BASS

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING THE DOUBLE BASS AND BASS GUITAR FOR 17 YEARS AND HAVE BEEN PLAYING AS A SESSION MUSICIAN FOR RECORDINGS AND LIVE GIGS FROM MY DAYS AS A YOUTH MUSICIAN. I'M A GRADE 8 DOUBLE BASSIST (ABRSM) WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE PERFORMING CLASSICAL REPERTOIRE AND MUSICAL THEATRE, ALONGSIDE DEEP ROOTS IN JAZZ, FUNK, SOUL, R&B, AND VARIOUS WORLD MUSIC TRADITIONS.

I DESCRIBE MYSELF AS A VERSATILE, “WORK-HORSE” TYPE BASSIST WITH A NATURAL FEEL FOR GROOVE, AND A DEEP PASSION FOR MUSIC OF BLACK ORIGIN, A LOVE CAREFULLY NURTURED EARLY ON BY MY PARENTS AND OLDER SISTER. I DRAW HUGE INSPIRATION FROM BASSISTS SUCH AS VICTOR WOOTEN, ESPERANZA SPALDING, GARY CROSBY, JAMES JAMERSON, ENDEA OWENS, MARCUS MILLER, AND THUNDERCAT, WHILE CONTINUALLY LEARNING AND EVOLVING MY SOUND WITHIN LONDON’S INCREDIBLE HOTBED OF MUSICAL TALENT. I’VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF COLLABORATING WITH A WIDE RANGE OF MUSICIANS AND PERFORMING AT VENUES AND FESTIVALS INCLUDING JAZZ CAFÉ, SOUTHBANK CENTRE, CAFÉ KOKO, SOHO JAZZ FESTIVAL, AND WE OUT HERE.

MY MUSICAL JOURNEY BEGAN AT HAVERING MUSIC SCHOOL UNDER THE INSPIRING GUIDANCE OF THE LATE,GREAT, MICHAEL SPEED, WHOSE PASSION FOR BASS INSTILLED IN ME AN EARLY LOVE OF THE DOUBLE BASS AND AN APPRECIATION OF HOW TECHNIQUES COULD CROSS OVER ONTO THE BASS GUITAR. AT THE SAME TIME, MY MOTHER ENCOURAGED ME TO TAKE PART IN A WIDE RANGE OF MUSIC WORKSHOPS AND PROGRAMMES, BROADENING MY EAR AND EXPANDING MY MUSICAL WORLD.

AMONG THE MOST FORMATIVE WAS THE HACKNEY EMPIRE’S ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (2011), WHICH GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COLLABORATE WITH PEERS AND PROFESSIONALS IN CREATING A NEW MUSICAL THEATRE PRODUCTION. IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE THAT REALLY DEEPENED MY SKILLS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY BUILT MY CONFIDENCE AS A SHY YOUNG BOY, TO THE POINT WHERE I ALWAYS FELT COMFORTABLE MEETING AND WORKING WITH NEW PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CREATIVE PRACTICES MOVING FORWARD.

I ALSO PERFORMED WITH THE GRAND UNION AND GRAND UNION YOUTH ORCHESTRAS, ENSEMBLES FOUNDED BY THE LATE, INSPIING, TONY HAYNES, THAT CELEBRATED THE DIVERSE MUSICAL TRADITIONS OF EAST LONDON’S IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES. HERE WE WOULD BRING TOGETHER REGIONAL INSTRUMENTS, SOUNDS AND MUSICAL EXPERTISE TO CREATE BOTH INTIMATE LOCAL PERFORMANCES AND AMBITIOUS ORCHESTRAL PROGRAMMES, TELLING STORIES THAT SPANNED FROM TALES THE SILK ROAD TO THE MIDDLE PASSAGE. AS A PRE-TEEN IN ROMFORD, TRAVELLING INDEPENDENTLY ACROSS EAST LONDON TO REHEARSALS AND CONCERTS WAS A FORMATIVE ADVENTURE. ONE THAT TAUGHT ME, THROUGH MUSIC, A POWERFUL LESSON IN HOW CULTURES CONNECT US AS PEOPLE.

AT AGE 11, I BEGAN A TWO-YEAR SPELL AT THE JUNIOR GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND DRAMA, WHERE MY PASSION FOR PRACTICE TRANSFORMED INTO A REAL HUNGER FOR IMPROVEMENT. UNDER ELIZABETH HOSFORD, I DEVELOPED MY CLASSICAL DOUBLE BASS TECHNIQUE, TACKLING ORCHESTRAL WORKS FROM BERLIOZ TO BACH. I WAS ALSO HELPED SIGNIFICANTLY BY THE TEACHING OF JONATHAN TAYLOR, WHOSE MENTORSHIP IN JAZZ LED ME, AT 13, AND OUR JAZZ QUARTET BLUE SHIFT (ZAK EASTOP – TRUMPET, PETER RAYNER – DRUMS, AND ALEX – PIANO), TO WIN THE YAMAHA NATIONAL JAZZ COMPETITION (U15) IN 2011, WITH THE FINAL HELD AT THAT YEAR’S CHELTENHAM JAZZ FESTIVAL. AS PART OF OUR PRIZE, WE PERFORMED A SET AT THE 606 CLUB IN CHELSEA AND RECEIVED BRAND-NEW YAMAHA INSTRUMENTS AND EQUIPMENT FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.

IN 2011, I WAS AWARDED A MUSIC AND ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP TO TONBRIDGE SCHOOL. THERE, UNDER BECKY WELSH AND MARK FORKGEN, I HAD ACCESS TO WORLD-CLASS FACILITIES AND TEACHING. MY TECHNIQUE FLOURISHED, AND BY MY FINAL YEAR I ACHIEVED A DISTINCTION IN GRADE 8 DOUBLE BASS (ABRSM). THOUGH MY FOCUS SHIFTED MORE HEAVILY TO CLASSICAL MUSIC DURING THIS TIME, I CONTINUED EXPLORING JAZZ AND COMPOSITION INDEPENDENTLY, EXPERIMENTING WITH AND GIVING ALOT OF TIME TO WRITING POETRY AND BUILDING MY SKILLS ON GARAGEBAND AND SUBSEQUENTLY LOGIC. I WAS ALSO ABLE TO LEARN AN BUILD PROFICIENCY IN THE PIANO, TROMBONE AND DRUMS IN THESE YEARS I ALSO PERFORMED WITH NATIONAL YOUTH MUSIC THEATRE UK. MAINLY AS A PIT MUSICIAN, BUT ALSO AS AN ACTOR-MUSICIAN IN THE HIRED MAN AT THE OTHER PALACE (2014)—AN EXPERIENCE THAT TAUGHT ME THE INVALUABLE ART OF COORDINATING MUSIC WITH LIVE STAGE MOVEMENT, A LESSON THAT HAS SINCE PROVED ESSENTIAL IN SUPPORTING AND WORKING WITH VOCALISTS.

DURING MY FOUR YEARS STUDYING ARCHITECTURE IN EDINBURGH, I TOOK A HIATUS FROM PERFORMANCE DUE TO THE DEMANDS OF THE COURSE, THOUGH I KEPT MY SKILLS SHARP THROUGH PRACTICE. ON RETURNING TO LONDON AFTER THE 2021 LOCKDOWN, I THREW MYSELF BACK INTO THE SCENE, PLAYING AT JAMS, AND THEN MORE AND MORE GIGS AND RECORDINGS OVER TIME.

BASS PLAYING HAS BEEN CENTRAL TO MY LIFE AND IDENTITY. I LOVE ANCHORING THE RHYTHM SECTION AND CREATING A SOLID PLATFORM FOR OTHERS TO SHINE, WHILE ALSO STEPPING FORWARD MORE EXPRESSIVELY WHEN THE MOMENT CALLS. I’M ALWAYS LEARNING, ALWAYS EVOLVING AND EXCITED FOR THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES AHEAD. FOR RECORDING OR GIG ENQUIRIES, HEAD TO THE CONTACT PAGE AND EXPLORE IMAGES FROM PAST ENGAGEMENTS BELOW.

(I’M CURRENTLY TAKING ON FEWER MUSIC GIGS WHILE FOCUSING MORE ON MY ART, BUT PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO REACH OUT. YOU CAN ALSO CATCH ME JAMMING REGULARLY WITH THE FIVE POINTS PROJECT)