MFY You have a really successful career as a musician, your style is unique, what inspires you and what makes you want to perform?
SK I love the feeling that comes from connecting with an audience, and from really gelling with musicians. I’ve also seen so many great concerts and I just want continually improve.
MFY How did you get into music and what are your memories of learning music at school, college or university
SK I first started on recorder and then clarinet at Primary school. I remember learning a blues pentatonic scale when I was 11, feeling like it was a real milestone and it started me improvising. I did a lot of learning outside of school too – going to the library to get hold of rare jazz records, or having lessons with musicians such as Jason Yarde and Jean Toussaint.
MFY What was your big breakthrough?
SK Hard to say I have any one big breakthrough. But winning the Montreaux Jazz Festival’s Saxophone competition in 2001 and then a Mercury Music Prize Nomination were pretty huge.
MFY What are your thought on the relationship between different musical genres?
SK A lot of apparentely disparate musical styles have a common root. I think its important to understand and embrace tradition within musical styles and then not be bound by them.
MFY What one song or piece of music would work as the soundtrack to your life?
SK Hmmm. Alabama – John Coltrane
MFY What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you?
SK ‘Study the root of the music’ (Wynton Marsalis)
MFY Is there anything that you have had to sacrifice for your music?
SK Yes. I virtually lived in my Aunt’s basement for almost 4 months just practicing… so oxygen and society.
MFY What elements do you think go towards making a great performance?
SK Band telepathy and passion.
MFY Who is your favourite musician or performing group right now and why?
SK Ty – he continually pushes back boundaries. His new album Special Kind of Fool is great too.
MFY What’s the last recording you bought or downloaded?
SK Jaleel Shaw – Optimism
MFY If you could collaborate with any other musician(s) dead or alive who would it/they be?
SK Sonny Rollins
MFY You have a degree in history, what would you be doing if you weren’t a musician?
SK Probably a novelist, or wordsmith of some kind.
MFY Do you have any advice you could give to Music for Youth performers about how they can improve their performances and continue to develop as musicians?
SK Find other musicians with the same passions as yourself. Meet up regularly and create your own performance opportunities. Everyone wants to get signed, but only few do the ground work to create their own scene and audience!
MFY What advice could you give to young musicians wanting to explore music away from the mainstream?
SK Go to some small/medium scale venues and check out some live acts that are off the radar.
MFY Could you offer one piece of advice that might help any young musicians and composers navigate their way through to a musical career?
SK Try and get your artistic/musical concept together before all of the press shots/website etc. Lots of young musicians are keen to get labels interested but their sound is not distinct enough and they have no live/practical experience.
MFY Who are your musical heroes?
SK John Coltrane, Bob Marley, KRS One
MFY What are your plans for the future?
SK Recording and releasing better and better albums. Who knows after that!
MFY What is your favorite music venue and why?
SK Old Brown Jug – Newcastle-under-Lyme. Great cosy size, warm audience and wooden floors (perfect acoustics for a jazz concert)
MFY If you could recommend one recording to a young musician, what would it be?
SK Giant Steps – John Coltrane
MFY Any final tips/anecdotes/thoughts…(imagine a 14 year old musician reading this)
SK Follow your own conviction in music not just what think other people will like – we usually get that wrong.
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