SAM BRAYSHER - Making Something New Out Of Something Borrowed
photo by Dave Hamblett
At a time where being cutting edge or pushing at the boundaries of the music appears to be the name of the game, alto saxophonist Sam Braysher follows a different path. Not looking to forge into ahead into uncharted territory or increase the range of his instrument with extended techniques, he is intent to quietly re-examine and absorb the history of the music at a pace entirely of his choosing.
In pursuing this path he is rapidly developing his own sound and stance on the alto that acknowledges the masters yet does not imitate any of them, and neither does he sound like any of his peers. Instead he is working on a sound and concept that is true to himself yet steeped in the past, and doing so not by writing technically challenging original material but revisiting some of lesser known standards and songs from the Great American Songbook, and recasting them in a new light. Not so much just playing the material but borrowing it, completely absorbing the harmony, structure and lyrics, and returning it with a fresh outlook.
With the release of his new album, Dance Little Lady, Dance Little Man, and second under his own name he is undoubtably ensuring the future of the music does not lose sight of the past while revealing many of the joys and fresh ways in which the repertoire can be as valid today as when it was composed.
It was therefore a real privilege to talk to Sam about his Trio and the new album.
In pursuing this path he is rapidly developing his own sound and stance on the alto that acknowledges the masters yet does not imitate any of them, and neither does he sound like any of his peers. Instead he is working on a sound and concept that is true to himself yet steeped in the past, and doing so not by writing technically challenging original material but revisiting some of lesser known standards and songs from the Great American Songbook, and recasting them in a new light. Not so much just playing the material but borrowing it, completely absorbing the harmony, structure and lyrics, and returning it with a fresh outlook.
With the release of his new album, Dance Little Lady, Dance Little Man, and second under his own name he is undoubtably ensuring the future of the music does not lose sight of the past while revealing many of the joys and fresh ways in which the repertoire can be as valid today as when it was composed.
It was therefore a real privilege to talk to Sam about his Trio and the new album.
The new recording is very different from your debut album Golden Earrings with pianist, Michael Kanan. Can you tell us a bit about the new album and the trio, and was the group formed especially for the recording?
I really enjoy the conversational aspect of playing in small groups, no matter what the instrumentation is. So, as a soloist, I think it’s just a case of listening and trying to interact with whoever I’m playing alongside.
That said, there are some obvious differences between the two lineups, and the tunes on this album are slightly more “arranged” - I was aware that the chordless trio can sound a bit stark if there are no reference points. Whereas with Michael Kanan it tends to be more of a case of one of us starting a tune and then seeing what happens, with no preconceived arrangement.
I’d played some trio gigs over the last few years with various bassists and drummers in London, so had gradually compiled this selection of tunes and arrangements. Then I had the idea of recording it with Jorge and Tom; I was flattered that they were both enthusiastic about the idea. I’d played the material with Tom before, but not with Jorge and, in fact, the recording date at Jorge’s studio near Barcelona was the first time that those two had met. But they’re both such fantastic musicians that I knew they’d sound perfect together.
How did you come to meet and play with Jorge Rossy?
Back in 2015 and ‘16 I participated in a jazz summer school that Jorge runs near Barcelona each year. It was great to meet and play with young musicians from all over Europe, and one of the nice things that came about from that was a band called REBOP, a cooperative quintet with two German musicians (Linus Eppinger and Tilman Oberbeck), a young British drummer called Phelan Burgoyne on drums, and Jorge on vibraphone. So I’ve been really lucky to get to know him over the last few years by playing quite a few gigs in the UK and in Europe in that band, and we recorded an album too. He’s incredibly nice, relaxed and generous. And obviously it’s just nice to be around someone who’s played with all the amazing people that he has - he’s got lots of great stories.
Jorge's playing on vibraphone and marimba also brings an additional dimension to the music. Was bringing in these instruments always a plan with this trio or something that just evolved as a natural extension when playing together as a unit?
Most of the music came together with a trio of sax, bass and drums in mind. But when Jorge agreed to record it with me, it made complete sense to ask him to play some vibes and marimba too. He’s a fantastic melodic improviser, so I thought it’d be nice to showcase that, plus I liked the idea of varying the instrumental texture a bit, especially as he had those instruments sitting in his studio, ready to go.
As with Golden Earrings the music recorded for the new album features lesser known standards and material from the Great American Songbook. What is it that draws you to these songs and how do you go about choosing the repertoire for the Trio?
I just think that the American Songbook is an amazing resource, and I really enjoy the process of finding new (to me) or interesting tunes to play. It’s possible to find some really fascinating material if you dig a little deeper and think carefully about how you want to interpret it.
I discover tunes by listening to music, delving into the work of a particular composer, or sometimes by checking out original sheet music.
The overriding effect when hearing you perform these tunes is that you have thoroughly absorbed them, and have a clear idea of how can you bring fresh interpretations without compromising the composer's intent. How do you approach the material to bring it to life in such a contemporary setting?
Thank you! It’s not something I think about too much, but I am a fan of trying to learn tunes thoroughly, by internalising the melody strictly and then consulting lots of different recorded versions to consider which chord changes I like. I try to learn the lyrics too, although I find it hard to remember them.
Then, if it’s for a gig or a recording that I’m leading, I think about how I’d like to present it. That said, I don’t like to over-arrange tunes and it’s good to let things happen organically - some of my favourite albums are ones where the musicians are just improvising on tunes that everyone is comfortable with, with no preconceived arrangements.
I really enjoy the conversational aspect of playing in small groups, no matter what the instrumentation is. So, as a soloist, I think it’s just a case of listening and trying to interact with whoever I’m playing alongside.
That said, there are some obvious differences between the two lineups, and the tunes on this album are slightly more “arranged” - I was aware that the chordless trio can sound a bit stark if there are no reference points. Whereas with Michael Kanan it tends to be more of a case of one of us starting a tune and then seeing what happens, with no preconceived arrangement.
I’d played some trio gigs over the last few years with various bassists and drummers in London, so had gradually compiled this selection of tunes and arrangements. Then I had the idea of recording it with Jorge and Tom; I was flattered that they were both enthusiastic about the idea. I’d played the material with Tom before, but not with Jorge and, in fact, the recording date at Jorge’s studio near Barcelona was the first time that those two had met. But they’re both such fantastic musicians that I knew they’d sound perfect together.
How did you come to meet and play with Jorge Rossy?
Back in 2015 and ‘16 I participated in a jazz summer school that Jorge runs near Barcelona each year. It was great to meet and play with young musicians from all over Europe, and one of the nice things that came about from that was a band called REBOP, a cooperative quintet with two German musicians (Linus Eppinger and Tilman Oberbeck), a young British drummer called Phelan Burgoyne on drums, and Jorge on vibraphone. So I’ve been really lucky to get to know him over the last few years by playing quite a few gigs in the UK and in Europe in that band, and we recorded an album too. He’s incredibly nice, relaxed and generous. And obviously it’s just nice to be around someone who’s played with all the amazing people that he has - he’s got lots of great stories.
Jorge's playing on vibraphone and marimba also brings an additional dimension to the music. Was bringing in these instruments always a plan with this trio or something that just evolved as a natural extension when playing together as a unit?
Most of the music came together with a trio of sax, bass and drums in mind. But when Jorge agreed to record it with me, it made complete sense to ask him to play some vibes and marimba too. He’s a fantastic melodic improviser, so I thought it’d be nice to showcase that, plus I liked the idea of varying the instrumental texture a bit, especially as he had those instruments sitting in his studio, ready to go.
As with Golden Earrings the music recorded for the new album features lesser known standards and material from the Great American Songbook. What is it that draws you to these songs and how do you go about choosing the repertoire for the Trio?
I just think that the American Songbook is an amazing resource, and I really enjoy the process of finding new (to me) or interesting tunes to play. It’s possible to find some really fascinating material if you dig a little deeper and think carefully about how you want to interpret it.
I discover tunes by listening to music, delving into the work of a particular composer, or sometimes by checking out original sheet music.
The overriding effect when hearing you perform these tunes is that you have thoroughly absorbed them, and have a clear idea of how can you bring fresh interpretations without compromising the composer's intent. How do you approach the material to bring it to life in such a contemporary setting?
Thank you! It’s not something I think about too much, but I am a fan of trying to learn tunes thoroughly, by internalising the melody strictly and then consulting lots of different recorded versions to consider which chord changes I like. I try to learn the lyrics too, although I find it hard to remember them.
Then, if it’s for a gig or a recording that I’m leading, I think about how I’d like to present it. That said, I don’t like to over-arrange tunes and it’s good to let things happen organically - some of my favourite albums are ones where the musicians are just improvising on tunes that everyone is comfortable with, with no preconceived arrangements.
photo by Dave Hamblett
By giving some of these older songs and melodies into your music you are giving them a fresh lease of life and also introducing many of them to a new audience. Was this your intention and is this a path you hope to pursue with your music?
I just like playing them and discovering them really, but if I can help introduce someone to some nice songs or to a composer’s work then that’s great! I love playing and listening to original music and more contemporary stuff too, but there’s a treasure trove of older material out there to discover as well.
One of the songs on the album (“Some Other Spring”) is by a composer called Irene Kitchings, who isn’t particularly well known but is a fascinating character. She wrote some amazing songs for Billie Holiday, so it’s nice to hopefully shine a small spotlight on someone like that.
Can you tell us about your early musical experiences? When did you start to learn to play, and why the alto saxophone?
I started playing the recorder when I was six or seven. For some reason - possibly as a result of obsessing over videos of military bands - I was desperate to play the saxophone, so I had lessons on that when I started at secondary school, aged 11.
My saxophone heroes are a mixture of alto and tenor players, but I just never made that big switch from alto to tenor (although I do occasionally play tenor). I like both instruments, but I think there are fewer alto players around, so perhaps it’s slightly easier to find a personal voice on the instrument.
How did you become interested in music and jazz in particular, and who would you say have influenced you?
Whilst learning the saxophone you naturally encounter quite a lot of jazzy repertoire, and I always enjoyed playing by ear and improvising, even though most of my early music education was quite “traditional” - all written music and quite classical. I was lucky to have jazz piano lessons as a teenager in Norfolk with a local teacher called Jonathan Dodd, who gave me my first lessons in jazz and lent me some classic records. Then at 18 I moved to London to study jazz saxophone at the Guildhall School of Music, which I really enjoyed.
I have so many influences from across the history of jazz (and beyond), but for this particular album and trio set up I was vaguely thinking about the ways that Sonny Rollins, Ahmad Jamal and Thelonious Monk approach arranging and presenting standards. Not that it necessarily sounds like them at all though!
And plans for the future?
As the COVID-related restrictions ease I’m really looking forward to playing lots of music with other people, and hopefully resuming some sort of schedule as a working musician. I’m working on putting together some trio gigs to help promote this album, and I really hope that we’ll be able to tour soon with Tom and Jorge.
Knowing how long the whole process takes, I should probably get a move on with the next album! I’ve recently been playing some Kurt Weill and Leonard Bernstein songs, so perhaps I’ll record them.
I just like playing them and discovering them really, but if I can help introduce someone to some nice songs or to a composer’s work then that’s great! I love playing and listening to original music and more contemporary stuff too, but there’s a treasure trove of older material out there to discover as well.
One of the songs on the album (“Some Other Spring”) is by a composer called Irene Kitchings, who isn’t particularly well known but is a fascinating character. She wrote some amazing songs for Billie Holiday, so it’s nice to hopefully shine a small spotlight on someone like that.
Can you tell us about your early musical experiences? When did you start to learn to play, and why the alto saxophone?
I started playing the recorder when I was six or seven. For some reason - possibly as a result of obsessing over videos of military bands - I was desperate to play the saxophone, so I had lessons on that when I started at secondary school, aged 11.
My saxophone heroes are a mixture of alto and tenor players, but I just never made that big switch from alto to tenor (although I do occasionally play tenor). I like both instruments, but I think there are fewer alto players around, so perhaps it’s slightly easier to find a personal voice on the instrument.
How did you become interested in music and jazz in particular, and who would you say have influenced you?
Whilst learning the saxophone you naturally encounter quite a lot of jazzy repertoire, and I always enjoyed playing by ear and improvising, even though most of my early music education was quite “traditional” - all written music and quite classical. I was lucky to have jazz piano lessons as a teenager in Norfolk with a local teacher called Jonathan Dodd, who gave me my first lessons in jazz and lent me some classic records. Then at 18 I moved to London to study jazz saxophone at the Guildhall School of Music, which I really enjoyed.
I have so many influences from across the history of jazz (and beyond), but for this particular album and trio set up I was vaguely thinking about the ways that Sonny Rollins, Ahmad Jamal and Thelonious Monk approach arranging and presenting standards. Not that it necessarily sounds like them at all though!
And plans for the future?
As the COVID-related restrictions ease I’m really looking forward to playing lots of music with other people, and hopefully resuming some sort of schedule as a working musician. I’m working on putting together some trio gigs to help promote this album, and I really hope that we’ll be able to tour soon with Tom and Jorge.
Knowing how long the whole process takes, I should probably get a move on with the next album! I’ve recently been playing some Kurt Weill and Leonard Bernstein songs, so perhaps I’ll record them.
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