You’ve played with a long list of jazz legends, who have been your favourites? “As a teenager I was privileged to play with some great British players: George Chisholm, Martin Drew, Tony Lee, Acker Bilk, Bruce Turner etc. Later, I worked with Kenny Baker, Kenny Ball, Jim Mullen, Sir John Dankworth & Cleo Laine. I […]
The first thing that strikes you about pianist Dave Drake is his sheer enthusiasm, and not just for music, but for life. This optimism shines through when he discusses his biggest passion. “Jazz is such an expression of hope. It’s an expression of triumph over suffering. When I hear Louis Armstrong I […]
What have you learnt from your time performing with Maceo Parker? “It was an honour to have spent 8 year working with Maceo ‘the funkiest saxophone player in the world!’ There, I learnt the nuances of instrumental funk performance. The slurs between notes that give a musical phrase a ‘greasy’ feel, learning about the […]
What do jazz writers contribute to the music? I can only speak for myself, of course, but my role is to discuss the music as insightfully as possible. Whether reviewing albums or gigs or interviewing artists the golden rule is to treat the music with respect, and that means expressing negative as well as positive […]
How did you first get into jazz? Well, I’m very blessed with a very culturally-endowed kind of family. My dad has always been really really into jazz, although he wasn't a musician himself he was mostly involved in the theatre. But I had lots of music in the house, lots of vinyl and I’d pick […]
How did you get into jazz? “A heady combination of Coleman Hawkins and Joshua Redman was my first exposure to the saxophone. If that was reflected in my playing even in a small way I’d be very happy! I told a sort of half-truth early on about being able to read chord symbols so […]
Tell us about your new album. How did it come about? “The album seemed to come out of nowhere, complete with track list. I could even ‘hear’ the musicians who would be involved. (Thank goodness they agreed to play on it.)” “I’m struggling to answer the question without saying something about my life. […]
What are you working on at the moment? “I’m working on my online guitar learning site: ElectricCampfire.com. We help aspiring guitarists to level up their playing with courses, live training and a helpful community. We have over 500 members and it’s really exciting to watch everyone’s progress & development. I’d have LOVED to have […]
How would you describe your drumming, in terms of your influences and style. “I have a broad range of influences but the main drummers would be Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Paul Motian, Brian Blade and Jack DeJohnette. Having lived in London and New York for so many years, I have an equally broad spectrum […]
Tell us about your new album and your quartet. “I moved to Berlin from London several years ago and found a place within its wonderful melting pot of improvised music and jazz. About a year ago I formed a new quartet with some of my favourite players from this vibrant and creative music scene… […]