Page 147 - Guildhall School Media Highlights Coverage Book - 2019-2020

Tim Garland, Joe Locke and Gwilym Simcock. Publicity photos
TG: I asked Gwil and Joe to send in three pieces each, as I have done, so its very democratic!
It is such a pleasure to bring musicians of the calibre of Joe and Gwilym together, there is so
much deep understanding of so much music, which is assumed, we don’t have to talk through
every detail.

LJN: The trio Storms/ Nocturnes has been around intermittently since 2000. How did the
name come about and is there a particular aesthetic that it represents?

TG: What I know will be present in this trio encounter is the same quality that abounded in
the Storms/Nocturnes Trio which is the ability to play very intricate and lyrical music, with
the transparency that this very acoustic combination of instruments offers, with a huge
amount of groove-centred energy. Those two opposites inspired the name Storms/Nocturnes.

LJN: A very astute review of the album VIA picked up Geoffrey Keezer’s quote about “the
perceived and over-hyped chasm between American and European Jazz”. Any thoughts on
that now, nine years later?

TG: I think Geoffrey was right on the money, it is a function of the kind of minds we have, to
create order through labelling and packaging things, and we live in a world where we all have
to flash our labels about! Scratch the surface of that “Euro vs. USA” jazz argument and it gets
so bombarded by contradictions and exceptions these days that it can do the music a
disservice. There is a place for it in archiving the history of the music for sure, and anyone
who knows the history of jazz would be foolish to disrespect or downplay its roots.

The musicians I love working with the most have a very broad understanding of musical
history but in a way which is truly visceral; listen to the way Jason Rebello plays, for
example, there is such a deep sense of the beat.

LJN: For you in 2020 this is the first of quite a few new and continuing projects. What else is
coming up?

TG: My next gig is on 31 January with the Guildhall Big Band featuring eight of my pieces,
including arrangements from Weather Walker, and the award-winning ONE album of 2016.

The Guildhall is where I studied many years ago and this will be the first time I’ve worked
with the big band for many years. In the set is also an arrangement of mine of a Chick Corea
classic, Windows.

The discipline of jazz soloists playing in a big band was stressed to me many years ago by
Joe Lovano. The astute attention to phrasing, articulation and the minutiae of good ensemble
playing results in a greater awareness of the whole band when you are soloing and a broader
tonal palette as you express yourself.

It is also, of course, helping maintain a rich and living tradition of music making. I heard
NYJO at Ronnie’s on 8 January (I sponsor Tom Barford’s chair); this is a band we should be
talking about more; lots of new compositions. Charlie Bates, associate composer, is a true
talent. It is also the place where skills are honed to cope with those needed in our recording
industry and let’s not forget just what a big player the UK is here in the film music world. I’m
delighted to get my own music played with the Guildhall School students who will be
amongst that next generation of performers.