Harry Mitchell is an Australian pianist and composer. He was named Young Australian Jazz Musician of the Year at the 2017 Australian Bell Jazz Awards and the following year he won the West Australian Music (WAM) award for Best Pianist. Harry has played at the Perth International Jazz Festival, Sydney Con Jazz Festival, Melbourne Jazz Festival, the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues and the Ubud Village Jazz Festival in Bali. He has backed a range of artists from Australia’s Kate Ceberano to American saxophonist George Garzone, and renowned vocalist Veronica Swift. Harry lives in Perth and has two children, aged two and three.
UKJazz News: What is the best advice you received about balancing/juggling parenthood and career?
Harry Mitchell: I didn’t receive much advice, being a jazz musician is such an obscure career choice to most people. You just work it out along the way.
UKJN: What information or advice do you wish you’d received but didn’t (and had to learn through trial and error or on the go)?
HM: To check my vitamin and general health levels before having kids and to sort out my immune system. Getting home late from gigs and waking up early is super rough unless your immune system is in good shape.
UKJN: Your top tip(s) for other parents in jazz:
HM:
- Find a way to practice your instrument quietly.
- Keep a practice journal so when you inevitably have multiple days in a row when you can’t practice, it doesn’t take long to get back on track with your musical goals.
- Don’t introduce your kids to songs you don’t want to hear 100000 times.
UKJN: Travel/gigging/tour-with-child advice. This can be gear or gadget-related, or pertain to approach/what to do/what not to do:
HM: I’m yet to tour or take my children to a gig, I’ve taken them on a plane once and it was difficult. I deeply respect any musician/s taking their children on tour.
UKJN: What is one way that figures or structures in the jazz industry could better support parents who are working jazz musicians?
HM: This question really stumped me. Where I live, there aren’t any relevant bodies or unions that could offer anything at all in this regard. Maybe Europeans in countries with stronger social support systems would answer this one better. I’ve heard that France pays a minimum yearly wage to musicians who meet a certain criteria. That would be cool.
UKJN: What has surprised you about becoming a parent and remaining engaged with your professional activities and ambitions?
HM: Having children has made me realise how much time I wasted before I had them. I’m surprised at how productive having children makes you, because you can’t waste a single minute of your spare time. You get really good at being efficient in your spare time.
UKJN: What boundaries have you set for yourself as a parent in jazz (could be related to travel/touring, riders, personal parameters, child care decisions, etc.)?
HM: I reduced my drinking to roughly a couple of drinks a year. I couldn’t wake up in the morning and be a patient parent, even if I only had one drink at a gig the night before. I also teach more and really have to rely on that income. Solely relying on gig income is too unpredictable and stressful with kids. The plus side of that is I mostly get to take the gigs that I want to.
Harry’s most recent release is “Noon”, which features alto saxophonist Flora Carbo and drummer Ben Vanderwal.
(*) Parents in Jazz was started (first as ‘Mothers In Jazz’) by vocalist Nicky Schrire in August 2022. The initiative aims to create an online resource for jazz industry professionals with children, those contemplating parenthood, and jazz industry figures who work with and hire musicians who are parents. The insight of the musicians and administrators interviewed for this series provides valuable emotional, philosophical and logistical information and support that is easily accessible to all. “Parents In Jazz” shines a light on the very specific role of being both a parent and a performing jazz musician or jazz arts professional.
