In Huge Gesturing Loops

An Ambient Renaissance in the Company of Friends

Hello! my name’s Henry - pedal steel and dobro with Our Man in the Field.

This, my inaugral Substack, is about Our Man in the Field friendships and collaborations, and the role they played in the production of a critically acclaimed new ambient album.

2019: Jim - The Company of Strangers

In 2019, Our Man in the Field were seeking someone to record and produce our debut album.

We’d played a show the year before at L’Escargot in the West End where Jim Wallis had been in the audience. Jim is a producer, multi-instrumentalist and all-round purveyor of good vibes and taste; he was working with Bella Union at the time.

Jim contacted Al after the show and said he liked the sound and what we were trying to do a as a duo, he seemed like a kindred musical spirit and an ideal person with whom to make the album.

We began the process with a few days of live recording sessions with the band. After a few follow-up sessions and some of his own guitar, banjo and 'cello overdubs, Jim completed the final mixes - The Company of Strangers was ready for mastering and went on to be released in May 2020.

After the release of the album we were in regular contact with Jim , who joined us for a few gigs on drums and banjo when he wasn't touring with Modern Nature, Still Corners and others.