SHIRLEY SMART & JAMES ARBEN - Take Five 78
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Can you tell us about your new album?
James: It’s a duo album of freely improvised dialogues with cello and sax, flute, baritone and bass clarinet. Shirley: It is, and the duo project came about as the result of us chatting in in the green room on a gig with Mulatu Astatke's band in Germany. We were both talking about out interest in freely improvised music, and basically met up shortly afterwards just to have a play, but found that we have quite a strong sense of shared idea about what that would be, and it worked - so we continued with it!! The album was recorded by a friend of mine, Roee Bet a bout 6 months later. What other projects are you currently involved in? |
Shirley: I often play in Mulatu Astatke's band, where I met James. I also have my own trio, with John Crawford on piano and Demi Garcia Sabat on drums - and with whom i recorded my first album as bandleader 'Long Story Short' ( there were a few guests as well - Nikki Iles played a couple of tracks on accordion, Orphy Robinson joined us on vibes and Nicolas Meier, who also joins us often live, on guitar so it was sort of half a 4tet album!) I'm just working on a sextet set - with the trio, plus James on tenor/flute, Tim Quicke on trumpet and Liran Donin on bass. I also play in Issie Barrats 'Interchange' Dectet, which is a fun project, and a duo with Robert Mitchell, with whom I also have an album coming out next year. There's also a trio with Alice Zawadzki and Misha Mullov-Abbado, which doesn't gig that often, but is a lot of fun when it does!!!
And last year I played in this wonderful project called 'The Wold of Baghdad', which an illustrated slide show by Carol Isaacs. it tells the story of the exile of her Iraqi Jewish family from Baghdad, and is a really wonderful and very moving piece of art. We played, and recorded the soundtrack to the slideshow and performed it a few time last year.
And on the subject of Iraq, one of my favourite bands that I play with is the trio Sawa, with Iraqi soprano Alya al-Sultani and pianist Clemens Poetszch - basically very free interpretations of traditional Iraqi songs.
James: I am the Musical Director for the Ethiopian Musician Mulatu Astatke, which keeps me busy. I am also involved in an originals electronic Trio with Sax /Fx, Sousaphone / Keyboards, Vocals / Drums. I also play with the Hackney Colliery Band.
What are you currently listening to , and what was the last CD or download you bought?
James: The last CD I bought was an album called Kristian Persson Elements by Nine Sparks Riots, a recommendation by my Sousa-playing friend.
Shirley: I went to hear Nigel Price's organ trio (another trio that seems to have 4 people in it) at Ronnie Scotts a few weeks ago. They were playing an evening of Wes Montgomery's tunes but very differently from the originals. It was a great gig - and I was inspired to go an buy some Wes afterwards. So I bought Smokin' at the Half Note and The Wes Montgomery Trio.
And last year I played in this wonderful project called 'The Wold of Baghdad', which an illustrated slide show by Carol Isaacs. it tells the story of the exile of her Iraqi Jewish family from Baghdad, and is a really wonderful and very moving piece of art. We played, and recorded the soundtrack to the slideshow and performed it a few time last year.
And on the subject of Iraq, one of my favourite bands that I play with is the trio Sawa, with Iraqi soprano Alya al-Sultani and pianist Clemens Poetszch - basically very free interpretations of traditional Iraqi songs.
James: I am the Musical Director for the Ethiopian Musician Mulatu Astatke, which keeps me busy. I am also involved in an originals electronic Trio with Sax /Fx, Sousaphone / Keyboards, Vocals / Drums. I also play with the Hackney Colliery Band.
What are you currently listening to , and what was the last CD or download you bought?
James: The last CD I bought was an album called Kristian Persson Elements by Nine Sparks Riots, a recommendation by my Sousa-playing friend.
Shirley: I went to hear Nigel Price's organ trio (another trio that seems to have 4 people in it) at Ronnie Scotts a few weeks ago. They were playing an evening of Wes Montgomery's tunes but very differently from the originals. It was a great gig - and I was inspired to go an buy some Wes afterwards. So I bought Smokin' at the Half Note and The Wes Montgomery Trio.
Click on the album cover to read our review
What is your all-time favourite album and why?
James: It has to be Blue Trainby John Coltrane. Because I grew up with this album
Just as I was getting into Saxophone properly and it was the first album that listened to over and over again and learnt every note. It always sounds fresh and uplifting and really got me into music.
Shirley : Oh dear, thats impossible!! I can't pick one. Maybe I'll take James' lead and go with the first jazz album that I fell in love with which was Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. But then there's also Omer Avitals New Song,which I listen to endlessly. I'll stop there before we go down a rabbit hole....
Who has caught your attention recently that we should be listening out for?
James: There is an artist, called Danny Keane a cellist and pianist who I have worked with and recorded for who has just released a brilliant album called Roamin. It’s a debut work that has been years in the making and really is a collage or self portrait of his varied musical personality.
Shirley: Yes, Danny's album is great. And also Robert Mitchells solo album recorded live at the Jazz Cafe is fantastic.
I really like the American violinist Mazz Swift as well, and Israeli pianist Omer Klein.
James: It has to be Blue Trainby John Coltrane. Because I grew up with this album
Just as I was getting into Saxophone properly and it was the first album that listened to over and over again and learnt every note. It always sounds fresh and uplifting and really got me into music.
Shirley : Oh dear, thats impossible!! I can't pick one. Maybe I'll take James' lead and go with the first jazz album that I fell in love with which was Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus. But then there's also Omer Avitals New Song,which I listen to endlessly. I'll stop there before we go down a rabbit hole....
Who has caught your attention recently that we should be listening out for?
James: There is an artist, called Danny Keane a cellist and pianist who I have worked with and recorded for who has just released a brilliant album called Roamin. It’s a debut work that has been years in the making and really is a collage or self portrait of his varied musical personality.
Shirley: Yes, Danny's album is great. And also Robert Mitchells solo album recorded live at the Jazz Cafe is fantastic.
I really like the American violinist Mazz Swift as well, and Israeli pianist Omer Klein.
