Trumpeter Steven Nichols, originally from the Cotswolds, was set on playing the trumpet from a very early age. A 2022 graduate from the Royal Academy of Music, and these days consistently praised for his fabulous sound, his debut album From Dust is about to be released on 21 June.
UKJN: I understand your mind was already made up at the age of 6 that trumpet was going to be your thing?
Steven Nichols: I had heard a recording of Glenn Miller’s ‘In the Mood’ during a car journey at the age of 3. My parents both thought I was sleeping, but I must’ve been listening because I blurted out from the back of the car, “I want to play the trumpet.” Neither of my parents were musicians or played instruments, so I think that was quite a surprise. I have no idea if I even knew what a trumpet was, but something about the sound drew me to it even at that age. I had to wait until I was 6 to be big enough to hold one, and even then I wasn’t quite strong enough to pick it up fully, so I rested it on my knee. My teacher tried to give me a cornet because it was a bit lighter, but I refused because I was determined to play the instrument with the sound I was drawn to! Since the age of three, I’ve never had the desire to do anything else. A year after I started playing the trumpet my parents found a way to give me the opportunity to play with the Glenn Miller Orchestra (UK). I performed a very simple solo version of “Pennsylvania 6-5-000” before the band performed their version straight after. I also got the opportunity through the music festival in Chipping Campden to have a little lesson and a chat with Alison Balsom. My dad sat with me as I asked an incredible number of excitable questions, which Alison very patiently answered.
UKJN: Is it true that Percy Pursglove started teaching you at 9? How did that happen?
SN: My parents always found ways to give me opportunities, and my mum heard someone mention that the Birmingham Conservatoire had a junior department. I auditioned and got in on a joint course of both the Classical and Jazz sides with their music and dance scheme bursary. Percy was both my ensemble and 1 to 1 teacher there, and I got the opportunity to study with him for 7 years. I struggle to imagine how much patience he must’ve had to teach a very excited 9-year-old me for an hour each week, and then have to go straight into a 2-hour jazz ensemble! I have always loved Percy’s playing and it has definitely been one of the biggest influences on my own playing.
UKJN: Your band on the album includes two friends from schooldays, is that right?
SN: After my 7 years at Junior Birmingham, I was encouraged to audition for sixth form at Chetham’s School of Music, again receiving the Music Scholarship to be able to attend. I met both Reuben Goldmark, the pianist on my album, and Charlie Rees through Chets. We would play and perform music in the Big Band with Richard Iles and through the smaller ensembles with Steve Berry. Even though Charlie was a few years younger, he and I would spend a lot of time jamming in practice rooms and walking around Manchester at the weekend to get ice cream and sandwiches. Reuben and I, and then later Charlie, would end up at the Royal Academy of Music together.
UKJN: At UKJN we know the breadth and depth of what Charlie Rees can do, the incredible skill set that can be called on.
What roles has he had on the album?
SN: Charlie is an incredible musician. We have played music together for a long time and have shared a love of lots of records and albums which have inspired both our writings and playings. Charlie was always my go-to person to try out new pieces of music I had written, or to guide me when I got stuck.
On the album are 3 collaborative compositions which are written with Charlie: “Treyarnon”, “Every Cloud” and “Nebula”. “Every Cloud” was the first one we wrote together. With all these songs I showed Charlie a melody and he would write the harmony for them. Particularly with “Treyarnon” and “Nebula”, I was aiming for such a specific sound which I knew Charlie would be able to encapsulate with his vast compositional knowledge. We have also played together for such a long time, we just have a lot of fun when we perform. He has such a mature way of playing the sax which is so beautiful to play with. During the recording of the album Charlie was particularly influenced by Steve Grossman’s playing, and you can hear that in the tone and intensity.
UKJN: Who are the others and how did they become involved?
SN: I’ve known Reuben Goldmark as long as I have known Charlie. We’ve played a lot together and he was also in my year at the Royal Academy of Music. He is also a mega composer, winning the Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition in both 2022 and 2023, making him the first ever back-to-back recipient of the award as well as being a finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year competition. He is an incredible musician with an incredibly unique voice, who brings so much creativity to this album.
I met John Jones and Amund Kleppan at the Academy. John was the bass player in my year. John, Reuben, Charlie and I formed the original iteration of the band. John has an amazing balance of creativity and foundation which was always an absolute joy to play with. He is a frequent performer throughout London, performing with artists such as Karim Saber (also on Ubuntu Music), Ife Ogunjobi and Matt Cook.
Amund was a later addition to the band. Amund is a Norwegian drummer who was at the Academy doing a postgraduate degree. He released his own album in 2019 and frequently tours across Europe. The first time he played the music on the album was in a very brief run-through of the melodies the day before the recording session with Charlie and I. My idea was that a drummer like Amund, who is incredible, could come in at the last moment and create a bit of chaos, and that would add excitement to the record – and it certainly did. He fit in the band perfectly and brought all the tunes to life after a very brief time getting to know the music.
UKJN: From listening to the album, I sense that you like music that is melodic and accessible?
SN: I have always tried to write music that is accessible to everyone in some way, whether that is a melody that is singable or has a story behind it. I want my family and my friends to enjoy the songs as well as my jazz musician mates. I love the music of John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler and how they write such beautiful melodies, and I’ve always loved jazz that was influenced by folk music. The tune “Celeste” by Ralph Towner comes to mind as a beautiful example of this; its delicate melody floating over beautiful and warm harmony was a massive influence on “Nebula”. The track “Green Juice” is a contradiction to this, but the story behind it gives it humour and makes the song a bit of a musical joke. The title is related to a conversation I overheard on a bus between two older ladies. They were discussing the secret to maintaining their husbands’ health in old age, concluding that “green juice” was the solution. It has also been said that Kenny Wheeler was fed green juice in his old age by his wife Doreen (whether he liked it or not!).
UKJN: Why title the album “From Dust”?
SN: In early 2020 I became Christian. This has had a massive impact on both my music and my playing. I wrote most of the music on the album out of this newfound joy which comes from knowing Jesus! The song “From Dust” was inspired by Psalm 113: “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.” The title track was written out of this idea as I felt that I had been lifted and made new out of the dust. The track aims to capture the idea of being formed gradually, as all the musical pieces gradually come together. This idea of being formed from nothing seemed fitting also for a debut album and the start of a career. Just as I have been brought to new life in my Faith, my career has also started its life with this release and the introduction of my music to the world.
UKJN: This is a wonderfully varied programme – that’s presumably the idea – to show a range of moods and expressive
possibilities.
SN: Much like myself, the music is always on the edge of chaos or a tangent; sometimes this chaos breaks through in my writing and sometimes in the band’s playing. The album swings between serenity and joy and then chaos and humour. “Nebula”, “Treyarnon” and “When All is Said and Dunn” all have a calm, gently folky approach, which the musicians can choose to bring chaos and their uniqueness to. Meanwhile, “Nichols Blues” and “Green Juice” have a humourous and chaotic nature. “Every Cloud” and “From Dust” are toeing the line somewhere in the middle.
UKJN: What would you like to be doing in 3 years ?
SN: I am part of two projects that I would love to see thrive over the next 3 years. One is my quintet: I would like to see this grow through writing more music and recording another album as well as touring the UK and Europe. I am particularly keen to have performed my music in Finland before the next 3 years are up, not only because I love the jazz scene over there but also because my wife’s family are there! Ubuntu music has been fantastic throughout the process of releasing this album and I would love to continue working with Martin and his team to develop my brand and sound. I would also like to use the music from this album in other contexts, perhaps developing into a larger ensemble to explore the many different possibilities and textures that are brought with more instruments. I would also like to see Rev21, another project I am part of, grow. We are preparing an album release towards the end of 2024 and have been touring the UK. The band is very different in style from my quintet and it would be nice to be able to have both of these projects become frequent fixtures in my calendar.
From Dust will be released on 21 June via Ubuntu Music.
