Records (featuring; John Stevens, Nigel Coombes, Roger Smith, Colin Wood)
• Hot and Cold Heroes Emanem Records (featuring; John Stevens, Nigel Coombes, Roger Smith}