1. Why did you choose to become a jazz musician and how many years has this been your chosen path?

Alex - I’ve been a professional jazz musician for over 30 years. I grew up in a musical family, gigging in a band with my dad from the age of 12, although my first real jazz gigs didn’t happen until I was in my early 20s. I made the choice to be a jazz musician, because for me, playing this music reflects a philosophy of living which is important to me. Playing jazz is a unique way of expressing emotion through music. It’s a unique way of connecting with other musicians and with audiences. It’s about the joy of playing music which cannot be predicted. It’s improvised. It requires me to be in the moment, to be present, to sense the musicians around me and the audience in a special way. For me, it reflects how I choose to live my life!

Edison - It’s been about 35 years since I started my journey. Growing up I always enjoyed listening to music that had lots of harmonies going on. Back in my teens one day I got talking to a guitarist and he was so excited about the guitar he named all these players who, at the time, I had not heard of. He said I could come by his house and pick up a Wes Montgomery album. So, I did and from then on, I was hooked. I started listening to piano players such as Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson etc. When I heard George Benson for the first time, I immediately knew what I wanted to do.

2. What do you love about your work and how does it positively contribute to your own life as well as the life of others?

Edison - Music is a very positive thing and it is a great way of expressing yourself. You can share stories. You can make people want to dance or even cry. It can provide an outlet for every emotion. It’s that powerful. Music brings people together and it’s a wonderful thing having the ability to connect with people and hopefully bring some happiness into their lives during the musical moments you share. We live in an age where technology has taken over. People create music in isolation and there is nothing wrong with that at all, but performing with a band especially when there is chemistry between band members makes incredible things happen and your audience can feel the vibe. On a personal level, just being able to pick up my instrument and work through ideas is always a great way to relax. There’s so much more to learn and therefore music keeps my mind really active.

Alex - I love this art form of self-expression and collective creativity. I try to be present, deeply mindful about who I am, how I am, and why I am. It’s about trusting others, it’s about kindness and compassion, empathy, and supporting the people around you. That’s an amazing way to live, and it’s how we play jazz.

3. How are you finding work opportunities at present and do you feel post-Covid that things are back to normal, better or worse? Why?

Alex - I’m just as busy now as I was before the pandemic. I think audiences haven’t forgotten how hard it was to live life during the pandemic. We couldn’t go to gigs. Musicians couldn’t perform. I performed lots of music online, over Zoom, and it was a great thing to do, but it wasn’t the same as being in the same space as others. So now, being back in front of people again, I still sense the amazingness of this, to be a few metres away from the audience, to sense their presence. Now that life has returned to normal, it is so much better. I’m so grateful to be back in front of people again. So, in terms of how it feels, because I remember the absence of music in our lives, when I’m back out playing music to live audiences, it feels even better than before. I am fortunate to be busy again, and I love it.

Edison - I think Covid has changed a lot of things. I think once things opened up people wanted to get out but were reluctant to do so. That’s all changed now. I guess there has always been a lack of work unless you are in the ‘in crowd’. So, I just do what I can and make the best of it. I think Covid is one reason for less work opportunities, but there are other factors which don’t help.

4. What’s the biggest stress factor currently in your work?

Alex - As long as I feel that the fee for the gig is right, or that I’m not being ripped off by anyone, then I’m happy. But as an older and wiser musician, I am much better at saying ‘no’ to those kinds of gigs, or negotiating a fair price, and if that doesn’t happen, I just walk away.

Edison - I think the biggest stress factor is staying on top of things. Once you miss an opportunity it might not be available to you for another year or at all. So, you always have to be ready.

5. Would you say working in the jazz industry encourages your confidence and self-belief or challenges it and why?

Edison - I would say the jazz industry encourages both my confidence and self-belief. There really is no point being involved in it unless you feel you have something to offer. 

Alex - I think there are lots of different ways of defining ‘the jazz industry’ so I’ll take each one in turn:

Playing small pubs and clubs - I don’t do much of this anymore. I think it’s poorly paid and the musicianship is not always great. I think that being in that world is not good for your confidence or self-belief.

Playing proper jazz clubs in the UK - This is much better. If the club is run well, and pays decent money, then playing with great musicians in front of a full and attentive audience is fantastic.

Playing as a named artist in UK and International jazz festivals - I think this is a different component of the ‘jazz industry’. I think there are issues of genre to start with. I would argue that a large component of commercial jazz festivals is not jazz – it’s pop music. If you are trying to play at this kind of festival, and finding that they are booking ‘pop’ acts and they don’t want you, then this can have an impact on your confidence and self-belief. I think the solution to this, is to accept this as the reality of jazz festivals, and not to punish yourself or try to compete with the pop artists. It is what it is. Don’t fight it! Walk away.

Another issue which older musicians may have to face is that of accepting that we are not getting younger, and that there are new generations of great players appearing on the scene. For the jazz greats, it doesn’t present a problem – Herbie Hancock is still brilliant – Chick Corea and Wayne Shorter were playing right up to the end. But for ‘normal’ musicians, outside the superstar categories, I think we all question our abilities. In fact, this is an issue at any age. But the issue of questioning your abilities, and perhaps your coolness, as you get older, is a big thing. I’d love to be playing into my 70s and 80s, and I hope I can retain a certain level of confidence and self-belief to enable me to do this.

Photo of Alex by Ron Milsom

6. How important do you think it is for musicians to support each other and why?

Alex - In jazz performance, that’s exactly what we do, musically, in our improvisational ways. But if you’ve got someone in your band who isn’t doing that, you shouldn’t book them again!

But, if you mean in terms of well-being, then I think the important thing is to make sure that we have these conversations with each other – and just as we’ve seen people opening up about mental health more widely in society, then we have to do that within our musical circles too.

Probably, a lot of musicians are not having these conversations – and I think they should. It shows a level of maturity but also vulnerability, which, if you trust the people around you, is a great thing.

Edison - It is extremely important for musicians to support each other for many reasons. Networking with other musicians, letting them know what you are doing and hearing about them can be encouraging. It can also provide other work opportunities. Being a musician comes with its own challenges and pressures and by supporting each other musicians can collectively amplify their voices and advocate for their rights and fair treatment. In turn this can lead to positive changes in the industry.

Musicians can share experiences, offer advice or even just provide a listening ear. Musicians can also help to support each other by embracing musicians from diverse backgrounds, genres and perspectives. This will help break down some of the barriers that still surprisingly exist.

There are so many ways musicians can take the responsibility of supporting each other and in turn I think this will help change the industry.

Photo of Edison by Jonathan Cuff

7. Tell me one change you’d like to see to make the music industry a better place.

Alex - While thinking about this question, I checked what provision there is for mental health support for musicians on the Musicians Union website – and I was surprised to see that there’s lots (Music Minds Matter 24/7 helpline; British Association for Performing Arts Medicine; Mind, and others).

For musicians not in the MU, they may not know about this – I’m in the MU and I wasn’t fully aware of these organisations and their work.

Let’s find out what’s out there – let’s be good at spreading the word about these sources of help – and most importantly, let’s get people talking more openly about these issues.

Edison - I have spent the last few years checking out venues and what they offer and what I see is promoters booking the same people year in, year out. I would like to see more diversity in our venues. It is not enough to talk about it. Things need to change. 

8. Would you ever make the decision to pursue an alternative career in life?

Alex - In a sense I have, in that I’m involved with education a lot more than before, rather than only doing gigs. However, my life as a jazz musician is central to who I am. In that sense, I would not consider doing anything else – because I love it!

Edison - I would never say never. What I can say is that no matter what happens, music will always be a major part of my life.

9. Do you feel respected as a musician?

Alex – Well, first of all, it’s about how I feel about myself and I try to be honest about my abilities, my limitations, and areas where I need to grow. When I’m honest with myself, then that affects how I think I should be treated by others

When I present myself honestly to other musicians, I feel respected. They know where I’m at, and I’m not trying to be anything above who I think I am. It’s open, honest and transparent.

In terms of respect from others – venues, agents, etc – it varies. Some are better than others. Some are not good. It comes back to how they look after you on gigs, how they treat you, how much they pay you. The trick is to find and work with the good ones, and stay clear of the bad ones. When you do that, you work with people that you respect, and they respect you.

Edison - That’s a good question. I do feel respected as a musician however there are often times when people disrespect you like in any walk of life. I think you just have to do what you do and remain positive.

10. What does a brighter tomorrow look like for you?

Edison - A brighter tomorrow musically could mean having more opportunities to share music and collaborate etc. I guess a brighter future would also include staying in good health and being able to share and in some way make the world a better place for someone else. Lastly, I think the more we work together, the more we understand each other and the better our communities can be.

Alex - In terms of the jazz industry, I think more government support is crucial. Leaving all of this to ‘market conditions’ doesn’t work. Venues struggle. I think the UK is very poor in its support for music and The Arts, particularly in comparison with other countries. A brighter tomorrow would have a much more prolific range of support from the government, supporting venues and supporting artists directly.

It’s about all of us musicians being reflective – really taking a good, hard look at who we are, what our sense of purpose is, reflecting on what it means to be the best we can be, and also being honest about where it isn’t working. It’s important to find ways in which we can step back from everything, take a good, clear look at what is happening and who we are, to let go of the stuff which isn’t good, and strive towards the stuff which helps us grow as human beings.

This year, Alex continues to be busy with his ‘Improwise’ education project, with workshops and masterclasses, for both musicians and non-musicians, to explore what improvisation is, and how we can apply improvisational thinking and practices in the real world. It’s mostly for people in teams and organisations, to help them reflect on things like creativity, innovation, leadership and human flourishing.

He also plays piano in a fabulous band called Quo Re-imagined, featuring John Coghlan, the original drummer from Status Quo. It’s a jazz quartet with violinist and vocalist, Ben Holder where the songs of Status Quo are reimagined, merging those songs with a melodic and harmonic lyricism inspired by Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, and Chick Corea. Their next gig is at Burford Jazz on Friday 14th July.

Plus, a new quartet project with guitarist, Matt Hopkins, debut performance at the Corn Exchange, Ross-on-Wye, on Thursday 20th July 2023 and a new trio project, debut performance at Woodstock Jazz on 25th August 2023, exploring the beautiful compositions of Burt Bacharach. 

It’s also an exciting time for Edison with two albums just completed and ready to share with the world during the next few months. He’s also busy gigging:

19th July - Scarborough Jazz Club 

30th July - Ealing Jazz Festival 

11th August - Breckon Jazz Festival 

26th August - Zeffirellis

30th August - Matt and Phreds

19th October - Leyburn Jazz Festival

The final part of this four-part series features jazz vocalists and composers Zoe Gilby and Natasha Seale. 

In the meantime, please continue to share your own music projects, new music, video links, gig listings, photographs, news etc on socials using the hashtag #brightertomorrowforthearts and let’s continue to celebrate and pay tribute to all who are contributing to our brighter tomorrow for The Arts.

To find out more about Edison Herbert click here:

To find out more about Alex Steele click here:

And Improwise, click here: