Tell us about how you go about composing a new song. “I sit down by the piano and play and sing freely. I try not to think too much or judge myself too hard, and I try not to be impatient. I hope for a special and original phrase or melody to appear. I […]
You’ve recently been touring the world with Pat Metheny. How was that? “It’s been a fantastic experience and it's been an amazing opportunity to play with one of my absolute heroes (who are Pat Metheny and Keith Jarrett), whose music was responsible for getting me into jazz in the first place, as a teenager. […]
How did you first get into Joni Mitchell? I’ve been into Joni Mitchell for many years. I did a Performance Arts degree and for my degree show I decided to do the album Blue. That was because, all through my teens, I’d been listening to that album. So that’s twenty years ago now. […]
We caught up with guitarist Nigel Price in the midst of his latest epic tour of the UK that also sees the launch of his latest album. You’ve got a new album out in November. Tell us about Heads and Tales (Vol. 2). “I have never been so pleased with a recording. […]
You’ve worked with Tom Rainey before on the album And Other Desert Towns, how is your latest album with him different? “Tom and I have worked together since 2007. We play in a number of groups and have played a lot of composed as well as improvised music together – our duo being […]
Trombonist and composer Tom Green is a graduate of the Royal Academy jazz course and his septet released their debut album last year to critical acclaim. He appears later this month at The Verdict in Brighton as part of the successful New Generation Jazz series. How did you first get into jazz? […]
What process do you go through to create a piece of music? “I develop pieces through a process of composition and improvisation. I create sonic spaces for musicians to explore and then often work with ‘blind improvisation’ where I give no prior guidance before recording. The performances that comes from a master musician exploring an […]
Tell us about your first inspiration for playing the saxophone. “I wanted to play the sax ever since I saw someone playing it on Top of the Pops! This was when i was about 10. When I started playing I was really into Hank Crawford, and then one of my older brothers got me […]
What has been your personal experience of music education? “I learnt piano and violin at school, but got bored with the rigid approach. I think I’m a bit dyslexic when it comes to reading musical notes on a page, so found it very tricky (and still do). I’ve always found it much easier to […]
Born Denise White and raised in Chester, Pennsylvania (on the outskirts of Philadelphia), she had an upbringing filled with music, especially church gospel music. She started learning to play piano from the age of seven and attended Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia where she studied piano, graduating with a degree in philosophy. Appointed […]