Tell us about your group ENEMY. “It’s a trio of myself, Petter Eldh and James Maddren where me and Petter write the music. The music is all quite rhythmic, quite intense. It’s about creating quite difficult forms but still trying to be free on them. Petter uses a lot of hip hop influences and […]
Tell us about Melt Yourself Down. What inspired you to put it together? “I was inspired to do it by listening to the music of Ali Hassan Kuban which made me want to create something with the huge energy and joy of his and other Nubian musicians’ performances.” How do you go about […]
You’re performing at Smalls in Brighton on Thursday 13th April with Liam Byrne. What can the audience expect to hear? “When Liam and I play together you can expect to hear anything from 1930's/40's swing through to 1950's Bebop, numbers by Ellington, Charlie Parker and Lester Young to name a few. People have commented […]
Normally I start interviews with the question ‘How did you get into jazz?’. “Oh my god! Have you got a week?! Right, my whole family is in jazz, which helps. My mother had four brothers, all of whom were bandleaders. One brother, Sid Phillips, had Britain’s number one dixieland band and was a wonderful […]
Which tenor saxophone players are you influenced by? “My biggest influences are probably Lester Young and Ben Webster. Other favourites of mine include Al Cohn and Zoot Sims as well as the more bebop orientated tenor players such as Wardell Gray, early Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt.” Are there any saxophone players around […]
Maisha (meaning ‘Life’) are a London-based ensemble led by drummer Jake Long. The band also features Nubya Garcia on saxophone/flute, Shirley Tetteh on guitar, Amane Suganami on keyboard, Twm Dylan on double bass and Tim Doyle on percussion. Tell us about Maisha. “The group play original music inspired by artists such as Alice […]
You play in the Small’s house band. How’s that going? “It’s now at The Verdict. It’s finding its feet at the new venue. I think it’s going to be fine. We were worried because the place before, The Caxton Arms, had a really special vibe to it and a special sound to it. But […]
Tell us about your record label, Symbol Records. How did it all start? “It was 1999. I’d known Geoff Simkins for a few years so we got together in a pub by the Dome, we were chatting. I’d decided not to go to music college because I couldn’t afford it, basically. I could get […]
SJM: You’ve played a wide range of jazz styles, from the Chris Barber Band to Terence Blanchard’s The Inner City Ensemble. What’s your favourite style of jazz? Amy Roberts: I’m really open minded when it comes to styles of jazz, and in fact music full stop. My journey into jazz started with big band jazz […]
Did the piano happen first or did you get into jazz first? “No. It was originally piano lessons with a guy called Mr. Payne, who everybody in the local area went to. And that was like £2 for half an hour. So that was in a kind of straight-laced way and then he passed […]