Paul Rutherford

There are two artists with the name Paul Rutherford. The first, chronologically, was a free improvisational trombonist from England. The second was member of the 80's pop group Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

1. Paul Rutherford (1940-2007) was a free improv trombone player. He was part of the early 70s improv group Iskra 1903 with guitarist Derek Bailey and bassist Barry Guy. After a few years the group was revived with Philipp Wachsmann replacing Bailey, a phase of the group's life that lasted from roughly 1977 to 1995. Iskra 1903 was one of the earliest free improvising groups to omit a drummer/percussionist, permitting the players to explore a range of textures and dynamics which set it apart from other contemporary improvising ensembles like Spontaneous Music Ensemble and AMM. The group's unusual name means "spark" in Russian; it was the title of a revolutionary newspaper edited by Lenin. The "1903" designation means "20th century music for trio"; occasionally Evan Parker played with the group (Iskra 1904) and Rutherford also at one point assembled a 12-piece ensemble called, inevitably, Iskra 1912.