Sofi catches up with Miles Pillinger, one of NYJOs talented Emerging Professional drummers and composers ahead of the release of his debut album Belonging. After graduating from Leeds Conservatoire, he is making a fast name for himself alongside fellow star alumni Fergus Quill and Olivia Cuttill, all three contributing to the new, young sound of UK Jazz today.
In the last 18 months, Miles was selected by mentor Nikki Yeoh to join a band of world class musicians for the European premiere of Sinners; received the prestigious Peter Whittingham Award for Jazz, and has enjoyed his own headline shows at Ronnie Scott’s in Soho. Amongst it all, he still finds time to help deliver NYJO’s educational outreach programmes that we run across the UK. Sofi finds out more about why this aspect of his work continues to be important as he navigates the start of his career in music.
How and when did you realise that the drums were the instrument for you?
Although I had been trying out piano and cello since I was really young, it wasn’t till I had a go at the drums in secondary school that I knew I wanted to do something with music. Because my mum is a jazz saxophonist, I felt I wanted to find my own path. Hitting the drums gave me that freedom- and also a really fun way for me to use up my extra energy! In those school practice rooms we played punk and indie surf rock and soon me and friends were doing gigs around Manchester. We would play anywhere that would have us really.
The more I got into drums, the more I got into improvised music. I guess punk was my gateway into Jazz music. For me, it was just that I needed to find it for myself.
What was your first experience with NYJO?
I heard about NYJO through my teacher at Leeds Conservatoire (Nikki Yeoh) who inspired me to apply even though I had my reservations, and worried it might be an elite institution in London.
Another teacher Kathy Dyson recommended that I listen to Hermeto Pascoal, the prolific Brazilian multi-instrumentalist and composer. It turned out that his gig at the Barbican was with a 22-piece ensemble from NYJO. It was my first time seeing either play live and it was really life-changing. Not only has Brazilian music become a huge source of inspiration, it also led me to joining NYJO myself.
Despite my previous worries, NYJO is an incredibly welcoming community that has let me meet amazing people and taken me around the country, performing at festivals but also doing loads of music education programs. Sometimes surprising ones. Like, I never expected I would be helping teach Samba in Scunthorpe!
Can you tell us a bit more about your projects as a NYJO music educator?
Samba in Scunthorpe was my first big teaching project. I went into three schools and worked alongside Fergus Quill, who was doing two others. He would take the instrumental sessions and I would teach everybody samba and percussion. And in the end, the idea was to come together and do a big performance in a hall in Scunthorpe. Whilst preparing for these sessions NYJO put me in touch with percussionist and educator Sandra Dyer. I was invited to observe her DRUMHEAD classes at Southwark music centre. It was really fun and interesting to see the kids’ reactions to the varied workshops on offer for Saturday school there: not only was there samba but also Djembe and Gamelan sessions. I’d never done any Gamelan stuff before so I got to learn something new too.
In this environment, I worked on ways to engage total beginners with a completely new way of playing music. One of the advice I was given was: talk less and act more. Seeing the kids become interested and bounce off what they were picking up was very cool. I also loved the chance to do some SEN training as one of the schools involved was an SEN school.
And that was just the first project. From that, I’ve done other NYJO educational projects and I’ve had tutoring from one of NYJO’s Resident Musical Directors, Vij Prakash, who’s an amazing teacher. I have really, really enjoyed those lessons.
You have just finished the recording of your first album of original compositions. Can you explain how these songs came about and what inspired your writing process?
A lot of my writing and my solo projects are based on Brazilian music, which is still all very new to me. I started getting into Brazilian music in college. Nikki Yeoh, who’s massively into Latin and Jazz fusion recommended to me loads of people, Airto Moreira and Chick Corea being a few. Soon I started playing in samba bands, and last year, I spent three months in Brazil just learning about the music and culture. It was incredible.
The recording of this debut album, Belonging, was funded by Help Musician’s Peter Whittingham Award, which was a very surreal moment getting this award. I couldn’t believe it But it was so motivating to have people believe in my project.
The songs are very Brazilian jazz influenced but the idea behind the collection is to celebrate ‘belonging.’ I’ve always struggled with identity and where I fit in with the world, in music, in my family.
I am Welsh and Jamaican, but I don’t know my dad’s side, my Jamaican side. So I’ve been very much with a family my whole life that doesn’t really look like me. A lot of my friends haven’t really looked like me when I was growing up. And then going and growing up with jazz and then wanting to do jazz on top of that. So it could come across as quite a negative thing to be like, ‘I don’t really know who I am or like where I’ve come from’. And I wanted to kind of make it positive and the whole album be about a celebration of what makes me who I am. It’s also really nice to sort of set in stone these compositions and where I’m at right now.
You moved from Manchester to London a couple of years ago. What are some of your favourite spots to discover new music in the capital?
I went to Jamboree World Music Venue in Kings Cross the other day to see a Gnawa band, and I really love the African music that goes on there. I really love the Vortex Jazz Club in Dalston as well. Another great spot is the Cock Tavern in Hackney; there’s an incredible pianist called Sam Davies, who runs a night there which is really, really, special. It’s just in this small pub and a few of us sort of go every week and he just has a trio or a quartet playing and it’s just a really great night. Just very low-key, just musicians and customers having a good time kind of vibe. It’s cool.
Your album Belonging will be out late October, until then, where can we catch you play live?
4th July – Love Supreme Festival
12th August – The Lescar ,Sheffield
15th September – Heart Headingley ,Leeds
17th September – Carlton Club , Manchester
20th September – MAP Studio , London