Photo of Syrinx by Bart Schoales
Syrinx was a short-lived progressive/electronic music trio formed in 1970 by composer and keyboardist John Mills-Cockell, saxophonist Doug Pringle, and percussionist Alan Wells in Toronto. The three young men were all apparently devoted acidheads who would often trip out in the middle of the woods jamming on their instruments. They’d all come from the city’s art and music scene and had been participants in various artsy “happenings” in the late 60s. Pringle’s loft space was the group’s central creative headquarters, where they would also perform for others. Mills-Cockell studied at the University of Toronto and Royal Conservatory of Music where he pioneered an electronic music course in the school’s basement. He was also an early adopter of the then new instrument, the Moog synthesizer.
Syrinx released their eponymous debut album in 1970, followed by a second album, Long Lost Relatives, in 1971. During their two-year span of working together, they did music for film and TV, for modern dance application and even recorded with the Toronto Repertory Orchestra. One piece of Syrinx’s music, titled “Tillicum,” was used as the opening theme tune for a TV program called Here Come the Seventies and also reached #38 on Canada’s RPM charts.
Last year the marvelously quirky RVNG Intl. record label put out an expansive two CD, three LP Syrinx anthology called Tumblers From The Vault and Mills-Cockell and Pringle will be reuniting for the first time (sadly minus Alan Wells who passed away in 2010) at this year’s Moogfest 2017 in Durham, North Carolina on May 20th.
Before they perform that night, a recently completed documentary directed by Zoe Kirk-Gushowaty will screen first. You can watch it now, after the jump…
