I first saw you playing with Tommy Chase back in the Eighties. What are your memories of working in that band? “Working with Tommy Chase was, at that time, a real learning experience for me. He certainly knew what he did and didn’t want! He’d tell me to play shorter, more sing-able phrases […]
Jazz ensemble Empirical recently released their 4th studio album Tabula Rasa and have been touring the UK to promote it. Ahead of their appearance this month in Brighton, SJM editor Charlie Anderson caught up with bassist Tom Farmer and asked him some questions submitted by readers of The Sussex Jazz Magazine. So, my first question […]
After a night on the town, saxophonist Ben Castle was interrogated by Charlie Anderson. Gary Burton recently complained that he gets asked the same questions in interviews: how did you start? why do you play the vibraphone? tell us about your new record, etc. So, Ben, just to be different, why do you play […]
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 […]
Adrian Kendon recently celebrated his 70th birthday with a party at The Verdict jazz club in Brighton. Performing on stage were Bobby Wellins, Geoff Simkins, Julian Nicholas, Terry Seabrook, Paul Whitten and Spike Wells together with a host of other players, including his trumpeter son, Jack Kendon. Here Adrian shares his memories of a life […]
Editor Charlie Anderson sat down with Brighton pianist John Lake who released his trio album Up On The Downs earlier this year. What big bands do you play in at the moment? “Three, at the moment. The Dave Masters Big Band that’s been going for thirty years. I haven’t been in it for […]
I wanted to interview Brighton pianist and educator Joss Peach but he had to rush off to be a dog so I emailed him some questions. Here are his responses. You always look happy and relaxed when you are performing. Is this something you’ve had to work on or does it just occur naturally? […]
Tell us about your upbringing. “I was born in Tunbridge Wells in 1951, and grew up mainly in Epsom. We lived on the Downs, in a golf club, and there was a grand piano in the members' room that I loved to sit at when the place was closed. There was no music played at […]
How did you get into jazz? “I always enjoyed listening to music from an early age…any kind. There were no musicians in my family but my mother used to play Ravi Shankar records, some Fats Waller and mainly Mozart. So quite a mixture! At school I enjoyed being in a choir and started taking classical piano […]
Originally from Yorkshire, jazz pianist Katy O’Neill now lives in Brighton. She sat down with SJM editor Charlie Anderson to talk about her playing career and her love of teaching. How did you first get into playing music? “When I was about seven or eight, a relative in my family died, and he was […]