Ep. 53: James Pearson

Last week, I got to go to the iconic Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club during a brief visit to London. I met the club's Artistic Director James Pearson who is both equally at home in jazz and classical music.  We talked about the similarities and the differences between both genres, playing styles, improvisation, orchestration and how this feeds into the acoustics of music. We also discussed James' programme which he presented last year with his trio at Ronnie Scott's. This concert was live streamed and celebrated the legacy of legendary comedian, entertainer and musician Dudley Moore. He was someone who could effortlessly cross the boundaries between jazz and classical music. Younger listeners should take a look at his inimitable pastiches of Beethoven, Britten, Fauré, Schubert and Kurt Weill, which are available to watch on YouTube.  James reflected on the legacy and history of Ronnie Scott's, including the eclectic range of artists who have performed on the stage. This led us to discuss working across different genres and great pianists such as Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett who learnt jazz music through playing classical piano. Finally, James gave me a walk around the venue, sharing stories about the club and some of the musicians who played there as we went along. This is an experience I will never forget! Thank you to James and the staff at Ronnie Scott's for making me feel so welcome!  James' bio: https://www.jamespearsonmusic.com/about. Watch James Pearson presents 'A Portrait of Dudley Moore'; concert with his trio live streamed from Ronnie Scott's on 30 November 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0LKPt7qFuY.  Interview recorded 20 October 2021; podcast published on 30 October 2021.