Tell us a bit about how you got into playing drums. I started playing the drums quite late for a kid really. I started in secondary school when I was 12. I was lucky to be taught by Dave White who ran an amateur swing band, so when I got a bit more advanced, he […]
SJM editor Charlie Anderson spoke to One World Orchestra’s trombonist and musical director, Paul Nieman, about the band’s development and their upcoming concert at Brighton Unitarian Church. How did you first get involved with One World Orchestra? “Well, I was in Paul Busby’s Big Band for a long time, in fact since the beginning […]
SJM editor Charlie Anderson caught up with Ezra Collective keys player Joe Armon-Jones after the release of his solo debut, Starting Today. What do you get from playing music, as an experience, that you don’t get from doing anything else? I get a feeling of connection to other people through improvised music that I […]
Interview conducted by Charlie Anderson. Tell us about the Binker Golding Band. On piano is Joe Armon-Jones, on double bass is Dan Casimir and on drums is Sam Jones. They all appear on the album and it’s just the four of us on the whole thing. Generally, when we do live shows it’s that […]
SJM editor Charlie Anderson preview the Brighton Alternative Jazz Festival, 2018. Brighton Alternative Jazz Festival returns this year with a programme of varied music that embraces free jazz, minimalism and contemporary jazz at four different venues across Brighton. The festival begins on 4th October at The Verdict with a performance by British saxophonist Trevor Watts, […]
In 1951, Jamaican-born music lover Lee Gopthal, part of the Windrush generation, arrived in England and, frustrated by the lack of Jamaican music in Britain, opened up a chain of record stores. In 1968 he joined forces with Chris Blackwell (of Island Records) and set up Trojan Records as a way of distributing Jamaican music […]
Doncaster musician Skinny Pelembe spoke to SJM editor Charlie Anderson. Tell us about your influences. The first thing that I was really into was hip hop. My brothers are, like, ten years older than me so they have massive heads for that, they’re really into it, properly. So I got that second-hand, even though […]
Saxophonist Jean Toussaint proudly proclaims to be a ‘Jazz Messenger for life’ and this is reflected in his performing, as he helps keep the tradition alive through his extensive teaching and bringing younger players through. Like many former Jazz Messengers, he’s grateful for his time with the band. “It was one of those experiences […]
Trumpeter and vocalist Sue Richardson is best known for her Chet Baker tribute show, Too Cool, that interweaved a biographical narrative with classic tunes he’s associated with, together with some of his less well-known compositions. The successful show resulted in a critically acclaimed album released back in 2013. For her new show she’s chosen […]
Award winning vocalist and Radio 2 presenter Clare Teal spoke to SJM editor Charlie Anderson about her upcoming performance at the Rye International Jazz Festival and running her own record label. You’re performing at Rye Jazz Festival this year. Have you played there before? “We played there a couple of years ago in […]