 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Musicians' Stories
Click below for stories of music-making from around the UK. Or use the selector (right) to search by location or type of music. |
|
 |
Musicians
A - J |
 |
Musicians
K - P |
 |
Musicians
R - Z |
|
 Abdelkadar Saadoun - Algerian / ¸é²¹Ã¯: '¸é²¹Ã¯ means opinion - my opinion, your opinion - it is freedom of expression. What's inside me heart comes out.'
 Abdul Ghafoori - Afghani: '...if you have interest and hope, I think that no instrument is difficult.'
 Abdullah Chhadeh - Arabic / Middle Eastern: 'Traditionally, the qanun has 26 triple sets of strings but I added another 8, so creating a different instrument...'
 Abdullah Mufa - Malay: 'Music has always been a part of my life when I was growing up in Malaysia, because there's always music around: Chinese, Indian, Malay...'
 Adesose Wallace - Traditional African / Afro-Beat: 'So we should just live together and share and learn about each other and benefit from each other.'
 Ahmed 'Hudeydi' Ismail Hussein - Somali: 'My nickname is 'Hudeydi' but I'm known as 'The King' because of my hot rhythms'
 Ahmed Mukhtar - Iraqi: 'I started to learn oud in 1979 and later attended the School of Fine Arts and Music in Baghdad'
 Aidan Mulholland - Irish folk / Spanish : '...I ended up playing with a country trash band called Ten Wheels for Jesus'
 Aldona Caldicott - Polish: 'After a while everybody gets very merry and happy once they've had a few drinks. Then there'll be a singing competition going.'
 Ali Slimani - Rai fusion: 'For the next four years I played percussion and sang with them. We toured Canada, Australia and Japan, among other places...'
 Amara Sheik - Somali folk : 'The plan is to take the film to Somalia and show people what they're into and help them to see that things have got to change.'
 Angélica Lopez - Colombian / Salsa : 'The music of this region is different to much of the Latin music which is often heard in Britain.'
 Anna Mudeka - Zimbabwaen: 'We went to Japan with him and when we came back we were headhunted by Thomas Mapfumo.'
 Athena Andreadis - Greek / World Fusion: 'I spent 6 months on a work placement in New York where I signed up for evening singing classes at the Julliard School of Music'
 Ayub Ali - Kurdish modern / Farsi: '...my favourite English-speaking singer is Whitney Houston!'
 Azad Zahawy - Kurdish folk: 'I attended special classes with many of the best Kurdish and Iranian musical tutors to improve my skills. '
 Barak Schmool - African / Latin / Jazz: 'I think music should be a natural thing you do in your life. It's an affirmation of your community'
 Beena Valembia - Indian: 'There's always an exchange of jokes between me and the audience. I love it.'
 Ben Baddoo - Ghanaian: '...my older brothers would initially hand me a bottle, or even a cowbell, to play out the rhythms'
 Bharati Bhundoo - Indian Classical: 'Indian classical is so pure and clear. It’s simple yet complex because you can easily sing out of tune.'
 Billy Amstell - Jazz, Klezmer: 'When he was out chasing 'birds' - he was a good-looking guy - I would open up his saxophone case and have a blow...'
 Bosco De Oliveira - Brazilian / Pagode: 'I started the London School of Samba with Alan Hayman. It's a great thing as it's still going on with other samba schools springing up'
 Caner Sahin - Middle Eastern folk / Turkish / Kurdish / western classical: 'Even today if anyone ordinary wants to make Kurdish music, that person can't do it easily'
 Carlos Peña - Salsa / Bolero: 'It was inspired by someone in the audience who asked for a tasty rhythm...'
 Chandu Mattani - Indian Classical / Gujerati: 'There was no limit then because the opportunities were great. England is such an attractive place...'
 Chartwell Dutiro - Zimbabwe/Shona: 'So here I am in Devon, a Zimbabwean missionary if you like...'
 Cloud Chiswamu - Zimbabwean : 'My mum and my sisters are good at singing so it seeped through.'
 Dana Codorean Berciu - Romanian folk / world fusion / klezmer: 'Roots music from Maramures in the North East of Transylvania is what really fires me'
 Danny Shine - Jewish / Klezmer: 'We all sang round the table on a Friday every week to see the Sabbath in....'
 Dave Woodhead - South African / Kwela: 'By way of giving the lips a break from the trumpet, I’d play a few Spokes Mashiyane tunes on penny-whistle.'
Davide Giovannini - Afro-Cuban drums: 'I went deeply into it - not as deeply as madness, but quite deep'...
 Dylan Fowler - Welsh folk: 'In Welsh we have a great word - Hiraeth, or longing. It sums up how I see music, that it's a special feeling that is just in there.'
 Elin Wyn Jones - Welsh folk: 'By the mid 1780's they began to burn these harps in favour of more modern instruments...'
 Eliza Carthy - English folk: 'For lullabies they'd sing me songs about prostitutes, about monsters breaking in the window... '
 Errol Linton - Blues/Reggae: 'It's a Brixton blues, that's all I'll say on it.'
 Fay Hield - traditional English: 'The people I moved in with became the group I now sing with  The Witches of Elswick.'
 Fiona Driver - Scottish / Texas Western swing: 'My great grandfather's fiddle was retrieved from the barn...'
 Gary Rudd - contemporary English folk : 'Among songwriters, characters like Bernard Cribbins and Eric Idle have been very influential on me'
 George Brade - Montserratian: 'I make and tune all
the pans for the band...'
 Gholam Reza Soulimany - Persian / Turkish folk: '...it reflects the sadness that people feel when missing their country.'
 Hamid - Iranian / Persian: 'Gradually I learned to sing quarter notes which are very important for all facets of traditional Persian songs and singing.'
 Hande Domac - Turkish: 'I sing cheerful music as well but I'm interested in sad music because Turkish music is sad and emotional.'
 Hannie Abokhamis - Palestinian / desert techno: 'After three years in prison, I ran away to be with a Bedouin tribe. That's where I learned my music'
 Jimmy Moon - Scottish folk / Bluegrass: 'If you could imagine maybe in the 30's kids wanting to express themselves, you know, louder, brasher, faster…'
 Johnny Adams - English folk / Irish folk: 'We sometimes do dances with the three fiddles and a cello... '
 Josephine Oniyama - English folk: 'Playing live is a real thrill and every time I do it, my confidence grows and grows...'
 Joseph Nsubuga - Ugandan / East Africa: 'I dug the club music so much that I just took the traditional music for granted...'
 Julie Murphy - traditional Welsh: 'Obviously as a singer you're naturally going to be drawn to the place where you are...'
 José León - Cuban / Flamenco: 'I was taught and profoundly influenced by my uncle Antonio, who is a professional Flamenco guitarist'
|
|
|
|
|
Send us your review:
Describe the atmosphere and live music at a local pub, restaurant, festival, church or temple, club night.... inspire other people to check it out!
|
|
|
|
