I will never forget my first encounter with Tomorrow's Warriors back in 1999. Still living in Lisbon but already dreaming of a life in...

Ayodeji Ijishakin aka Deji aka XVNGO is the last musician part of #jazznewbloodALIVE2021 line-up to be featured in our interview series. Get to know him a little better. Deji, tell a bit more about your path with music. Are you part of a musical family? My parents themselves are quite musician people, but they never pursued it professionally. We would often sing as a family, and my Mother has actually released a few of her own songs. The musicality really has been expressed

Meet Morgan Wallace in our #jazznewbloodALIVE2021 interview series. Tell us a bit more about your background growing up in Devon. How is the jazz scene there? Growing up in Devon was lovely. I really value time outside, especially as a way to clear my head, and after moving to London I realised how much of the landscape I took for granted. I played in my school jazz band and the Devon youth Jazz orchestra, but most musical experiences I had in Devon were playing with friends

Next, pianist Scottie Thompson on our interview series. Scottie please tell us about growing up in Portsmouth. How did you start playing the piano? I started playing piano when I was about eleven and learnt by ear, working out the chords to my favourite songs. I eventually started classical lessons, which were an essential part of my development of technique and the fundamentals of the piano. I didn’t discover jazz properly until I was in sixth form. Was there a moment or a m

Today in our interview series we introduce composer and guitarist, Miles Mindlin. Your father is also a musician. Did he influence your choice of instrument? My dad began teaching me guitar when I was around 6 years old after I literally begged him to! Then around the age of 9 I asked him 'how do you play Jazz' and that was it really. He took me to sit in on a gig with Jim Mullen when I was 10 which was an incredibly inspiring early experience, we played Autumn leaves togethe

Our interview series continues with bassist Kielan Sheard who will be performing on Nov.20 on part I of our showcase #Jazznewbloodalive2021 . How did you start your relationship with music and with your instrument. I started as a musician pretty early actually! I started playing the piano when I was 5, inspired by this tiny little red toy piano my uncle got my sister for her third birthday. My parents saw I was obsessed with this piano and got me some lessons. As for the doub

Our interview series continues with Saxophonist Maddy Coombs who will be performing on Nov.20 on part II of our showcase #Jazznewbloodalive2021. Maddy tell us a bit more about your story with music and your instrument. Growing up, I was often around music - my mum is a singer songwriter/guitarist, my stepdad was from Grenada and was often blasting reggae music throughout the house, and my dad is a big music fan. I used to play clarinet in primary school, then in about year 8

We continue with interview series to introduce JazznewbloodALIVE2021 artist line-up. Meet Peruvian composer and saxophonist, ALLEXA NAVA. When did you start playing and tell us a bit about your journey with music? I started playing saxophone in secondary school when they started a symphonic band back in 2013. Later I applied to the junior programme at the National Conservatoire where I decided that I wanted to pursue a career in music. I also studied flute and clarinet. I sta

On Sat. Nov.20, JazznewbloodALIVE showcase starts a new chapter at Woolwich Works, a new riverside venue in Woolwich Arsenal, the Cultural District. After 5 years of presenting a LIVE showcase, we had to adapt to a new reality in 2020 to bring an online edition featuring Uk Jazz talent and International talent from Portugal, Germany, Israel and Italy (re-watch here) . The online platform created new opportunities beyond territories but we missed an essential element, the whol

Photos & Interview by Patricia Pascal first published at CONNECTS MUSIC Isobella Burnham, Bass player, singer and composer, maybe only 23 years old but she´s already a veteran in the Uk music scene performing live with popular artists like Tom Misch, Steamdown or International artist Sampa the Great. 2019, I invited her to present a set of original music at our showcase JazznewbloodALIVE2019 and she rose to the challenge with what was her first Live show and London Jazz Festi