Back in 2021 I did a MEET THE COMPOSER interview with my publisher Warwick Music. Here it is:
Who is your biggest inspiration?
I’d have to say every musician I meet. There so many talented and enthusiastic performers I encounter both young and old that inspire me to compose, arrange and perform. Writing a duet for a grade 1 violin and tenor horn and seeing their delight at having something written just for them gives me as much of a buzz as sitting alongside some amazing performers that have worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sir Simon Rattle
Which musician, past or present, would you most like to meet?
Composer, arranger and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer has long fascinated me as someone who couldn’t be pigeonholed by genre. From the austerity of his Skylark arrangement for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis band to his swinging jazz playing with Clark Terry, he has it all.
What hobbies do you have, other than music?
I do most of the cooking at home and I love improvising with the ingredients in the cupboard but I also enjoy preparing a recipe by people like Antonio Carluccio or Jamie Oliver.
When did you first start playing an instrument?
I was a violinist at junior school but I really got the bug when my brother (a tuba player) told me to learn the bass trombone when I started secondary school so I could sit next to him in the band. Best advice I ever had and we do work together still.
Which is your most memorable performance, either as a performer or audience member?
When I was 14 I got a ticket to see Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Orchestra at the Colston Hall in Bristol. With the likes of Slide Hampton, Arturo Sandoval and of course Dizzy himself, I was rather spoiled for seeing live music afterwards as nothing could quite match the magic of these amazing players
If you didn’t have a career in music, what would you be doing now?
I always wanted to be an architect and design homes like Frank Lloyd Wright but I would probably be stuck in an office job with a decent salary but little music in my life. I’m far happier where I am now.
What is your favourite meal?
My next one!