Jack Wyllie presents Paradise Cinema
As a founding member of England’s expansive instrumental Portico Quartet, Jack Wyllie has been known for two decades as a saxophonist and electronics whiz, his dioramic sense of sound helping frame that band’s romantic sweep. But in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that Wyllie is a devoted musical explorer, open to integrating new idioms and influences into a series of fascinating projects. Many years ago, he embarked on a seven-month journey to Senegal, where his girlfriend was conducting field research. He connected not only with the country’s sense of enduring optimism but also its hyperkinetic mbalax music. Working with percussionists Khadim Mbaye and Tons Sambe, Wyllie built a new universe of fourth-world radiance, pairing Cluster-and-Eno-like atmospherics with intricate rhythms. This was the start of Paradise Cinema, whose 2020 self-titled debut was an imaginative breakthrough.
Built from more recordings in Senegal and Sydney, Paradise Cinema’s 2024 album, returning, dream, expanded on that vision with even bigger tones and grander designs. But Wyllie’s work has expanded in other directions, too. In 2022, he issued Earth Patterns with his great improvisational trio Szun Waves, a group that evokes the post-jazz aplomb and instrumental radiance of Dawn of Midi and Son Lux. On the eve of a new release, Wyllie presents Paradise Cinema at Big Ears 2026, combining his enormous sense of scale and tonal intimacy on both saxophone and synthesizers with his sense of wonder for our world of sound.
