Olivia, as arranger for the upcoming Amy Winehouse celebration, what have been the biggest challenges that you’ve faced? There’s been a few! Perhaps one of the challenges throughout has been trying to find a balance of staying true & respectful to the original material but still allowing myself to have a voice as a composer […]
There are lots of Amy Winehouse tributes around, but what makes the upcoming NYJO one different? Yes, there is a lot of Amy Winehouse tributes around, but what makes our show special, the fact that Amy was the featured singer with NYJO when she was 16, with myself being on the original Frank album session […]
Tell us about your history with NYJO and how you first got involved with them. Originally I was a trumpet player in the Jazz Orchestra while I was studying music in London. I kept playing with the band from about 21 up to the cut-off age of 25 but the founding Music Director, Bill Ashton, […]
I interviewed Mark Kavuma on the day that his new record label Banger Factory Records was officially launched. The Banger Factory began as a quintet performing weekly at The Prince of Wales in Brixton but now, seven years later, has grown to an octet and now a recording label. Your new album is out on […]
Vocalist Samara Joy won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition in 2019 and recently released her self-titled debut album. Here she answers questions put to her by Charlie Anderson. What did you find the most rewarding when you studied for your degree in Jazz Studies at Purchase College? I started at Purchase without a […]
Keyboardist Rod Pooley (pictured above, right) answers questions about his band The Drawtones and working with Jim Mullen. How did you first get into playing music? As a young kid growing up, my parents had a gramophone player. My favourite track that they regularly played was Swinging Safari – Burt Kaempfert. Apparently I used to […]
Bassist and composer Ruth Goller talks about her forthcoming debut album Skylla, which is released on 9th July. As a bassist, what was it that first attracted you to the lower register? I have always enjoyed low register sounds. I used to play the violin as a child, and still find high pitched violin painful […]
Musician Julia Biel released her latest album Black and White, Vol. 1 last year to critical acclaim. Here the vocalist and pianist talks to Charlie Anderson about her current work and upcoming projects. How did you first get into singing and playing music? I always loved to sing and got some encouragement early on from […]
Vocalist Ela Southgate spoke to Jim Burlong ahead of her concert ‘Ela With Strings’ at the Brighton Fringe Festival. Photo of Ela Southgate by Lisa Wormsley. How did you get into music to start with? My family was very musical, my mum was a teacher but could have pursued dancing as a career. She […]
Spike Wells is known for his enthusiasm, particularly behind the drum kit. On the day we spoke, the day after Ron Mathewson’s funeral, his sense of frustration was evident. Last summer he was able to officiate the funeral of long-time friend Peter King, which featured fitting tributes from Julian Joseph and Henry Lowther. In […]