Whilst the young British trumpeter Steven Nichols may be one of the newest names on the UK jazz scene, that's not to suggest his talent has simply emerged out of nowhere. His debut album From Dust, released last month on Martin Hummel's Ubuntu Music, features an inviting setlist of original post-bop compositions and ballads each written by Nichols, who also plays flugelhorn, and his right-hand man, saxophonist Charlie Rees. At the backdrop of his stunning first release comes the story of Steven's newfound Christian faith, which he explains infused his writing over the past few years with a fresh sense of joy that inspired him to bring his tunes to life.
In addition to his recent spiritual journey, we also spoke about Steven's prestigious musical upbringing, which saw him attend the hallowed halls of Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, as well as both the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire and London's Royal Academy of Music...
How did your relationship begin with Ubuntu Music?
I'd recorded the album before I sent it off to Martin [Hummel]. I was quite surprised, to be honest; he responded the same day saying they were interested, and that it’d be great to have a chat over the phone. Martin’s really involved with young jazz musicians as you can see from what Ubuntu’s been releasing, and I think their ethos is to promote the British scene as best as they possibly can. I’ve received so much support from them throughout this whole process, getting the album mastered and the artwork sorted for the album cover — I got my best friend to draw it… I wanted him to be involved in some sense, and he hit it out of the park with the design. Ubuntu helped with all the stuff you don’t realise you need!
You have a very impressive musical background. How did these educational pathways inform your playing habits as you grew older and more confident?
Image: Matt Pannell
I've always wanted to play the trumpet. I got the opportunity when I was 9 to go to the Birmingham Junior Conservatoire and to study with Percy Pursglove. He channelled my excitement in every lesson into an enthusiasm for learning solos, harmony and focusing my ear on improvisation. I got a music scholarship to Warwick School, where I worked with some amazing teachers and was challenged on every form of jazz you can think of. Then onto Chet’s, where I met a load of individuals who were just as socially awkward as me, but equally enthusiastic about the music we were playing! Freddie Hubbard, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor — I was introduced to all of those musicians, and that sparked an interest in composing.
Despite your reputable abilities, you opted to record with a band of similar-aged musicians you first met at college. Could you explain why?
Because they’re my mates! They’re the guys I wrote the music for, and certainly with as well. I’d been playing the songs in a quartet with John, Charlie and Reuben for ages beforehand, so I recorded the album to take a screenshot of what was happening at that moment. I didn’t expect it to be picked up by Ubuntu or anything like that; I just thought I’d have these recordings for myself! Going forward, I hope that we can tour the music together next year. Seeing how two years has made a difference in the way we play, that’d be really cool and exciting… It’s looking for those opportunities, now.
How quickly did things come together in the studio?
Immediately, there was that connection between us. We all get along, we all trust each other. I met Amund in my final year at the Royal Academy of Music, although he wasn’t an original member of the band. I messaged him a couple of days before the session having come to the conclusion that he was the guy. He comes from the tradition of Norwegian drumming suited to the style of music we were doing. That was something I really wanted on the project, but I also didn’t want to give him too much information. I basically just told him to come and create some chaos! We've all been playing together for a long time, so to have that element of the unknown really added to what I was trying to do. But also, we started the day off — we were recording for 4-5 hours — by playing ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’. To be honest, if it had been a standards project then that take would’ve been released straight away. It’s still on my computer, waiting to find its purpose!
What was really good about the day, it was focused and fun. We wanted to get it right, but we didn’t want to risk losing any spontaneity. Charlie and I had a conversation on the train saying we’d do two takes of everything and that would be it: “Whatever comes, will come.” It was a very relaxed day. The producer, Joe Linehan, was doing it all by himself. They usually have a few technicians in the studio, but on that day he was recording, doing the mix and he set up all the mics. It was a pleasure to work with him; he did just what was asked… Hopefully, we weren’t too annoying! In fact, the desk we were recording on died in the process. It was on its last legs — we broke it, basically!
Tell us more about the ways in which faith has informed your approach to making music?
Before 2020, I would say my life was dictated by how well I played. I lost the ability to use my ear and have fun. It became this massive pressure to get positive reactions, otherwise I’d feel pretty rubbish for the rest of the day. Coming to know Jesus with my flaws and all of those things… He has loved me in spite of that. I’ve got this love that’s greater than anything else, and that has affected my music. A couple of songs — ‘Nebula’, ‘Treyarnon’, ‘From Dust’ and ‘When All Is Said And Done’ — were written out of this newfound joy. Coming to faith is an incredible thing, it changes your whole perspective on life and the direction you’re going in. You go from being lost in the wilderness to completely found, and that feeling is incredible. I know I'm loved unconditionally, which takes a lot of pressure off impressing people. I don’t need to, so I just play music to enjoy it now!
Have there been any significant milestones on your spiritual journey, any decisions your ‘old self’ wouldn’t have made for instance?
Becoming a Christian has meant that I have a childlikeness about playing now, which is fantastic — I can be freer; I don’t have to worry about what people think. On the album, I play quite simply to enable the musicians to express themselves through the writing while I’m soloing. That was such a big thing on my mind around that time. Who can I bring in, how are they gonna play and can I, through the way I play, enable them to be the best they possibly can at that time? I was with those guys for ages, so they would’ve been on the album either way. It’s amazing to come together and play the music in the end!
Is there anyone else you’d particularly like to work with in the future?
Image: Joe Linehan
On the album, I’m playing with some incredible young musicians that certainly sound professional! All the members of the band are getting to the point where they’re the new guys on the scene, and I’d encourage anyone to play with them because they’re all fantastic. I’ve had the opportunity to play with Will Vincent, Alex Sipiagin, Ingrid Jensen, Dave Holland, Chris Potter, Evan Parker, Norma Winstone... Even my teachers, Nikki Iles and Stan Sulzmann! But, I don’t wanna force those things; I want to write music and to play it with my mates — the people I’ve written it for. I did a lot of composition work with Nikki on developing how I write, so it’d be lovely to record with her. The same with Stan: he was a wonderful mentor in terms of critiquing and telling me very bluntly what was good, and what was not so good... I mean, there’s tonnes of fantastic musicians; it’d be lovely to play with them all! But, I’ll see who and what comes up, what develops. I’m sure God has a plan for it all, and I should trust in that.
What are your plans for the rest of this year?
Hopefully, we’ll get a couple of bits with this project in before the end of the year. I’ve got another project called Rev21 with an album out in September... We’re very keen to get a little smattering of gigs going! It's very different, sort of a gospel-inspired group with improvisation, funk and soul. I’m gonna keep writing, practising and developing my music, and see if I can write some more songs that can be brought into the setlist. I've got another album’s worth of music that wasn’t included, which would be great to incorporate. I’m very trusting in what will happen. I’d love to have a lot of people listen to the music and hopefully relate to parts of it, enjoy the melodies and the very melodic playing. It’d be nice to see where it goes.
Hailing from Warwickshire, Barney is a twenty-something musician with a burning passion for sounds that entice as well as grooves that swing. He undertook a BA English Language & Linguistics at King's College London, graduating in 2022. Having promoted jazz and folk artists and performers throughout the West Midlands and the Greater Manchester area, he now sings on Sundays in a church choir, plays double bass to anyone that’ll listen, and occasionally might bring out an Irish reel on the mandolin - but not without warning. He can also speak some French, if you ask nicely. Performing has dragged him from his humble beginnings in cosy local pubs to the prodigious stage of the Royal Albert Hall, and all the way back again. This is his first editorial role and he looks forward, with the help of everyone at Presto Music, to discovering the perfect beat.
