KIM CYPHER - Catching Up With The Ever-busy Saxophonist,
Vocalist & Composer
Vocalist & Composer
Interview by Sammy Stein
Kim Cypher is increasingly gaining respect as a musician and band leader. Not only that but she has added journalism and a radio show, which she co-hosts with husband Mike, to her already impressive C.V. In 2016 Kim released her album Make Believe and in 2019 her follow up album Love Kim x proved instantly popular. Since then she has been on a musical ride, gaining increasing recognition. (She also has a great embouchure which gives her playing a distinctive style). Her rise was interrupted by a pandemic but even during lockdowns she was producing music and taking part in inspirational projects. She is always aware of the support she receives from people, many of whom have been with her on her journey, which began over 11 years ago. These include the photographer Ron Milsom, whose work can be seen on many of Kim's projects and who remains a firm supporter of this dynamic musician. Of course, her husband, Mike , who also drums in the band, supports Kim tirelessly.
I have observed Kim as she makes her journey in music and was interested to find out whether her views have been changed by her experiences since I first interviewed and reviewed her a few years ago. Kim contributed to my books Women In Jazz in 2017 and Gender in UK Jazz - A Discussion, in 2020 and has always been willing to share her thoughts and opinions on the ever-changing music scene.
So, here is Kim , a few years on from our first discussion.
(SS- Sammy Stein KC - Kim Cypher)
SS - When I first interviewed you, you spoke of how yourself and Mike had decided to take the huge risk and give up your jobs to go into music. All these years on, would you say this was a good decision?
KC - Our decision to give up the ‘day jobs’ was around 11 years ago now. We have been slowly but surely ‘chipping away’ at building our music careers, regularly releasing new, original music and videos, touring the albums and really establishing ourselves on the UK jazz scene and further afield. Years of hard work later, we are definitely beginning to achieve the goals we set out to achieve. So, has it been a good decision? Absolutely 100% yes! Life is for living and that is exactly what we’re doing. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been a walk in the park and there have been sacrifices along the way, but to allow ourselves to focus on what we love doing and what we were meant to be doing is the best decision ever.
SS - You kindly contributed to my Women In Jazz book in 2017 and I wondered whether your opinion had changed. At the time you related several stories where being female had proved both positive and negative. For example, how your husband Mike had spoken to a venue to get a gig who had only hours before told you there was no space and he got offered the gig. Is it the same now or have things changed?
KC - My opinions on this remain mostly positive as, despite some occasions where I have experienced some signs of a negative attitude towards women, this is not generally the way I find things. I am incredibly lucky to work with hugely respectful people and I think there is huge awareness now so things are definitely changing for the better.
SS - When we first spoke, you had big dreams about where you wanted your music to take you. Have these dreams been fulfilled and what has been the most significant aspect of your music career so far?
KC - Following dreams has been the driving force behind our musical progression. Losing my mum in 2000 was a turning point in my life. It was a moment that shaped the rest of my life going forwards. The realisation that life is too short sparked an absolute passion to live for today and to follow dreams. We dreamt of putting our own music out there. I now have two highly acclaimed albums released and a selection of single tracks, with lots more in the pipeline for the next few months. We dreamt of performing in New York one day, and we achieved that in 2016" ( Kim is being modest here - in 2016 she was flown to New York with her jazz quartet for a private performance in Manhattan. In 2017, she was commissioned to perform for another private event for Theresa May, the then Prime Minister).
We have always been very passionate about bringing happiness to people through our music. It is a way of connecting with people and a really important part of what we do. This became even more significant when the coronavirus hit. We found ourselves with an overwhelming passion to keep connected with everyone and to keep the music playing. We achieved this with our daily coffee and chat sessions and our community song and video release ‘Crazy Times’. But, if anyone ever asked us what our biggest musical dream was, it was to perform at the world-renowned Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.
Kim Cypher is increasingly gaining respect as a musician and band leader. Not only that but she has added journalism and a radio show, which she co-hosts with husband Mike, to her already impressive C.V. In 2016 Kim released her album Make Believe and in 2019 her follow up album Love Kim x proved instantly popular. Since then she has been on a musical ride, gaining increasing recognition. (She also has a great embouchure which gives her playing a distinctive style). Her rise was interrupted by a pandemic but even during lockdowns she was producing music and taking part in inspirational projects. She is always aware of the support she receives from people, many of whom have been with her on her journey, which began over 11 years ago. These include the photographer Ron Milsom, whose work can be seen on many of Kim's projects and who remains a firm supporter of this dynamic musician. Of course, her husband, Mike , who also drums in the band, supports Kim tirelessly.
I have observed Kim as she makes her journey in music and was interested to find out whether her views have been changed by her experiences since I first interviewed and reviewed her a few years ago. Kim contributed to my books Women In Jazz in 2017 and Gender in UK Jazz - A Discussion, in 2020 and has always been willing to share her thoughts and opinions on the ever-changing music scene.
So, here is Kim , a few years on from our first discussion.
(SS- Sammy Stein KC - Kim Cypher)
SS - When I first interviewed you, you spoke of how yourself and Mike had decided to take the huge risk and give up your jobs to go into music. All these years on, would you say this was a good decision?
KC - Our decision to give up the ‘day jobs’ was around 11 years ago now. We have been slowly but surely ‘chipping away’ at building our music careers, regularly releasing new, original music and videos, touring the albums and really establishing ourselves on the UK jazz scene and further afield. Years of hard work later, we are definitely beginning to achieve the goals we set out to achieve. So, has it been a good decision? Absolutely 100% yes! Life is for living and that is exactly what we’re doing. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t been a walk in the park and there have been sacrifices along the way, but to allow ourselves to focus on what we love doing and what we were meant to be doing is the best decision ever.
SS - You kindly contributed to my Women In Jazz book in 2017 and I wondered whether your opinion had changed. At the time you related several stories where being female had proved both positive and negative. For example, how your husband Mike had spoken to a venue to get a gig who had only hours before told you there was no space and he got offered the gig. Is it the same now or have things changed?
KC - My opinions on this remain mostly positive as, despite some occasions where I have experienced some signs of a negative attitude towards women, this is not generally the way I find things. I am incredibly lucky to work with hugely respectful people and I think there is huge awareness now so things are definitely changing for the better.
SS - When we first spoke, you had big dreams about where you wanted your music to take you. Have these dreams been fulfilled and what has been the most significant aspect of your music career so far?
KC - Following dreams has been the driving force behind our musical progression. Losing my mum in 2000 was a turning point in my life. It was a moment that shaped the rest of my life going forwards. The realisation that life is too short sparked an absolute passion to live for today and to follow dreams. We dreamt of putting our own music out there. I now have two highly acclaimed albums released and a selection of single tracks, with lots more in the pipeline for the next few months. We dreamt of performing in New York one day, and we achieved that in 2016" ( Kim is being modest here - in 2016 she was flown to New York with her jazz quartet for a private performance in Manhattan. In 2017, she was commissioned to perform for another private event for Theresa May, the then Prime Minister).
We have always been very passionate about bringing happiness to people through our music. It is a way of connecting with people and a really important part of what we do. This became even more significant when the coronavirus hit. We found ourselves with an overwhelming passion to keep connected with everyone and to keep the music playing. We achieved this with our daily coffee and chat sessions and our community song and video release ‘Crazy Times’. But, if anyone ever asked us what our biggest musical dream was, it was to perform at the world-renowned Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club.
SS - You recently played a sell-out gig at said Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club which was something you had mentioned very early on, almost joking when you said, ‘well, one day I hope to play Ronnie’s but let’s see’. Now you have done it, how do you feel?
KC - I think I mentioned our dream of playing Ronnie Scott’s to everyone! It was in our sights and we hoped that one day we would achieve it. I’m so glad we did as I am not very good at giving up so this could have gone on for many more years to come! We can laugh now, but I think we had daily conversations about how we could achieve this dream. So, it’s nice now to have conversations about how we did it and the memory of being on stage there is something we will treasure forever. The history and incredibly inspiring story behind Ronnie Scott’s has been a huge driving force for us. Having recently performed a sold-out debut performance there to the most appreciative audience must be the most significant aspect of our music career so far. We still can’t quite believe we have done it. It has taken years of hard work to realise that gig and the sense of achievement is huge. Hopefully, it will be a handy achievement going forwards as we follow more dreams.
SS - What is next in the Kim Cypher calendar?
KC - Up next are some exciting original music releases, including a charity single. We always like to have a fundraising project on the go, raising money for charities close to our hearts. Before lockdown it was my ‘For Mum’ project raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity. Currently, we have a project in honour of an amazing friend Karen Jackson who inspired much of my music. This project is raising money for the cancer charity Maggie’s. They have centres worldwide and provide amazing support for families going through cancer. I have written a song called ‘Bring Your Own Sunshine’ which will be released as an anthem for Maggie’s. It is quite different to my usual style, being a gospel song featuring US guitarist B.D. Lenz. ( Lenz featured on 'Rising From The Dust' on Kim's previous album too). Following that, I have two original tracks that I am very proud of, both being composed during lockdown. One of them is a funky track with positive vibes that everything is going to be ok. The other is a sensitive jazz waltz looking towards a brighter tomorrow. We performed this track live at Ronnie Scott’s and it was received very emotionally. So, I cannot wait to put these tracks out later in the year. Of course, we are also getting back to performing live which is very welcome indeed.
SS - Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
KC- Definitely still enjoying our music, however that looks. Hopefully, still performing at great venues, meeting wonderful people and creating new music and videos. Perhaps our music will take us back to New York and to other exciting places. There is unending creativity within me and I will always need an outlet for that. It is part of my existence and happiness in life. We do also have some specific dreams which we are working on, but I wouldn’t want to jinx them by announcing them to the world yet. But, playing Birdland in New York would be nice!
SS - I remember you discussing the physicality of being a performer, the lugging of equipment and having to allow time to prepare for a gig. How do you feel about this now? Is it still hard?
KC - It has been hard getting back to it after 16 months off. The first few gigs back were a bit of a shock to the system. But you know, that kind of life is our way of life. We thrive on the late nights, long car journeys, service station stops etc. Only last week as we travelled back home from a gig in the early hours of the morning with road diversions sending us off the motorway to travel home cross-country, Mike looked at me and said, “It’s great to be back to it”. The Ronnie Scott’s gig was also an example of how hard it can be sometimes. When the gig was offered, I looked at our gig calendar and could see that it was going to be a mega busy weekend. The night before we played another great gig, had two hours sleep before I had to get up at 4.30am to get ready before setting off to London to play the lunchtime jazz session at Ronnie Scott’s. There really is no glamour, but it’s what we do and we absolutely love it. A little more glamour would be nice though and we may need to add some extra ‘recovery’ time after each gig as the years go by.
SS - Do you think, now you are better known, that attitudes have changed towards you? Is there anyone who has inspired you or someone you would like to play with?
KC - We are always incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us on our journey. It is an amazing feeling when people believe in you and give you an opportunity. Without that we wouldn’t be where we are today. There are many people who have inspired us along the way. Anyone making a living out of music is an inspiration. It’s not easy. We love performing with great musicians and we are thankful that all the musicians we work with are not only incredible musicians but also really lovely people. We’re always open to offers to perform with other musicians and we’re very grateful to have worked with so many amazing musicians along the way. I’d love to collaborate on some recordings in the future so who knows who that might include. It would also be a dream come true to front a big band.
KC - I think I mentioned our dream of playing Ronnie Scott’s to everyone! It was in our sights and we hoped that one day we would achieve it. I’m so glad we did as I am not very good at giving up so this could have gone on for many more years to come! We can laugh now, but I think we had daily conversations about how we could achieve this dream. So, it’s nice now to have conversations about how we did it and the memory of being on stage there is something we will treasure forever. The history and incredibly inspiring story behind Ronnie Scott’s has been a huge driving force for us. Having recently performed a sold-out debut performance there to the most appreciative audience must be the most significant aspect of our music career so far. We still can’t quite believe we have done it. It has taken years of hard work to realise that gig and the sense of achievement is huge. Hopefully, it will be a handy achievement going forwards as we follow more dreams.
SS - What is next in the Kim Cypher calendar?
KC - Up next are some exciting original music releases, including a charity single. We always like to have a fundraising project on the go, raising money for charities close to our hearts. Before lockdown it was my ‘For Mum’ project raising money for The Brain Tumour Charity. Currently, we have a project in honour of an amazing friend Karen Jackson who inspired much of my music. This project is raising money for the cancer charity Maggie’s. They have centres worldwide and provide amazing support for families going through cancer. I have written a song called ‘Bring Your Own Sunshine’ which will be released as an anthem for Maggie’s. It is quite different to my usual style, being a gospel song featuring US guitarist B.D. Lenz. ( Lenz featured on 'Rising From The Dust' on Kim's previous album too). Following that, I have two original tracks that I am very proud of, both being composed during lockdown. One of them is a funky track with positive vibes that everything is going to be ok. The other is a sensitive jazz waltz looking towards a brighter tomorrow. We performed this track live at Ronnie Scott’s and it was received very emotionally. So, I cannot wait to put these tracks out later in the year. Of course, we are also getting back to performing live which is very welcome indeed.
SS - Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
KC- Definitely still enjoying our music, however that looks. Hopefully, still performing at great venues, meeting wonderful people and creating new music and videos. Perhaps our music will take us back to New York and to other exciting places. There is unending creativity within me and I will always need an outlet for that. It is part of my existence and happiness in life. We do also have some specific dreams which we are working on, but I wouldn’t want to jinx them by announcing them to the world yet. But, playing Birdland in New York would be nice!
SS - I remember you discussing the physicality of being a performer, the lugging of equipment and having to allow time to prepare for a gig. How do you feel about this now? Is it still hard?
KC - It has been hard getting back to it after 16 months off. The first few gigs back were a bit of a shock to the system. But you know, that kind of life is our way of life. We thrive on the late nights, long car journeys, service station stops etc. Only last week as we travelled back home from a gig in the early hours of the morning with road diversions sending us off the motorway to travel home cross-country, Mike looked at me and said, “It’s great to be back to it”. The Ronnie Scott’s gig was also an example of how hard it can be sometimes. When the gig was offered, I looked at our gig calendar and could see that it was going to be a mega busy weekend. The night before we played another great gig, had two hours sleep before I had to get up at 4.30am to get ready before setting off to London to play the lunchtime jazz session at Ronnie Scott’s. There really is no glamour, but it’s what we do and we absolutely love it. A little more glamour would be nice though and we may need to add some extra ‘recovery’ time after each gig as the years go by.
SS - Do you think, now you are better known, that attitudes have changed towards you? Is there anyone who has inspired you or someone you would like to play with?
KC - We are always incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported us on our journey. It is an amazing feeling when people believe in you and give you an opportunity. Without that we wouldn’t be where we are today. There are many people who have inspired us along the way. Anyone making a living out of music is an inspiration. It’s not easy. We love performing with great musicians and we are thankful that all the musicians we work with are not only incredible musicians but also really lovely people. We’re always open to offers to perform with other musicians and we’re very grateful to have worked with so many amazing musicians along the way. I’d love to collaborate on some recordings in the future so who knows who that might include. It would also be a dream come true to front a big band.
SS - So, looking back to Kim Cypher, head of music at a primary school and Mike Cypher regional manager of a national bank, would you say you are different people now or are you the same people but enjoying the changes? Teacher or musician, bank manager or musician?
KC - We are the same people, but now we are in the right place. Don’t get me wrong, we both worked hard at our previous day jobs and I am incredibly proud of Mike’s achievements in the bank. He was a superb regional manager and he could have taken his career to even greater heights. But it is so nice to have that feeling that we are finally where we belong. It really did feel like coming home. I guess I will always have the traits of a school teacher (I like to be in control) and years of standing in front of a class / assembly can only be a good thing to carry over to performing in front of an audience. Mike will always be good at keeping control of the finances and costing things up so his bank manager ways are still with him. But, he is without doubt, 100% heart and soul, a drummer.
SS - As a couple, how do you split roles and who decide who does what?
KC - Our roles naturally evolved. We never sat down and worked it all out, we just naturally gravitated towards our individual strengths. I am very much the generator of creative projects and I do this spontaneously. Mike will then kick in with whatever support is required, generally with despair as my projects get bigger and bigger and cost more and more money! But, thankfully we are both of the same view that if you’re going to do something, you must do it properly. I am not interested at all in the finance side of things though. I just want to be creative. So, it is a good balance having an ex-bank manager to keep an eye on everything and keep my creative visions under control!
SS - Would you say there have been any downsides to the choice you both made to go into music full time? How have friends and family reacted?
KC - Friends and family are very supportive. At the beginning there was naturally some concern and opposition towards our decision. But now everyone can see we are doing what we need to be doing : they are happy as long as we are. The only downside is that sometimes people don’t fully understand what being a full-time self-employed musician entails. You really have to be in it to understand it. Often people ask what we do all day as they believe our work is just the time we spend on stage performing and yet that is just a small proportion of what we do. Behind the scenes we are working on all the peripheral things like getting gigs, PR, practising, writing, doing the accounts, contracts, dealing with clients, doing interviews, press, radio, social media, website updates, gig listings. It really is a full-time job!
SS - As well as being a musician and leading your band, you have diversified into journalism and radio. We worked together on your excellent debut piece for the Jazz Journalist Association. What appeals to you about journalism and writing?
KC - I love writing. I love having another outlet to be creative and also to have the opportunity to celebrate something or somebody. Lockdown allowed extra time to branch out into other related fields and I really do love it. I hope I will continue to find sufficient time to devote to this going forwards.
SS - You have also got your own regular show on JazzBites Radio - the Big Jazz Hullabaloo, which is proving an extremely popular show and hosted by you and Mike. What appealed to you about radio work and would you like to do more radio shows?
KC- Mike and I absolutely love our Big Jazz Hullabaloo radio show on JazzBites Radio. We had a little taste of co-hosting with our daily coffee and chat sessions during lockdown. We had no idea how popular these would become and how people would enjoy our marital banter together with our lively, fun (slightly bonkers) presentation! We really do work well together and love having the opportunity to share great music and support other musicians whilst having fun. We are grateful to Anthea and Jacques of JazzBites Radio for the opportunity to present our show worldwide and we would love to continue this for as long as possible.
SS - What advice would you give to a jazz musician with talent just starting out?
KC - Find your place and always remain true to yourself. It’s a tough business and it's easy to get distracted by what others are doing and to lose self-belief. But, with total belief and commitment together with ongoing hard work and resilience, it’s definitely worth going for it. It is always going to be better to try to achieve your dreams than to never try. So, get yourself out there and go for it!
So, a great musician sharing her thoughts - good advice and I am sure Kim Cypher will continue to go from strength to strength.
Kim's next show is on Friday 3rd September at Zedel's ( Crazy Coqs) celebrating a return to 'live music'. 'Great Music, Good Times' ticket link is here:
https://www.brasseriezedel.com/events/kim-cypher-trio-great-music-good-times/
Link to our fundraising project ‘Bring Your Own Sunshine’:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bringyourownsunshineformaggie
Link to JazzBites Radio where you can find show times for Kim and Mike's Big Jazz Hullabaloo Showtimes - JAZZBITES RADIO (thejazzrepository.org)
Article Kim wrote for the Jazz Journalist Association. JJA News » Kim Cypher (jazzjournalists.org)
KC - We are the same people, but now we are in the right place. Don’t get me wrong, we both worked hard at our previous day jobs and I am incredibly proud of Mike’s achievements in the bank. He was a superb regional manager and he could have taken his career to even greater heights. But it is so nice to have that feeling that we are finally where we belong. It really did feel like coming home. I guess I will always have the traits of a school teacher (I like to be in control) and years of standing in front of a class / assembly can only be a good thing to carry over to performing in front of an audience. Mike will always be good at keeping control of the finances and costing things up so his bank manager ways are still with him. But, he is without doubt, 100% heart and soul, a drummer.
SS - As a couple, how do you split roles and who decide who does what?
KC - Our roles naturally evolved. We never sat down and worked it all out, we just naturally gravitated towards our individual strengths. I am very much the generator of creative projects and I do this spontaneously. Mike will then kick in with whatever support is required, generally with despair as my projects get bigger and bigger and cost more and more money! But, thankfully we are both of the same view that if you’re going to do something, you must do it properly. I am not interested at all in the finance side of things though. I just want to be creative. So, it is a good balance having an ex-bank manager to keep an eye on everything and keep my creative visions under control!
SS - Would you say there have been any downsides to the choice you both made to go into music full time? How have friends and family reacted?
KC - Friends and family are very supportive. At the beginning there was naturally some concern and opposition towards our decision. But now everyone can see we are doing what we need to be doing : they are happy as long as we are. The only downside is that sometimes people don’t fully understand what being a full-time self-employed musician entails. You really have to be in it to understand it. Often people ask what we do all day as they believe our work is just the time we spend on stage performing and yet that is just a small proportion of what we do. Behind the scenes we are working on all the peripheral things like getting gigs, PR, practising, writing, doing the accounts, contracts, dealing with clients, doing interviews, press, radio, social media, website updates, gig listings. It really is a full-time job!
SS - As well as being a musician and leading your band, you have diversified into journalism and radio. We worked together on your excellent debut piece for the Jazz Journalist Association. What appeals to you about journalism and writing?
KC - I love writing. I love having another outlet to be creative and also to have the opportunity to celebrate something or somebody. Lockdown allowed extra time to branch out into other related fields and I really do love it. I hope I will continue to find sufficient time to devote to this going forwards.
SS - You have also got your own regular show on JazzBites Radio - the Big Jazz Hullabaloo, which is proving an extremely popular show and hosted by you and Mike. What appealed to you about radio work and would you like to do more radio shows?
KC- Mike and I absolutely love our Big Jazz Hullabaloo radio show on JazzBites Radio. We had a little taste of co-hosting with our daily coffee and chat sessions during lockdown. We had no idea how popular these would become and how people would enjoy our marital banter together with our lively, fun (slightly bonkers) presentation! We really do work well together and love having the opportunity to share great music and support other musicians whilst having fun. We are grateful to Anthea and Jacques of JazzBites Radio for the opportunity to present our show worldwide and we would love to continue this for as long as possible.
SS - What advice would you give to a jazz musician with talent just starting out?
KC - Find your place and always remain true to yourself. It’s a tough business and it's easy to get distracted by what others are doing and to lose self-belief. But, with total belief and commitment together with ongoing hard work and resilience, it’s definitely worth going for it. It is always going to be better to try to achieve your dreams than to never try. So, get yourself out there and go for it!
So, a great musician sharing her thoughts - good advice and I am sure Kim Cypher will continue to go from strength to strength.
Kim's next show is on Friday 3rd September at Zedel's ( Crazy Coqs) celebrating a return to 'live music'. 'Great Music, Good Times' ticket link is here:
https://www.brasseriezedel.com/events/kim-cypher-trio-great-music-good-times/
Link to our fundraising project ‘Bring Your Own Sunshine’:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bringyourownsunshineformaggie
Link to JazzBites Radio where you can find show times for Kim and Mike's Big Jazz Hullabaloo Showtimes - JAZZBITES RADIO (thejazzrepository.org)
Article Kim wrote for the Jazz Journalist Association. JJA News » Kim Cypher (jazzjournalists.org)
For more information and to buy Kim's albums & singles visit kimcypher.com
Click on the album cover to read our review of 'Love Kim x'
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