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THE ALLEYNIAN 709
OPINION, INTERVIEWS & FEATURES
Francis McCabe (Year 10) interviews Tobie Medland OA about his life as a jazz violinist Jazzing
Francis McCabe: How did you get into jazz violin?
I’d say Django is slightly more influential. And if you’re going to have levels of greatness, Django is also slightly greater. But Stephane lived much longer and recorded a lot more. So I guess he had a kind of a longer effect on the musical development of the industry.
Tobie Medland : As I was growing up, my father introduced me to the jazz guitarist, Django Reinhardt, as well as the jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli, along with music by Le Hot Club de France. I also had a schoolfriend, a guitarist, who loved Django, and who copied his style. FM: You mentioned your father. Do you come from a musical background? TM : Yes. Very much. My dad, who had actually trained as a singer, was an English teacher at Dulwich College, and my Mum is Head of Music at Ducks. They met at the Royal Academy when they were both studying singing. In addition, my Mum is a violinist and my Dad played piano. FM: Apart from the violin, are there any other aspects of music you are involved in? TM : Yes – I play the piano, and also do a lot of music production and engineering.
FM: Do you think jazz is dying? How do you see its future?
TM : To quote Frank Zappa, ‘jazz ain’t dead. It just smells funny.’ Obviously, in the 40s and 50s, it was basically pop music – everyone listened to it – and it’s not that now. But there is actually a kind of contemporary popular movement in jazz, which has only really come into being in the last few years, and which is being enjoyed by people who wouldn’t have explored jazz previously. So if anything, jazz as a whole is becoming a lot more popular. I play a sub-genre of jazz; it’s sometimes referred to as ‘gypsy jazz’, which is now a kind of controversial way to refer to it – I know you have another article in the magazine connected to this, so I won’t go into the reasons here. What’s important to me is that it’s really cool music. It’s accessible to listen to, and great fun to play. Recently, there have been some quite high- profile people promoting it and ‘crushing it’, such as Jamie Cullum, the radio presenter, jazz pianist and singer, who has played it on his radio shows and has been promoting it quite a bit. FM: Do you have any advice for someone who’s wanting to pursue a musical career? TM : You have to be dedicated and work very hard, because without that dedication, you won’t maintain the confidence and the determination to actually work at it and ride the rough patches. Networking is important as well. You have to go to every event you can, whether they’re jam sessions or folk circles or chamber orchestra concerts. Go to every single musical event that you feasibly can, and talk to people: if you make an impression in the scene socially, people do remember you, and will call you up for work. The older musicians really like to support the younger musicians; I guess it’s because a lot of them know the struggle of being a young musician. It’s a long, difficult journey. I think it’s very important to appreciate those people, and to pay them back with hard work and gratitude. Hopefully, when you in turn get to that sort of age, you carry on that tradition and support the younger people.
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FM: Why did you choose to focus mainly on the violin?
TM : I don’t know why; it was not necessarily a great decision, as it is a very difficult instrument. When I went to university I stopped playing the violin; I was determined to be a jazz pianist. But a couple of years ago I realised that I was a much better violinist than pianist. FM: Do you prefer to improvise or to play from set music pieces? TM : In general, I prefer to improvise – it’s a lot more free, and it’s something I find easier; plus it suits my personality, my playing style. When playing jazz, there is both the element of playing what’s written, and improvising, so you have to interpret the composition. FM: On average, how long do you spend practising each day? Do you think that is key to becoming a successful musician? TM : I practise as much as I can. If I can only manage 45 minutes or an hour, I won’t beat myself up about it, but if I can practise for two hours, sometimes three, then I do. Sometimes if I don’t have much else on, I’ll do something crazy, like six hours. There are many, many elements that are key to becoming a successful musician, but practising regularly is the most important one. FM: What do you think of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, and who is a greater influence on you? TM : I love them. I think they’re the best. In my opinion, they’re two of the most influential musicians that have ever lived, and they are very, very important figures to me personally.
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FM: What have you got on the horizon?
TM : Loads, as soon as restrictions allow. I run a festival, which should get going again once lockdown is over. I’ve just started a record label and I’ve got a personal album coming up. There’s so much to look forward to.
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