“Accordion, cello and guitar are instruments that all play a melody, so we often switch up who backs who. It’s very transformable. We don’t feel like there are any limitations. Except that as people, we love to play music outside but actually can’t stand the rain or the sun (laughs). That’s about the limits of our art, the weather.”
“Our string section is much more than just a lush carpet of sound. They interact and improvise with the rhythm section and combine melodic structures with our vocalist and saxophonist.”
“My singing has helped me to create more lyrical stories when I’m playing the piano. Instrumentalists cancertainly get comfortable running changes, and singing has really taught me to slow down and be more aware of melody.”
– Which song reminds you of your favourite journey?
– ‘Detour Ahead’ – the Vince Jones version.That song is incredible and I think Vince sings one of the best renditions of it. It reminds me of my favourite journey, because my favourite kind of journey is the one where you end up in a place you weren’t intending.
“Sometimes I will sit down at the piano and just begin to sing, and the melody and lyrics will magically appear and the flow will keep going until the song is finished all in the one evening. Other times, I will hear a little riff that gets stuck in my head, and I will write something off the base of that, but won’t finish the song for months – or years ! “
Gregg Arthur looks like he’s auditioning for a James Bond film – both for the leading role and the theme song.
We play big, honking sets and we wanted to recreate that as much as possible in the studio.
“Choro is a conversation. Think of chamber music in a jazz style. It is often fast, heavily rhythmic and spontaneous. Melodies will weave in and out.”
“What I noticed most about the London jazz scene is just how large it is. But it is a city home to just over eight million people, so that is to be expected. This obviously leads to more competition, and unfortunately, musicians undercutting fees. It made me realise that we have a very unique and wonderful jazz scene in Perth – and Australia in general. Everyone is very supportive of each other in Perth, and musicians here know the base rate expected for performances/functions.”
– Which song reminds you of your favourite journey?
– My favourite journey is life – bit heavy, I know – and I reckon ‘The Best Things In Life Are Free’ is a massive favourite….
