Vocalist and saxophonist Nic Jeffries has earned a reputation as one of Australia's most aspiring young musicians. In the last year, he has supported Renee Geyer and sung live on stage as part of Jamie Oliver's recent Australian tour. His debut album, comprising jazz standards, as well as the tunes of Motown greats such as Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and Michael Jackon, is to be launched this weekend.
JC: “How did you start playing music?”
NJ: “I've grown up with music my whole life...listening to mum and dad's music: Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Fleetwood Mac and more. It was such a good introduction to quality music. Mum enrolled me in group keyboard classes when I was four...I took up the saxophone in primary school…I just absolutely loved it from the start.
“Singing came a lot later...I was in a band many years ago with some school friends…At the time I was really into Kurt Elling and going to see a lot of gigs Vince Jones was doing around town.
“I'm always so grateful to my mum and dad for the start they gave me in music. They were so supportive and loving towards my playing - from the first concerts I presented in their lounge room of the notes D, E and F, right up to now, doing The Basement.”
JC: “Could you tell us about your new album?”
NJ: “I'm so excited about this album. It's a project that's been a couple of years in the making. For years I have worked with bands or as a sideman, so this was a real opportunity for me to work on something that was all my own. That presented its challenges too.
“Whilst I have been doing some writing over the last couple of years, I really wanted to record an album of tunes by artists that have really influenced me…It also seemed a good idea to introduce myself to audiences with me interpreting some beautiful songs. My background is in studying jazz saxophone however I really am influenced vocally by some of the great soul and Motown artists, so I decided to fuse those two things. We arranged songs by Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and Michael Jackson for jazz quartet, with a couple of guests on some tracks, and also recorded some beautiful standards that I have been singing and playing for many years.
“The album was recorded and produced by John Morrison, with Hugh Barrett on piano, Alex Boneham on double bass and Cameron Reid on drums. It also features John Pennings on trumpet and flugel horn and James Muller on guitar. These guys all played so beautifully in the session and are all incredible musicians. I'm very happy with the final product and hope that people will enjoy it. There's been an awesome response so far. The album launched on my website and onto iTunes last week and we've already had quite a number of sales! It's a great way to head into the launch.”
JC: “Name five musicians / bands that you admire.”
NJ: “That's a big ask! I've got so many influences, but I'll give it a shot:
“Stevie Wonder: I know everyone says him, but he has affected my entire existence. This is probably evident on the album, considering that we've recorded three Stevie tunes. He is one of only a few artists who transcends genres and generations. That's the epitome of a real artist for me. His harmony speaks jazz, his melodies speak pop and his voice speaks so much soul. It's very rare to find a musician who isn't influenced by Stevie Wonder. I've even heard of drummers saying that he's their favourite drummer!
“Donny Hathaway: What a voice! It's probably one of the thickest voices I've ever heard. The first time I heard Donny Hathaway Live I decided it was my favourite record of all time - and that hasn't changed.
“James Taylor: I love James's voice and acoustic guitar work. My parents introduced me to him when I was young, and I've loved his music ever since. I love that he uses musicians of such a high calibre in his band. You'll always see some of the heaviest jazz and session musicians from the States playing with him whenever he's doing his thing live.
“Miles Davis: From the moment I heard Kind Of Blue Miles became a HUGE influence on my jazz listening. It was also my first introduction to the great John Coltrane, who I would also have liked to mention - there you go, I've snuck him in anyway. He managed to shape his career across decades of musical change, whilst always sounding just like Miles.
“Amir 'Questlove' Thompson: Questlove, as he is officially known, is a drummer who is known widely for his work in the Grammy award winning band ‘The Roots’. He has one of the most happening feels on the planet! I'm also a huge fan of his work as a producer. He has produced for Jill Scott, Al Green, Amy Winehouse and D'Angelo, to name but a few. The recent album Wake Up by John Legend and The Roots has made its way up there as one of my favourites. Check him out, if you haven't already!”
JC: “Name three qualities that make good music”.
NJ: “One, feel. For me, so much of what I perceive as being good about any music is feel or groove. It's gotta feel good and have a pocket, no matter what style you are playing!
“Two, emotion. Good music will make you "feel something". If I hear something that stirs emotions, then I'm instantly drawn to it. Every time I hear Donny Hathaway sing, it reminds me of why I'm here doing what I do and I remember to be grateful for the gift and the life that I have.
“Three, love. This is probably more of a quality required in order to "make good music" for me. It's important to have a love and respect for the musicians you are playing with. That's when the best stuff happens. So many times I've tried to create music with people I don't necessarily get on well with or don't love like a brother and it just never quite works for me. Some people may disagree, but I think this is so important.”
JC: “Could you describe how the creative process works for you? What do you find challenging about it?”
“In terms of writing, I find that I need to be inspired to write about a particular incident or influence. I find it hard to just sit down and say, "Ok... Let's write a song". I need to be there ready to write about something in particular before I start. In saying that though, I'm still learning how to be a writer I think - it's a whole different thing to being a musician and performer. I actually find writing very challenging. There you go, I said it!
“With the arrangements for this album, most of them came very naturally. I arranged particularly with the musicians who would be playing the songs in mind. In many cases I arranged with the musician I wanted to feature. For example ‘Isn't She Lovely’ was arranged with Hugh Barrett - he re-harmonised the song - with an idea I had heard at a gig years ago and ‘Beautiful Love’ was arranged with my dear friend Cameron Reid. We arranged it specifically with James Muller in mind.
“My 'creative process' for this album was to make sure that, if we were covering other artists’ songs, we gave them something fresh and different. I think we've achieved that, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process.”
JC: “What are your plans for the next twelve months?”
NJ: “I am very excited to be heading off on a tour to China for seven weeks, ten days after the album launch. I can't wait for that. We're visiting a different city every week, so it's going to be a great way to see China, especially considering I've never been. After that, my big plan is to shop the album around the world. I want to play festivals both here and abroad and travel with this wonderful band. I also want to start working on the next record, which I hope to be a collection of original songs as well as some more “interpretations”.”
Nic Jeffries launches his debut album on Sunday, August 21st, at The Basement, Sydney.
Jasmine Crittenden - Jasmine Crittenden (B.A.)(Hons.)(First Class) is a writer and editor specialising in music, literature and travel.
