Interview: Julian Thomas

Jazz singer Julian Thomas and his partner Shirley met with me in the Salutation Inn one drizzly evening for a chat.

During the course of the evening, looking back, I don't think there was a subject we didn't cover. We bought a drink, sat in the back room and talked for nearly two hours.

Julian Thomas and Friends are playing at The Malt Cross, St James's Street as part of LeftLion Presents on Friday 26th November. Okay! On with the show!

Let's start with the band! Tell me a little bit about yourselves.

"We are a jazz band. I am the singer and I play with musicians Steve Nutter, on double bass, and Neil Burditt on piano. These guys are from a jazz background, unlike myself. I grew up listening to and playing in rock bands as a drummer. 

"I'm just getting into the swing of jazz. I am becoming an ardent jazzy. I've not got the sandals yet but I'm working on it".

How did you guys meet?

"I had worked with Steve many times before in his studio. I thought for a while about asking him to do an album with me. I didn't think he'd agree though, but he jumped at the chance. It was Steve who suggested Neil as the piano player. He thought he was the right man for the job and he was".

The bands new album, titled Portraits of Emotion, was recorded completely live with no overdubs. Taking only a total of two days to record twelve tracks and with minimal instruments, this is no mean feat.   

What sort of sound were you planning to achieve with this album?

"We wanted simplicity and to create something fresh. So we broke it right down. I had never done something like this with so few people involved before. It was great being backed by just a piano player and double bass. The songs could even work even as a duo, they are so strong. I understand that our work is very simple in form, but it's also quite original. People have to be prepared to listen to the music for the music. But that's not to say that we haven't got any songs to groove to".

Who are your musical influences?

"My favourite band, while growing up, was a rock band called Atomic Rooster. I saw them live a couple of times and I thought they were great.
"Other music is like, hmm. I love Sting.

"We do a jazz cover of Roxanne. He's an awesome artist. That style influenced my new sound considerably. A lot of people have said that Julian Thomas could be Sting unplugged."

"I still listen to a lot of rock but don't play it anymore. Also Love n Money, a bluesy band I played with for a while when their drummer injured his leg, were a strong influence on my writing style."

What is your most memorable experience within a band?

"Can I pick two? One as a drummer and one as a singer?"

'Course ya can!

"As a drummer my most memorable gigs was when I played with a reggae band. I was about 14 and I'd never played reggae before. I can't remember the name of the band though. Sorry guys!"

"I'd only been playing for 2 years at that time. On one occasion we did a gig in the West Indian Club in Rugby, Warwickshire, which is where I'm from originally."

"This place was huge and was totally packed. It was full of people who obviously knew a thing or two about reggae. So we did the first few numbers; it wasn't grooving.

"Then this big guy got out of the audience and climbed onto the stage and slid me off the drum stool. The band continued to play throughout. This guy, a reggae drummer, launched into the song. Reggae is different from rock as it's led by the bass, not drums."

"He proved his point. I got back on the kit and started playing. I later got the biggest cheer from the place. Within five minutes I was a fully qualified reggae drummer."

"My most memorable, as a singer, was this year in Poland with the band. At one place we were due to do an open air gig. The mayor didn't like the idea of having public concert; Communism is still felt there even though it has officially collapsed. There were about four police vans out to control the crowds, even though they didn't need controlling."

"It was raining and there was no roof over the stage. If our piano had got damaged we'd be in trouble. We said we may not be able to do the gig. Then the promoter, more or less, begged us to go on as the mayor didn't want us to."

"We found 45 minutes between clouds and it was great. The first number took off and the town centre was bopping up and down. It really felt like we were breaking new ground, east meets west. They were sympathising with what we were saying in our music."

"The promoter put on a meal for us later in the evening that turned out to be a banquet. Those people were so nice. They would have given us their last penny if we'd asked. "

"I was wondering why we had been getting such a great reception. Eventually I discovered that we had been hyped in the press. One guy at the meal translated British papers into Polish. He admitted that he had been calling me international superstar Julian Thomas. When we first arrived there were TV and radio crews waiting for us. But we didn't mind as it was great promotion for our cause". 

The band have been raising money to improve the quality of life for children in an orphanage in Poland.

"The building itself is known as the orphanage of Labugne, but officially it has no name. It's named after the town in which it is situated, which is very sad. We [the band] have all done some stuff to help the kids a little."

"We've launched a musical instruments appeal for the kids to get them playing music. All the proceeds from the Polish tour also went to them. I know that it will probably sound as if I'm disappearing up my own arse but I think music really can make a difference to people's lives. And we're trying to do that."

"As well as work for the orphanage they've played numerous charity gigs and continue to campaign for children's rights. They will also be performing at the 2005 Memorial Holocaust Day event at Queens Park, Loughborough on January 27th."

On a slightly different note, and a slightly unusual one, seeing as they were both lighting up, I asked them what they thought of the proposed smoking ban in public places:

"It is an issue that definitely needs sorting. But I'm not sure why the government can't prioritise. They [the government] need to put these things into context."

After the interview Julian jokingly said:

"In fact it should be compulsory to smoke while listening to a Julian Thomas album Mellow, man, mellow!"

During his journey along the rocky road that is the music industry Julian has had some setbacks. He was once in a jazz-rock band called The Secret Society.

"We did well for ourselves and got some airplay on US radio after sending a couple of demos over. We didn't hear anything back from the music bosses."

"A few months later I bumped into a sax player I knew. He shook me by the hand and said "well done man, it's great to hear you're doing so well".

"He then got this article out about a band called The Secret Society playing in LA doing stuff that sounded just like us. They hadn't totally ripped off the songs but they lifted a lot of ideas, even had similar song titles.  We couldn't do anything about it."

All tunes on Portraits of Emotion are very soulful. My favourites are Shadow of your Soul and the cover on Don Henley's classic New York Minute, which was included as a tribute to those that lost their lives during the terrorist attacks upon New York in 2001.

When Julian told me about the minimalistic aspect to the album I was a bit apprehensive to listen, but it's nice to hear such a warm voice that is free from reverb and overdubs. This is a great album to listen to while chilling out after work with a glass of wine.

What do you expect from Left Lion Presents?

"In this country we struggle with audiences. We are not traditional jazz so we can't get into jazz clubs or onto jazz radio. Everything is pigeon holed. In Europe they have music clubs. One night they will play Reggae, the next Thrash Metal."

"Everyone will sit around and say "That was great! What was it? Let's have another drink! I've heard that LeftLion Presents gigs are similarly eclectic and I'm looking forward to playing there. Maybe we can make it a regular event."

What are your plans for the future?

"We've got a deal going with a big German promoter at the moment. But history has taught me to be careful with deals. The Warsaw Jazz Festival is also coming up next year that we plan to play in several venues. We seem to becoming jazz festival people now.  I think next year is going to be a good time for Julian Thomas."