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

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

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