Zoe Gilby interviewed Ian Chalk of the Firebird Quartet who are this coming Sunday's (May 4 - 8.15pm) Splinter @ The Bridge band. Zoe's questions are in blue.
Tell us a bit about your band. How it formed? band line up
and their influences?
The band in its current form was created about 4 months
ago. Previously I had a quartet for 4 years (Ian Chalk Quartet) which,
although fun to play in and they guys were great, wasn't really going in the
direction I wanted to go. So the decision was made to create a quartet to
perform contemporary jazz with best the musicians I could find to force me to
up my game and they've certainly done that! The name of the band was changed to
reflect the new start ....'Firebird Quartet' (and to remind people of our
Sunday night residency at The Phoenix in York ).
The line up is Bass - John Marley, Drums - Tim Carter,
Piano - Martin Longhawn and myself on trumpet. Musically, I suspect we're
influenced by everything we've ever heard as jazz musicians tend to soak up
whatever music is around them but currently we're listening to (and performing
the music of) people like Terence Blanchard, Kendrick Scott, Christian Scott,
Roy Hargrove, Dean Taba and Wynton Marsalis. In addition, we perform a number
of original compositions. We play music in a range of styles from driving
swing to grooves with a hint of hip hop.
Fundamentally, we believe that our music should be
enjoyable to listen to. I know that sounds like it should be an obvious
thing to say but it isn't necessarily a view shared by the whole jazz community
where, sometimes, the 'art' of the music can leave some of the audience behind.
We're firm believers in creating music with sufficient complexity to
appeal to a contemporary jazz audience but will also make you want to tap your
foot!
Best gig you've seen?
This is an easy question to answer although not a 'jazz'
performance as such (although we could have a long conversation about what
'jazz' really is!).... Stevie Wonder at the Manchester Arena a few years back.
We had really good seats near the front and you could almost feel the
amazing energy of the man. I'm not a religious man (far from it!) but
that is the nearest I've come to a spiritual experience. The start of the gig
was Stevie being led onto the stage by his daughter while he played Miles's
'All Blues' on harmonica... more than a little thrilling! In our house, my kids
have been taught that whenever Stevie's name is mentioned they must place a
finger on their forehead and say the word 'genius'!
Favourite album?
Hmmm...tricky one as it tends to change on a daily basis.
Thinking on a 'Desert Island Discs' basis where I only have one album to
choose then I think it would have to be 'Hot House Flowers' by Wynton Marsalis.
This was one of the first jazz albums I ever bought (possibly the very
first) and I was seduced by the very cool album sleeve of Wynton stood in the
middle distance, cool suit, lit in a spotlight, trumpet in hand. The
album is quite melancholic with sweeping orchestral arrangements but with
joyous versions of 'When You Wish Upon A Star' and 'I'm Confessin'. It also
includes a stunningly gorgeous version of 'Stardust' which is the music I want
playing at my funeral (just so you know!).
What has been the highlight of your bands musical career so far?
What has been the highlight of your bands musical career so far?
The highlight is less to do with any one moment on any
one gig than with how the quartet has gelled into such a fluid and coherent
unit which has already far exceeded my expectations. This has been helped
by our regular Sunday night residency at The Phoenix in York (8pm till 10:30,
free entry!) which has allowed us to develop our group sound as well as our
material so that we can be relaxed in our work and can focus on the creative
side of jazz.
If you could meet, talk with and jam with any musician
(alive or deceased) who would it be?
Wow! Where do you start with this one? Duke Ellington?
Dizzy? Miles? Stravinsky? Mozart?Bach?? I think the answer would probably be
Miles. I suspect he wouldn't necessarily welcome jamming with me as he
could be something of a 'prickly character' but I would learn so much from him,
not just about trumpet playing but about how to approach playing music.
Famously, he said "Do note fear wrong notes, there are none"
and I'd love to have the same free approach.
Thank you Ian.
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