Julie Sassoon is a Manchester-born pianist and composer. She came to the attention of critics and audiences in 2000, when she formed the remarkable ‘Azilut!’ trio with drummer Bart van Helsdingen and reeds player Lothar Ohlmeier. Whether touring with Max Richter’s ’Piano Circus’, opening Berlin’s prestigious contemporary music festival, Maerzmusik with Julius Eastman’s 4-piano works, or collaborating with Israeli singer Efrat Alony, trumpeter Tom Arthurs and drummer, master of free improvisation Willi Kellers, Julie is endlessly musically versatile. She lives in Berlin with her partner, musician Lothar Ohlmeier, and their nineteen year-old daughter, Mia.
UKJazz News: What is the best advice you received about balancing/juggling motherhood and career?
Julie Sassoon: I didn’t receive much advice about balancing/juggling motherhood and career. I followed my instinct and made it up as I went along according to what I felt was right. I had no idea what to expect. I made sure I had no appointments, no gigs in my diary from the baby’s due date. I had just recorded my first solo album ‘New Life’ for Babel Records when I was six months pregnant, but I had no idea when I would be able to release the album, when I’d be up to performing concerts again. I realised very quickly when my daughter was born that I needed to be there 100% for her. So I was there for her, together with her father 100% at the beginning of her life. It was one of the most wonderful times of my life, being in that baby bubble, in love with our new daughter. I had friends who were musicians that did not enjoy this period as much as I did. This is because they were still trying to keep up their career at the same time as having a small baby. This only creates a conflict because, in my mind, it’s really not possible to do both in the first couple of years of the baby’s life. If you think of it, two years really is not a large portion of your life, in which to sacrifice your own musical/ career ambitions. If you are able to let go of that for this short period of time, then you can have the most rewarding time just being a mother and being there for your child. I was very lucky because I had and still have an amazingly supportive partner who shared all the parenting with me. Who made it possible for me to get back into my music and gigging.
Before we had a baby, we very often played in bands together. We were hoping to continue this after our daughter was born, and we soon realised this was not going to be easy, if at all possible! When she was about three weeks old we had a rehearsal with Tom Arthurs and Milo Fell in our home in London, and she screamed all the way through, so whoever had finished their solo had to pick her up and dance with her till she calmed down! It was not looking promising. It was clear that Lothar and I would not be playing together for a while. We accepted that, and then it was not a problem.
UKJN: Your top tip(s) for other mothers in jazz:
JS: My advice to mothers in jazz is to put your baby’s needs first, at least for the first couple of years of your baby’s life, in front of your career and musical ambitions. It’s just for a short period of your life. The most important thing is that baby, who is 100% totally dependent on you and your partner – and this period of total dependency does not last long, but I believe it is very important for the child’s development at the beginning of his/her life, that she doesn’t feel she’s in the way, stopping you from doing something. If you can put your musical ambitions on hold for a relatively short period in your entire life, you can then enjoy being with your child – being a mother and later in her life, she will actually be more independent and less needy. Well, that’s been my experience.
UKJN: Baby/child gear tips for travel/touring/gigging:
JS: When my daughter was a baby I didn’t go on tour with her. When I had gigs – her father would look after her. When he had gigs, I would be with her. The solo album that I recorded when I was pregnant ended up being released when she was 20 months old… and from then on, I performed many solo concerts – for many years – actually until she was about 8, that was my main project. It was practical from a childcare point of view. It was easy for her father to look after her when I was touring.
UKJN: Best general travel/gigging/tour-with-child advice:
JS: When Lothar and I started playing again together, she would either come with us to gigs and watch… or when she was old enough she would stay with her friends while we were on tour.
UKJN: What has surprised you about becoming a parent and remaining engaged with your professional activities and ambitions?
JS: What has surprised me is how much our daughter has taken in the music she’s been exposed to all her life… starting from day one. She was actually born to ‘After The Rain’ by John Coltrane! That was my pain relief giving birth! And then she was danced to sleep to ‘Chet Baker Sings’. Nappies changed to Chick Corea’s ‘Children’s Songs’!
When we moved to Berlin, she was nearly 4. We had no childcare network so she often came with us to watch concerts. She was exposed to free improvised music as well as jazz and was open to it all. She was just part of it all-of our lives as musicians. She heard improvised music sessions in our living room and we had house concerts at home, and gave piano/saxophone/clarinet lessons at home till she was 11.
We bought her a drum kit for her 8th birthday. We knew she liked the drums but we also thought it’d be good for us to have a drum kit at home – for the many sessions we would have with other Berlin musicians. Our daughter just soaked it all up like a sponge-all this musical input and it became part of her without us trying at all.
At 11 she chose to go to a specialist music secondary school where she wanted to study jazz drums. She passed the audition and became more and more serious about playing the drums, practising 3 hours a day. (A big contrast to when she was younger when she didn’t want to practise at all!) And now she’s already a fine jazz drummer!
Julie’s 6th album ‘Inside Colours Live’ (Jazzwerkstatt) was released in January 2024. It is a live, double album featuring Julie in duo with Lothar Ohlmeier, and then in trio with Lothar and their daughter, Mia Ohlmeier, on drums. The album release concert in London takes place at the Vortex on Thursday 22 February 2024, featuring the trio.
Mothers in Jazz was started by vocalist Nicky Schrire. The initiative aims to create an online resource for working jazz musicians with children, those contemplating parenthood, and jazz industry figures who work with and hire musicians who are parents. The insight of the musicians interviewed for this series provides valuable emotional, philosophical and logistical information and support that is easily accessible to all. “Mothers In Jazz” shines a light on the very specific role of being both a mother and a performing jazz musician.
