6 January 2014

Nigel Price Interview

Guitarist Nigel Price spent three years with the James Taylor Quartet, is a member of The Filthy Six  (the latest signing on the legendary Acid Jazz label) and is also a regular performer at Ronnie Scotts and in 2010 The Nigel Price Organ Trio won the Parliamentary Jazz Award for best jazz ensemble.

    Jazz fans in Sussex would have seen him last year performing with his organ trio with baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan at The Verdict in Brighton and more recently with Nigel Thomas at The Ancient Mariner in Hove. Here he talks about playing with saxophonist Vasilis Xenopoulos and the jazz scene in Brighton.

 

    “Playing a lot of jazz in London means crossing paths with virtually everybody on the scene at some point and sometimes there's a real connection between musicians. From the very first few bars of my first gig with Vasilis I knew we'd be working together far and away into the future. He's a stunning musician with some real pyrotechnics in his playing but he never lets that interfere unnecessarily with his direct and melodic message which owes a great deal to the greats of yesteryear, notably Dexter Gordon. He's extremely proud of being a part of this legacy and while undeniably nodding toward this style he has a fresh, exciting take on anything he decides to turn his sharp mind to. Every single gig I've played with Vas has been a great musical experience and has always gone down a storm with the audience. I'm looking forward to the 24th.”

 

    “What do I think of Brighton jazz musicians? I was surprised to be asked this. Perhaps the question itself points to some kind of perception that they are somehow not up to par with London players. You can forget that. There are cohorts of wonderful and imaginative players down on the South Coast and to be honest they generally come across as more positive than their London counterparts. It must be all that sea air! But let's face it – Brighton isn't a million miles away from London and most of the Brighton guys and gals ARE London players anyway! Ask me something else…

 

 

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