jazz blues rock

Saxophonist Jordan Smart, pianist Nick Smart drummer and percussionist Jesse Barrett came together to the musical journey that they had started some years ago.

First, I would like to thank you for this interview and welcome you on jazzbluesrock.gr

When and where did you start playing together for the first timeΆ

Nick : We met on a day when we were all out busking in Norwich, me and Jordan were doing and guitar set and Jesse was playing with another group. We were talking after we finished playing and decided to meet up and jam and it just went from there.

Until then you were street artists, how do you think that people look and feel your music out on the streetsΆ

Nick: Well busking was something we enjoyed when we were younger because it was a great way to practice your performance in a fairly low pressure environment. We definitely got some good feedback and encouragement from people and it was a lot of fun but we were still finding our feet musically then. As soon as we started playing as a trio we started writing together, booking gigs and we never really busked much after that, we'd been busking for a few years by then so it felt like the right time to start to start to play in real venues.

2014 was the year that you released your first album, how did you decide to start recording your music and did you have difficulties trying this new project togetherΆ

Jordan: It was after Matthew Halsall from Gondwana had got in touch with us, they offered to help us make our first record, and they invited us up to Manchester to record at 80 Hertz studios, where we have recorded all three of our albums now with George Atkins, who owns and runs the studio. We took all the tracks we were happy with, and recorded as much as we could in the time available, doing lots of live takes. The difficulties mainly came from the fact that none of us had had much experience in a studio like 80 Hertz yet, and we learned a lot as we went along. At this point we had mainly been recording our demo's as best we could at home with whatever equipment we could get together. With each album we have tried to refine the process and plan for things that caused us trouble in the past and this has led to the point where we felt comfortable producing our own third album, which was a great experience.

 

Spiritual jazz, North Indian, folk and classical music, this is a puzzle of different music styles. How can you put all these in your musicΆ

Jesse: I think for us not thinking stylistically is really important, its more about letting the influences and knowledge learned find their way naturally into the music. Its about living and breathing the music, so that playing is just an extension of everyday life and the different musical voices we are familiar with.

Is it your first time here in GreeceΆ And how do you feel about playing here the next Thursday 26 April at Kremlino music stageΆ

Jordan: We are very excited to be playing in Greece for the first time as a band. Me and Nick have actually been to Greece and the Greek Islands many times in the past as our mother is Cypriot, so we are very happy to be presenting our music there. 

Nick : I visited Greece for a week last year, staying in Athens and then the isle of Hydra for a few days, it was beautiful and I'm definitely looking forward to being back. The Kremlino stage looks great and we're really looking forward to the performance!

You will focus on your last release Shadow Work or we will hear a blend of your music the next ThursdayΆ

Jesse: We always try to approach the setlist musically, and use all of our work as a whole to create the best flow possible, so its not just focusing on Shadow Work, but that material makes up the majority of the set we are playing at the moment and we are really enjoying getting to play those tunes live. 

Is there anything that you would like to share with your friends in GreeceΆ

Jesse: Thanks so much for the support and for listening to our music! Its always special to meet people that have enjoyed our music and we look forward to getting to meet some of you and playing for you!