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TEA BREAK |
The monthly Tea Break is a series of short, fun items in What's New Magazine that also gives jazz musicians an opportunity to update us with what they are doing. Here are the Tea Breaks they (and I) have taken since 2015.
Owen Dawson (Trombone) - August 2016 |
Trombonist Owen Dawson originally comes from Suffolk but having graduated from the Jazz course at Royal Academy of Music this year, is now based in London. He has played for the West End Show, Sinatra: the Man and His Music and regularly plays with top UK big bands including the the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, the London City Big Band, the London Jazz Orchestra and the BBC Big Band.
Owen is also an active composer, pianist and exponent of the electric trombone and co-leads the project Big Bad Wolf. Big Bad Wolf is a London based band featuring washy guitars, ambient vocals, brassy hooks and deep grooves. It features Rob Luft on guitar, Owen Dawson on trombone, Michael De Souza on bass VI and Jay Davis on drums and percussion. Owen was awarded the 2016 Durham Distillery Composition Prize and in 2014 was winner of the British Trombone Society Don Lusher Award. He has also been the resident pianist of the Blues Kitchen Choir since its launch in August 2014.
Hi Owen, tea or coffee?
Hi Ian, coffee please.
Milk and sugar?
No thanks.
If you could ask two past jazz musicians to join us for the tea break, who would you invite?
Bob Brookmeyer and Jim Hall. I’ve been really into their duo playing for a while now, particularly a little bootleg of a gig in Bath that I was given by Mark Nightingale. On top of it being some of the most open and organic playing they also both sound like they’ve got a sense of humour so maybe they’d be a laugh during the tea break!
Also I’m a big fan of Brookmeyer’s writing and arranging so I’d have plenty to ask him about that. One of my favorite charts of his is his arrangement of Skylark, particularly the intro. (click here for the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra playing Bob Brookmeyer's take on Skylark).
Hob Nob, Bourbon, Custard Cream or digestive biscuit?
Have you run out of Garibaldis??
They do seem to run out quickly, I’ll see what’s in the cupboard. What gigs have you played recently?
I was extremely fortunate to be asked to be part of the big band for Hermeto Pascoal’s 80th birthday celebration at the Barbican in July which tops most other things I’ve done recently (or am likely to be doing soon)!
Hermeto Pascoal
How are things going with Big Bad Wolf?
Great! We’ve been pretty busy writing and playing over the last few months and we’ve just released a few live videos from a gig at the Green Note back in May. I’ll leave the most exciting news for the next question though …
Here is Big Bad Wolf playing Canary In A Coalmine.
What have you got coming up in the next few months?
… we’re going to record our first album! We won some generous funding from Help Musicians UK so we’re going to be heading to Giant Wafer Studios in Wales at the end of August. Keep your eyes peeled for updates!
Big Bad Wolf
I shall, let me know as soon as you have something to share or preview. Who else have you heard recently that we should listen out for?
Definitely the best gig that I’ve seen recently was the album launch of Matthew Bourne’s Moogmemory, which you must listen to … also in the same gig were Snack Family and a guitarist called Stef Ketteringham who are both incredible!
Another biscuit?
Go on then, but only if it’s a Garibaldi!
Big Bad Wolf playing Flats In Dagenham]
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