One of the world’s greatest pianists, Andras Schiff, played his 60th birthday concert on Saturday – a hugely demanding programme of the Goldberg Variations by Bach and Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Earlier he told the BBC’s Tim Franks why he gave the performance in London – and not in his homeland, Hungary. Andras Schiff takes me […]
Musicians
Interviews and conversations with Musicians
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Sting’s memories of his school days aren’t exactly fond. The son of a hairdresser and engineer fitter’s mate, he passed his 11-plus and was promptly set on the path to greater things. But first he had priests to deal with. “I got a scholarship to a grammar school,” recalls the rock singer, songwriter, actor and, […]
The Velvets, Warhol, heroin, music that ranges from the divine to the disturbing: Lou Reed’s life and work is legendary. But he doesn’t want to talk about it – in fact, he doesn’t want to talk at all MORE
“Not that I’m a massive expert, but when I heard that they wanted to dig up the Arctic, I thought: hold on a minute – that’s not good”: Jarvis Cocker, softly spoken ambassador for the environment. Photograph: Gary Salter for the Observer. Jarvis Cocker sits with unblinking patience as syringes of salt and sugar […]
Kicked out of his family home at the age of 14, Steve became a genuine hobo, hopping freights all over America. Always travelling with his guitar – having been taught a few chords as a kid by Delta bluesman KC Douglas, an old pal of the legendary Tommy Johnson – in the ’60s he began […]
Drummer/composer Dan Weiss has wide-ranging musical tastes, superb skills, and a rocking little Rega-based system in his cozy Brooklyn, New York apartment. Dan has drummed with many jazz greats, but it’s his own projects that have generated the greatest interest. He’s a thinking musician’s musician, one who astutely assesses the pros and cons of every […]
Originally published in 2015 After Wilko Johnson was diagnosed with terminal cancer two years ago, his calm, philosophical acceptance of imminent death made him even more beloved and admired. And then the strangest thing happened: he didn’t die. So now what? Continues HERE
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A Sonny Rollins concert is an event in the world of jazz.Rolling Stone once said that, in the future, people will boast of having seen Rollins perform, much as the lucky few now boast of having seen the great bebop pioneer Charlie Parker. Rollins indelibly wrote himself into the pages of jazz history on June […]
The director of the Marian Consort Rory McCleery talks to Editor Martin Cullingford about the ensemble’s latest recording, ‘Music for the Queen of Heaven’, an album of modern Marian motets, many of which were commissioned by the choir. The album is ….. Continues HERE
Interview by Dave Simpson: Suggs, singer and songwriter I got sacked from Madness just before we recorded One Step Beyond, still our bestselling album. We used to rehearse on Saturdays, and the band started to get annoyed that I was away every other weekend. I was watching Chelsea! So one day, I was looking through Melody Maker and […]
Merrill Reed Weiner writes: In the coming weeks, my brother, Lou Reed, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo performer, an honor celebrating his incredible impact upon the world of music. Since his passing from liver disease in 2013, there have been many accolades, articles, and ruminations […]
Sound On Sound write ….. With the final programme for Loop — Ableton’s music summit — being announced, we took the opportunity to catch up with one of the artists on the roster. We talk to Berlin-based Italian minimalist electronic artist, Caterina Barbieri whose 2017 record Patterns of Consciousness has received critical acclaim and even been named […]
Due to popular demand, and straight off the back of a sold-out London Hammersmith Apollo concert in front of 5,000 people, critically acclaimed blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa will embark on a nationwide UK tour in October. Here’s an online exclusive – an archive interview with Joe from issue #83 in November 2008. Asking the questions – Trevor […]
First published here in 2016 Peter Zinovieff has been described as Britain’s Bob Moog. A renowned composer from the mid ‘60s to the present day, he was also one of the founders of EMS who produced seminal synthesizers such as the VCS3 and the Synthi AKS, as used by Brian Eno, Pink Floyd and the […]
First published here in 2013 Dip in and out HERE
Thomas Conrad (Stereophile) writes ….. I don’t remember the year, but I remember the moment when I first became intensely curious about Roy DuNann. It must have been about 1975, right after I moved to Seattle. I bought a Sonny Rollins LP called Way Out West, took it home, cued it up on my Thorens […]
From the archives As Bob Dylan releases Shadows in the Night, his unique take on some of America’s best-loved songs, he talks technique and tradition, giving a rare insight into his own influences and philosophy on life: Please click HERE to continue
This interview by Miquel Cullen (The Independent): Bill Laswell is telling an anecdote about Ginger Baker, the scandal-prone Cream drummer and star of this year’s cult film Beware of Mr Baker: “In Tuscany, when I went to visit him in his abandoned farm house, nobody knew who he was. I remember Jimmy Page came to […]
Rupert Christiansen recalls a memorable encounter with celebrated conductor Sir Georg Solti. MORE
You started playing the trumpet when you were eight. What drew you to it? Well, my whole family’s pretty musical. My brother, Mike, was a great trumpet player, a child prodigy. My dad is a terrific trumpet player and my mom’s father was a professional trumpet player. Trumpet was sort of in the family. I […]