GILES THORNTON - Music Has Got Me Through
Interview by Chris Baber
Still fresh out of college (graduating from London’s Guildhall School of Music in 2018, already with an album released), composer and arranger Giles Thornton was busy working across a range of musical formats and had recorded his second album when covid-19 scuppered his plans. Like most musicians, he has been confronted with the loss of opportunities to perform his music; unlike many, he also contracted coronavirus and had to recover its the physical and psychological challenges.
Still fresh out of college (graduating from London’s Guildhall School of Music in 2018, already with an album released), composer and arranger Giles Thornton was busy working across a range of musical formats and had recorded his second album when covid-19 scuppered his plans. Like most musicians, he has been confronted with the loss of opportunities to perform his music; unlike many, he also contracted coronavirus and had to recover its the physical and psychological challenges.
Click the album cover to read our review
JV: Your recent release, ‘All at Sea’ also carries the metaphorical meaning of being discombobulated. Many of us have felt that during ‘lockdown’. How have you experienced this period of time?
GT: This time has been very difficult for me personally. I caught a bad dose of Coronavirus, right at the start in March. It took me two months to recover, but mentally, it took its toll. It was probably a long time coming, but when I had Covid-19, everything I looked at online, in the news and social media was telling me that I was going to die. Two months of that, and you have a recipe for a breakdown! I’m a lot better now though, thanks to a lot of hard work in recovery! Music has got me through.
JV: Your compositions often address issues of mental health. But the tunes themselves are seldom melancholy and often use tunings and chord sequences which feel very positive and empowering.
GT: Yes, there are sections of positivity and hopefulness during my music. For example, in “The Change”, the strange minor “A” section is then juxtaposed with a major “B” section. With this moment, I wanted to show that even though things might be very tough at the moment, it does and will get better.
Mental Health in the Music Industry, and everywhere else for that matter, is still a very taboo subject and I feel that I am in a position where I can empower people to talk about their mental health. In a lot of my music, there is a struggle within the inner lines and chords of the composition, much like struggling with your mental health. Also, I like to explore going from the static to the busy. You’ll find in a lot of my compositions, there will be moments where a player gets a chance to improvise over one chord or just a bass line. This happens in “The Ballad Of The Unnoticed”, on my first album. I use this to represent the stillness and sparseness one feels when at their lowest point. However, as a composer, I also find this gives the player a chance to express whatever they feel they want to express at that time, without chords getting in the way.
JV: ‘All at Sea’ was recorded on a floating recording studio and you also have a love of sailing. Are there parallels between sailing and composing music?
GT: Yes, I guess there are. With sailing, there are certain procedures that you have to do to keep the boat sailing forward and afloat, and this is also true with composition. We have different techniques to keep the music flowing, so that it doesn’t become static by accident. Obviously, like sailing, if you want to slow the boat down, you can! Also, there is a lot of freedom on how we get from “A” to “B”. In case of sailing, you could sail a bit, put the anchor down for a break, sailing somewhere else for a more scenic route, and then carry on to your destination. I feel the same when I am composing.
JV: On ‘Be in today’ you were working with a 25 piece ensemble. This was a very ambitious challenge to set yourself. Why start so big?
GT: It was a very ambitious project! My roots are in big band writing and playing, and I felt that if I was going to go on to have a career in Composition, then getting together a big band would be the way to do it. When you have a big band, you have so many colours at your disposal, that you wouldn’t get to the same extent with a smaller group. I also wanted to show something for my four years at Guildhall, and as well, showcase the brilliant musicians I had around me. A “calling card”, you might call it. The second album was supposed to be a big band album, but due to covid, I didn’t think it was possible. On the other hand, stripping my music back was a really fun thing to do.
JV: You’d planned to take the Big Band on tour, after a very positive response to the album launch at the Vortex. What plans do you have for touring with a Big Band?
GT: We actually did a mini tour last year. Obviously, touring a big band is an expensive task so I decided to downsize the band for the gigs that were not in London. We did Pizza Express Dean Street with the full big band, The Blue Arrow in Glasgow with a sextet and St Ives Jazz Club with a dectet. When Covid restrictions are over and it is possible to tour properly again, I hope to have a new set of music ready for rehearsal with the big band, and then I will think about touring. There are a few things that I would love to do with the big band, and I am currently writing a new Jazz/Orchestral crossover suite for them, but until covid restrictions are lifted, I can’t really begin to think about rehearsing or touring! However, I am excited to finish the suite.
JV: On both albums, you are the composer / arranger. Which instrument do you favour when you write your music?
GT: I like to write my music at a piano, or with manuscript. I feel I can be more creative that way. I am a saxophone player, but I have never felt like I want to compose from it. In terms of writing for other instruments, I love writing for the “tenor” instruments. Bass Clarinet, Cello, Trombones and French Horn. However I haven’t been able to fit a French Horn into my ensemble just yet!!
GT: This time has been very difficult for me personally. I caught a bad dose of Coronavirus, right at the start in March. It took me two months to recover, but mentally, it took its toll. It was probably a long time coming, but when I had Covid-19, everything I looked at online, in the news and social media was telling me that I was going to die. Two months of that, and you have a recipe for a breakdown! I’m a lot better now though, thanks to a lot of hard work in recovery! Music has got me through.
JV: Your compositions often address issues of mental health. But the tunes themselves are seldom melancholy and often use tunings and chord sequences which feel very positive and empowering.
GT: Yes, there are sections of positivity and hopefulness during my music. For example, in “The Change”, the strange minor “A” section is then juxtaposed with a major “B” section. With this moment, I wanted to show that even though things might be very tough at the moment, it does and will get better.
Mental Health in the Music Industry, and everywhere else for that matter, is still a very taboo subject and I feel that I am in a position where I can empower people to talk about their mental health. In a lot of my music, there is a struggle within the inner lines and chords of the composition, much like struggling with your mental health. Also, I like to explore going from the static to the busy. You’ll find in a lot of my compositions, there will be moments where a player gets a chance to improvise over one chord or just a bass line. This happens in “The Ballad Of The Unnoticed”, on my first album. I use this to represent the stillness and sparseness one feels when at their lowest point. However, as a composer, I also find this gives the player a chance to express whatever they feel they want to express at that time, without chords getting in the way.
JV: ‘All at Sea’ was recorded on a floating recording studio and you also have a love of sailing. Are there parallels between sailing and composing music?
GT: Yes, I guess there are. With sailing, there are certain procedures that you have to do to keep the boat sailing forward and afloat, and this is also true with composition. We have different techniques to keep the music flowing, so that it doesn’t become static by accident. Obviously, like sailing, if you want to slow the boat down, you can! Also, there is a lot of freedom on how we get from “A” to “B”. In case of sailing, you could sail a bit, put the anchor down for a break, sailing somewhere else for a more scenic route, and then carry on to your destination. I feel the same when I am composing.
JV: On ‘Be in today’ you were working with a 25 piece ensemble. This was a very ambitious challenge to set yourself. Why start so big?
GT: It was a very ambitious project! My roots are in big band writing and playing, and I felt that if I was going to go on to have a career in Composition, then getting together a big band would be the way to do it. When you have a big band, you have so many colours at your disposal, that you wouldn’t get to the same extent with a smaller group. I also wanted to show something for my four years at Guildhall, and as well, showcase the brilliant musicians I had around me. A “calling card”, you might call it. The second album was supposed to be a big band album, but due to covid, I didn’t think it was possible. On the other hand, stripping my music back was a really fun thing to do.
JV: You’d planned to take the Big Band on tour, after a very positive response to the album launch at the Vortex. What plans do you have for touring with a Big Band?
GT: We actually did a mini tour last year. Obviously, touring a big band is an expensive task so I decided to downsize the band for the gigs that were not in London. We did Pizza Express Dean Street with the full big band, The Blue Arrow in Glasgow with a sextet and St Ives Jazz Club with a dectet. When Covid restrictions are over and it is possible to tour properly again, I hope to have a new set of music ready for rehearsal with the big band, and then I will think about touring. There are a few things that I would love to do with the big band, and I am currently writing a new Jazz/Orchestral crossover suite for them, but until covid restrictions are lifted, I can’t really begin to think about rehearsing or touring! However, I am excited to finish the suite.
JV: On both albums, you are the composer / arranger. Which instrument do you favour when you write your music?
GT: I like to write my music at a piano, or with manuscript. I feel I can be more creative that way. I am a saxophone player, but I have never felt like I want to compose from it. In terms of writing for other instruments, I love writing for the “tenor” instruments. Bass Clarinet, Cello, Trombones and French Horn. However I haven’t been able to fit a French Horn into my ensemble just yet!!
Click the album cover to read our review
JV: ‘Just keep running’, which opens ‘Be in today’ has a complicated structure, shifting from brassy ensemble playing to plateau of stillness for the soloists. How did you imagine the solos to sound, and did this lead to composed charts for them to follow?
GT: For “Just Keep Running” I knew who I wanted to solo on it and where. I had the luxury of knowing who was going to play my music so I wrote for the players. Sam Knight was the Tenor Soloist and I knew he would enjoy building up a solo over a long form. Also, the chords are in a really nice place for the Tenor Saxophone to really sing. Mike Walker also was a guest on this track, and I thought he would do a great job of structuring a solo within the stillness of the middle section, as well as giving it a sophisticated nature.
JV: On your website you name-check several composer-arrangers. When did you start becoming interested in arranging, and who inspired you?
GT: I became interested in writing in Secondary School, and was inspired by film scores of John Williams, and Hans Zimmer, as well as Jazz arrangers like Sammy Nestico and Nelson Riddle. I was inspired by my saxophone teacher in secondary school who would always encourage me to write and arrange for the groups in the school, including an arrangement of “Downtown” for the Jazz Orchestra at the school. Ultimately, my saxophone teacher inspired me to go to Guildhall and study Jazz. Looking back, I had no idea about the theory of arranging, which I would learn in Guildhall. I just wrote things that excited my ear. I like to think that I still write things that excite my ears, but with a much better grounding in theory!
JV: For ‘All at Sea’ you said that you had provided the players with sketches and then went into rehearsal. How much was the music shaped by your direction and how much came from them?
GT: I would say that it was a very collaborative process. For my pieces, I had a strong idea on how I wanted them to sound. There wasn’t much written material. Mostly all of the charts were lead-sheets. However, “The Change” was an already written arrangement that we developed further in the sessions. When we recorded them, they would pitch in their ideas, such as a cool bass line or an interesting improv section, but I had the final say over what happened in those pieces. In other pieces that weren’t mine, Gustavo wrote a piece for instance, I took more of a producing role in shaping the sound from the control booth as I didn’t want to get in the way of his composition. Again, for the whole record, I had a strong idea about how I wanted it to sound, but it felt much more like we made the record together. After doing a few takes of one track, We would all go up to control booth and take a listen and debate what we did or didn’t like and if it was worth doing another take. I wanted to use this album to experiment with looser structures as I find that I am excited as a composer and listener by the freedom of expression, and not being too constricted by written content.
JV: You’ve been working with the Heritage Orchestra. What projects have you be doing with them?
GT: I assisted on wide ranging projects with them, including “Ibiza Classics” with Pete Tong and their BBC prom “New York: Sound Of A City”. I’ve also worked with the Metropole Orkest on projects, including their recent work with Donny McCaslin, and their BBC Prom tribute to Nina Simone. I find that whatever project I am working on, I always learn something from it, be it new interesting ways to arrange music, or that I actually really like a particular type of rap music!!
JV: Jules Buckley has also been mentor to you (as well as leading the Heritage Orchestra). How has he helped developed your approach to music making?
GT: Jules Buckley and I have had a great working relationship, working on many different projects , from Quincy Jones, to Lianne Le Havas, to the Heritage Orchestra. He has given me opportunities to explore music that I wouldn’t necessarily have gotten in to. He has also introduced me to lots of musicians, which have now gone on to be my friends and colleagues, all of which I can turn to for advice. Through working with him on lots of different projects, he has made me think about music in a lot more depth and always question why a particular line or chord should be in a piece. I remember him telling me that if something isn’t right for the music, or is hindering the music making, then change it or get rid of it. Jules has also been a very supportive friend and I owe a lot to him personally and professionally!
GT: For “Just Keep Running” I knew who I wanted to solo on it and where. I had the luxury of knowing who was going to play my music so I wrote for the players. Sam Knight was the Tenor Soloist and I knew he would enjoy building up a solo over a long form. Also, the chords are in a really nice place for the Tenor Saxophone to really sing. Mike Walker also was a guest on this track, and I thought he would do a great job of structuring a solo within the stillness of the middle section, as well as giving it a sophisticated nature.
JV: On your website you name-check several composer-arrangers. When did you start becoming interested in arranging, and who inspired you?
GT: I became interested in writing in Secondary School, and was inspired by film scores of John Williams, and Hans Zimmer, as well as Jazz arrangers like Sammy Nestico and Nelson Riddle. I was inspired by my saxophone teacher in secondary school who would always encourage me to write and arrange for the groups in the school, including an arrangement of “Downtown” for the Jazz Orchestra at the school. Ultimately, my saxophone teacher inspired me to go to Guildhall and study Jazz. Looking back, I had no idea about the theory of arranging, which I would learn in Guildhall. I just wrote things that excited my ear. I like to think that I still write things that excite my ears, but with a much better grounding in theory!
JV: For ‘All at Sea’ you said that you had provided the players with sketches and then went into rehearsal. How much was the music shaped by your direction and how much came from them?
GT: I would say that it was a very collaborative process. For my pieces, I had a strong idea on how I wanted them to sound. There wasn’t much written material. Mostly all of the charts were lead-sheets. However, “The Change” was an already written arrangement that we developed further in the sessions. When we recorded them, they would pitch in their ideas, such as a cool bass line or an interesting improv section, but I had the final say over what happened in those pieces. In other pieces that weren’t mine, Gustavo wrote a piece for instance, I took more of a producing role in shaping the sound from the control booth as I didn’t want to get in the way of his composition. Again, for the whole record, I had a strong idea about how I wanted it to sound, but it felt much more like we made the record together. After doing a few takes of one track, We would all go up to control booth and take a listen and debate what we did or didn’t like and if it was worth doing another take. I wanted to use this album to experiment with looser structures as I find that I am excited as a composer and listener by the freedom of expression, and not being too constricted by written content.
JV: You’ve been working with the Heritage Orchestra. What projects have you be doing with them?
GT: I assisted on wide ranging projects with them, including “Ibiza Classics” with Pete Tong and their BBC prom “New York: Sound Of A City”. I’ve also worked with the Metropole Orkest on projects, including their recent work with Donny McCaslin, and their BBC Prom tribute to Nina Simone. I find that whatever project I am working on, I always learn something from it, be it new interesting ways to arrange music, or that I actually really like a particular type of rap music!!
JV: Jules Buckley has also been mentor to you (as well as leading the Heritage Orchestra). How has he helped developed your approach to music making?
GT: Jules Buckley and I have had a great working relationship, working on many different projects , from Quincy Jones, to Lianne Le Havas, to the Heritage Orchestra. He has given me opportunities to explore music that I wouldn’t necessarily have gotten in to. He has also introduced me to lots of musicians, which have now gone on to be my friends and colleagues, all of which I can turn to for advice. Through working with him on lots of different projects, he has made me think about music in a lot more depth and always question why a particular line or chord should be in a piece. I remember him telling me that if something isn’t right for the music, or is hindering the music making, then change it or get rid of it. Jules has also been a very supportive friend and I owe a lot to him personally and professionally!
For more information visit gilesthorntonmusic.com
