Jazz saxophonist Emma Rawicz and her quartet tour Ireland from 4 to 13 June playing Donegal, Sligo, Roscommon, Wicklow, Dublin, Kerry, Cork and Kildare. We asked Emma the BIG questions . . .
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Emma is a multi-award winning young bandleader and composer, who released her debut album, Incantation, when she was just 19. She has performed at Ronnie Scott's and the Jazz Cafe in London.
Her latest album, Chroma, released on the ACT label, was selected as The Guardian’s Album of the Month and has earned her further international recognition.
Emma was recently selected as a BBC New Generation Artist, won the Parliamentary Jazz Award and is a former finalist at the Jazz FM Awards and BBC Young Jazz Musician Competition.
Emma’s quartet features Elliot Galvin (piano), Kevin Glasgow (bass) and Asaf Sirkis (drums).
They play: 4 June: Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Donegal. 5 June: Sligo Jazz Project, Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo. 6 June: Roscommon Arts Centre, Roscommon. 7 June: Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Wicklow. 10 June: Music Network at The Sugar Club, Dublin . 11 June: St. John’s Theatre & Arts Centre, Listowel, Kerry. 12 June: Triskel Art Centre, Cork. 13 June: Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge, Kildare.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Besides being a musician, I am a keen linguist and speak four languages (to varying levels!). I find learning different languages extremely interesting and count it as a real passion of mine.
I have Polish heritage on my paternal grandfather’s side (hence the surname!), but have lived in the UK all my life, and unfortunately haven’t gotten round to learning Polish just yet! It’s something I am interested in though and having toured a little bit in Poland over the last couple of years I hope to have more opportunities to visit!
My other hobbies include weightlifting and above all reading! I am an avid reader and on average read around three books per week. I have a passion for literature of all kinds and it’s a dream of mine to write a novel of my own one day.
How would you describe your music?
My music is a combination of many different influences that have inspired me over the years, at times a melting pot of any combination of modern jazz, folk, rock, singer-songwriter and Brazilian influences. I think that the glue that holds all of these fairly disparate sounds together is a real love of strong melodies, and also the fact that the music has to be joyful. For me, music is a vehicle to inspire joy of all kinds not just in the musicians playing it, but the audience too. I hope that this comes across in my music!
Who are your musical inspirations?
My main musical inspirations are probably Wayne Shorter, Joni Mitchell, Baden Powell, and Kenny Wheeler. I could go on, but most of my favourite albums were made by these four giants of music.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
I am very lucky to have hugely supportive parents who very kindly took me to a wide variety of concerts when I was very young, including symphony orchestra performances which made a huge impression on me. However, the first gig that I can remember really blowing me away was actually a big band concert at Dartington International Summer School when I was around twelve years old. The sound of the band (and especially the saxes!) was unlike anything I had heard before and it immediately inspired me to pursue playing the saxophone, and subsequently jazz.
What was the first record you ever bought?
The first CD I can remember buying was The Long Waiting by Kenny Wheeler. It remains one of my favourites.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Deacon Blues by Steely Dan.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"In a highway service station, over the month of June, Was a photograph of the earth, taken coming back from the moon, And you couldn’t see a city on that marbled bowling ball, Or a forest, or a highway, or me here least of all" - Refuge of the Roads by Joni Mitchell.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I think it would have to be Opening from the first movement of Kenny Wheeler’s Sweet Time Suite, on the album Music for Large and Small Ensembles.
Where can people find your music/more information?
I share everything on my website, and I also keep my Instagram and Facebook pages up to date! If you’re especially interested in knowing about everything first, you can even join my mailing list via the subscription form on my website.
Alan Corr
