Features

Billie Holiday: a turbulent life

• Wednesday, January 11, 2006

When Stuart Nicholson’s biography of Billie Holiday was published in the USA it was nominated a "Notable Book of the Year" by The New York Times Review of Books and praised by Pulitzer Prize winner for Music, composer Ned Norem, for its musical insights. Here, prompted by the release of Verve’s Billie Holiday: The Complete Verve Studio Master Takes, Nicholson reflects on the enduring artistry of the singer they called Lady Day, talks about how he discovered some of the previously...

Roger Beaujolais - Vibes

• Friday, February 28, 2003

“I should really get those brakes adjusted,” says Beaujolais, commenting on his set of fine Musser vibes.

Mark Fletcher - Drums

• Friday, February 28, 2003

“‘Fletcha’, come down and play some drums”. “Ronnie Scott would call me when he was getting his chops back together after the operation. We had some great moments – Ronnie and I playing just sax and drums in the club on an afternoon. He could have called up anyone in the world – he had everybody’s number. But I got the call, I felt really honoured.”Fletcher clearly felt the rhythmic need from an early age. “My dad was a drummer who did working gigs and stuff, but gave up when I was about nine...

Nikki Iles - Piano

• Friday, February 28, 2003

“The piano has it all,” says Nikki Iles.

Ralph Salmins - Drums

• Friday, February 28, 2003

Running through Salmins’ working CV is akin to dropping in on a who’s who of contemporary music: Bacharach, Elton John, Madonna as well as a raft of jazz greats including Hank Crawford, Herb Ellis and James Moody – the list goes on.

Gareth Williams - Piano and Keyboards

• Friday, February 28, 2003

Williams might have been a doctor.

Jasper Høiby - Bass

• Friday, February 28, 2003

“I got into bass when I started to pick music apart,” says Høiby.

Ivo Neame - Piano

• Friday, February 28, 2003

“I see music as a language”, says Neame, “and I’ve always been fascinated by languages and the way people express themselves.

Jay Phelps - Trumpet

• Friday, February 28, 2003

“One of my lady friends sat on my horn the other day,” says Jay Phelps a tad suggestively.

Claude Deppa - Trumpet

• Friday, February 28, 2003

Deppa used to refer to himself as “the cymbalman” and with good reason.