Ken Patterson is a composer / performer / musician / artist / video maker / writer / cook / potter / house- renovator who lives in Newcastle in the North East of England. 

Born in Newcastle in 1955, he attended Cragside Infants in High Heaton Newcastle, then from 1962 -1973 attended the Royal Grammar School, a direct grant school at the time. He took a science-led syllabus through school but had an extensive extra-curricular music training playing ‘cello and piano & singing in choirs. Furthermore, he won art prizes as a pre-adolescent and in lower Vl form he was very successful at Art O’ Level. Also he was successful at athletics where he became school captain with full school colours, competing for Northumberland at National level. And as a swimmer he was city champion in breast-stroke, & engaged in other sporting activity.  

Ken started Edinburgh University in 1973 on a vet degree but qualified in ’78 with a Biological Sciences BSc Hons Psychology. At this time in Edinburgh he played in what has become known as a cult band: ‘Caedmon’. Their eponymous vinyl album is now a collectors’ ‘grail’, classified as Acid Folk selling at £1000 a copy. They held late night Edinburgh Fringe Festival performances at The Netherbow Arts Centre in 1976 & 1977 & worked in the cafe during the day time laying the foundations of a future career project.

His first house was in Forest Hall, Newcastle and from ’78 – ’80 he worked as an underbuyer for Fenwick’s department stores in Newcastle. From Christmas decorations, to pet foods then department manager of ‘Man’s Shop’.  He played Alfred Tubb in ‘Dry Rot’ the annual Fenwick Farce, a first time as an actor, but it was the retail experience that provided a training ground for the next venture: his own tea room, The Old Sun Country Kitchen, Rothbury Northumberland from 80 – ’83 as chef / co – proprietor with his wife (Egon Ronay Just a Bite Guides ’81, ’82 and ’83). They helped run Linden Folk with Rod Clements and Geoff Heslop. After three years the business was sold as a preparation for having a family.

He renovated a house in Jesmond for six months before starting training as a primary teacher, then worked in Kenton Bar Primary. At this time he helped set up Pineapple Agogo, a streetband & brassy ceilidh band, working closely with Dodgy Clutch Theatre International. They played at the Fish Quay Festival and many other outdoor events as well as at numerous wedding functions in the North East.

He soon moved to Chillingham Road Primary as music coordinator & class room teacher where, in 1987, he started the first of various community bands: Heaton People’s Band (which became 10th Avenue Band & still continues today).  The band performed in France, Czech Republic & Germany recording three albums. A break away band, Hep Taxi! also was formed. 

He took a time out from teaching in a freelance year as a community musician in 1989 / ’90, when he organised the National Streetband Festival in collaboration with Gateshead Arts Team, creating the kids streetband ‘The Metro Gnomes’. Also broadening his career in community music as ‘Samba Jam’ (with Graham Raine) and lecturing at CUMBRIA College of Art and Design.

Alongside his teaching and freelance career he was a co-leader of the Newcastle Schools Youth Theatre with Sarah Kemp from 1985 – 1990 directing the music in Big Al, Matchgirls, &  adaptations of CS Lewis’s: ‘Voyage of the Dawntreader’ & ‘The Last Battle’.

He then became Advisory Teacher for Primary Music in 1990 for Newcastle Schools’ Authority. In this role from 1990 – 1996 he introduced steel pans to Newcastle schools,  Piranha Panners, and The Newcastle All Stars Steel Orchestra. 

He collaborated with Folkworks as a composer in residence at Breckonbeds School, Gateshead creating ‘The Brecken Man’ with theatre, samba, forming a new ceilidh band group; and the ‘Happy Healthful Hartlepool’ project creating a book of new songs and dances with primaries and secondary pupils. The collaboration continued in many other roles providing workshops at Folkworks workouts etc.

He was member of the National Curriculum working party for primary music at this time (contribution to the music edition of the ‘Raspberry Ripple’ booklet series).

In the ‘New Dances from Newcastle’ schools’ project (with the EFDSS) he published a book and cassette of ceilidh dances and their accompaniments, all worked up in collaboration with Eddie Upton, Ednie Wilson and the Cass Family (1991).

In this post he also introduced samba to Newcastle schools with Inner Sense artists in ‘The First Wave’ project in ’91.

He managed the Tyne & Wear Development Quayside Education Project from ’92 – ’96 facilitating artists in schools residences & the development of arts practice in a group of nine quayside schools. He also worked up Schools’ Quayside Trails at this time, staging a major exhibition of schools’ artwork on the Quayside in the Tall Ships Race of 1993.

In 1994 he played in Bergen, Norway, with sousaphoning with Brassneck at Folkefest.

Ken and Chris McConway played in ‘Hep Taxi’ for Jeanne Hale’s birthday party in Villejesus, Charente, in 1995. As a result, the opportunity arose for the eventual purchase of a tumble-down house together, which they have gradually renovated over the years. It was the start of Frères Frangipane singing Chanson Française as Jules et Jim, which continues today, developing from performances at street repas & in the local bar.

He returned to the classroom at Wingrove Primary in 1996 – 1999 at the same time buying a house in Weardale, Co Durham. Ken then found involvement in the local community working with schools to create the ‘Weardale Whackers’ djembe and clog dancing centred within Wearhead Primary School.

In the millennium year he coordinated the Folkworks / Oxfam / Channel 4 – ‘Making Music on the Line’ international project travelling to Shetland, Northumbria, Gascony, Catalunya & Burkina Faso with a group of ten musicians & teachers. After a sharing of their local songs, tunes, rhythms and dances, Ken then edited a book with CD & video, to be taught to children in the five regions. The project culminated in a grand celebratory concert tour of the five locations, the band of ten playing with a total of 10,000 participants, who had all learnt the repertoire.

2000 – 2002 He provided workshops in the Hexham Abbey Music Festival annual educational programme over three years composing in the classroom for performances in the abbey.

In 2003 he was commissioned by 10th Avenue Band to write a outdoor performance with international streetbands ‘Tyne Times’ which was designed to be taught quickly to the visiting bands then performed as a massed band of 100 performers on Millennium Square beneath the Sage Gateshead. A 2nd performance took place in 2005, the piece developed to include choral elements with local groups.

By 2000 he had became re-established as a freelance musician and composer creating ‘4 Corners Music Network’ with fellow musician Richard Scott, of Grand Union Orchestra. They brought many international musicians to the North East to work directly with children.

4 Corners workshopped extensively, over two decades, providing djembe, song, carnival, and large scale project-led theme-based music throughout the North East & North West for: North Tyneside, South Tyneside (the Customs House), Northumberland, Durham Forge, and Cumbria schools. They created a close partnership with Easington Education Action Zone working in primaries, likewise with The Sage Gateshead, Glendale Music Trust & Alnwick Playhouse. Work with Creative Partnerships included coordinating a number of projects: ‘Jazz Attack improvisation with 9 -15 year olds’, the music composing element of ‘A Film for Northumberland’ with Nittin Sawnhey, & video-based & performance work with Corbridge 1st School.

4 Corners created a North Tyneside Early Years Music resource in a research project with teachers and other leaders in Surestart settings.

He worked for The Sage Gateshead in its formative years (2000 – 2010) as a member of the Comusica community team of professional musicians. As well as folk music and djembe in Weardale, he workshopped in Wooler, helping to establish a steel pan tradition, using the Newcastle All Stars pan resource. He worked up an ‘Introduction to Community Music’ start-up taster course & INSET for musicians to work in primary school settings as musicians in residence. And in Pete Moser’s Gateshead strand of ‘The Long Walk’, which explored the issues of the deaths of Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay.

Concurrent with the Comusica work, Sage Gateshead’s education department collaborated with 4 Corners Music to provide many initial world-music teacher-training projects for organisation, notably the Catalan Giants and Big Heads projects with large carnival puppets travelling to Barcelona with Boomdang, Rachel Unthank & a teacher team working alongside artists Richard Broderick & Graham Robinson. Followed by ‘Beat the World Drum’ with Catalan musician Francina Turon & Dan Fox from Cumbria.

He started an open access World Carnival Band at Sage Gateshead in which became Meze Mundo in 2005 and continues as a streetband to this day. Designed to play in any location they have played and many festivals and other venues in the NE.

Side Cafe Orkestar started at this time evolving from sessions in Side Cafe and developing into a 7 piece Klezmer / Balkan band performing in the North east and Scotland, Ken playing accordion and tuba.

From 2000 onwards, he has composed regularly for Theatre sans Frontieres  & performed as actor in national tours of the award winning “le Tour de France’, ‘Around the World in 80 minutes’, & recently in ‘The Golden Conch’. Composing credits include ‘Contes Dorés’, ‘La Pelota Mágica’, ‘Les Aventures de Lapin’, ‘Heaven Eyes’, ‘Hey Piggy Piggy’, ‘Ti – Jean et La Chèvre’, ‘Make Do and Mend’, ‘Queen Camilla’s Lost Her Fella’.

In 2010 his student band Caedmon released the ‘A Chicken to Hug’ album of all new songs including ‘Childless’, ‘Ouagadougou’ & ‘Waltzing Home’ from Ken.

In  a sabbatical year: 2010, he made ‘Footage’ a film of a year’s travel around the world set to his own music. The trip was from Mexico to Cuba, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Easter Island, Tahiti, Cook Islands, NewZealand, Australia, China, India, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and France.

In 2013 he started composing on a regular basis with Tunesmiths, a collective who set composing tasks for each other. His most successful tracks are ‘Danse Macabre’ (inspired by a mural in Tallin) & ‘Vespa Reggae’ with a cult following in Indonesia!

In Sean Burns’ 2014 play ‘Collector of Tears’ he worked as a sole ‘cellist performer improvising accompanying music alongside an impressive monologue from actress Madi MacMahon, on a national tour of small theatres.

In 2014 he put together brass band arrangements & notation of new Tim Dalling songs for the Jayess Newbiggin Brass Band working with local choirs in ‘Ha’alin’ the Lines’.

With Chris Bostock, as Hearthside Tales, he toured the NE and NW extensively storytelling with live music and theatrical elements. The initial four shows: ‘Tales for the Turning Year’ with SPRING, SUMMER, AUTUMN and WINTER tours, were followed by Rural Tours of  ‘Doon the Waggonway’ and SALT! (both with Chris Bostock and Richard Scott).

SnowBear was Chris and Ken’s most successful show touring three times over, the from 2014 to anextended version with Janet Longbottom & Willy Houwen in 2018. The story of a baby polar bear taken as a present from the King of Norway to the King of Denmark. ‘The Singing Wind’, and ‘Starlight’ followed. They still tell stories together on an occasional basis.

2015 saw the 200th anniversary of the Heaton Mining Disaster. 75 men and boys died under the ground in a mining flood. Ken in collaboration with local artists (who were to become Shoe Tree Arts) produced a busy programme of events to commemorate the anniversary in his own community, 4 Corners gaining Arts Council Funding. Films, an education programme of artists in residence, exhibition, candle-lit processions, & many concerts took pace over more than a year. The Heaton Main Suite was written by Ken, Richard Scott, Andrew Scott and Johnny Handle and performed as part of the Ouseburn Festival with Heaton Voices, Flotsam, Swing Bridge Singers, St Augustine’s R.C. Primary choir, Meze Mundo, Chillingham Road Band, 10th Avenue band, Hexham Village Band, and Hexham Morris.

Amber Films commissioned Ken to write the music for documentary ‘From us to Me’ in 2016. He composed and recorded the incidental music. The film returned to Baltic port Lubeck, and reflected upon interviews made in AMBER’s previous film, before the unification of  E & W Germany. Talking to the same people it provided a fascinating insight into the resulting changes.

2018 ‘HEATON!’ a multimedia show, and exhibition of children’s work at the People’s Theatre, explored the lives of pioneering activists from Heaton, e.g. Florence Nightingale Harrison Bell, The Parsons family of engineers, and One Arup, architect of the Sydney Opera House. ‘HEATON!’ was written by Peter Dillon with music by Richard Scott & Ken Patterson, presented by Shoe Tree Arts. 

2018 Ken created a film with children of North Fawdon and Westerhope in Newcastle: ‘Mapping the Ouseburn’ , this was in collaboration with Groundwork N.E’s in their ‘Catchment in Crisis’ project focussing upon the health of the Upper River Ouseburn in Newcastle upon Tyne.

In 2019 The National Energy Action charity commiss-ioned 4 Corners to compose: 1) a book of children’s assembly songs exploring ‘Full of Energy’ exploring fuel poverty, science of heat, and the environmental impact of global warming. 2) a film in collaboration with Ellie Hare of AMBER Films, ‘LAGGIN’ BEHIND?’, with live choral and community music, based upon reminiscence, interviews with environmental consultants, architects, archive film and featuring photographs from Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen. 3) ‘Hey Piggy Piggy’, a theatre & film show for primary aged children with Theatre Sans Frontieres, exploring how to ‘Keep the Wolf from the Door’.

Caedmon released a Vinyl Album ‘RARE’ in 2019 with seven new songs and archive recordings from the 1970’s produced and engineered by Ken and with his artwork on the sleeve.

In 2020 Theatre sans Frontieres created a new shadow story ‘The Golden Conch Shell’ in collaboration with Theatre À L’Envers (Montreal), shadow puppeteer Zannie Fraser from Luminous Tales (Norwich). Ken edited the film visuals and sound track. It then was then researched & worked up as a live interactive multi media show in North Tyne valley schools with Ken playing ‘Dad’ in the live theatre sections of the show.

During the Covid lockdown of 2021 Ken started to collaborate with Whapweasel’s Stu and Finden playing ‘cello and tuba in different small line ups. They played as a trio “The Storytellers Streetband” with Chris Bostock the Storyteller and then gained more musicians to play at the Jesmond Food Market & in festivals around the north of England.

The Covid Pandemic coincided with, and significantly changed, a project commemorating the Newcastle Corn Riots of 1740, largely in response to the rise of food poverty in the UK, many issues binding the two moments in history. An outdoor performance ‘General Jane’ was achieved with songs from Janet Longbottom and Ken, and Ken animated a new video called ‘The Ballad of Geordie Barely Corn’ with new words to ‘We Plough the Fields and Scatter’ telling the tale of the Corn Riots and involving many local musicians in a lockdown mobile phone based recording.

Meze Mundo, streetband, responded to the pandemic with small groups in rehearsals outdoors, (when legal), and a programme of ‘pop’ videos recorded on mobile phones and edited together by Ken.

The Storytellers staged Winter Mummers Ceilidhs in 2022 and 2023 with an streetband line up playing self composed ceilidh tunes and acting out a Mummers play in verse written by Ken with a plot about Global Warming but with traditional characters but : Geordie the Knight, Dr Blood the Medic, Jackie Frost, Father Christmas and the baddie Baron Big Oil.