Village Raw - ISSUE 1

VILLAGE SOUNDS
GABI
Gabriella Swallow is
a professional cellist.
She has performed
in a range of venues,
from an East End pub
with a sticky carpet
to Wigmore Hall. Locally
she’s played in Muswell
Hill’s Cha Cha Cha
with her band Gabriella
Swallow and her
Urban Family.
Interviews by David Reeve.
Photos by Kate Kuzminova.
Why music?
Someone said music starts where words
leave off, and for me that’s always been
the case. It’s the art form that is above
all of them because it can be nostalgic, it
can take you to a place you didn’t think it
could, and it can bind people together. It
can be all those things that words don’t
always do, and although every art form is
important to me, music’s the one where I
believe I can express myself most freely.
Is being a musician a gift or a curse?
It’s a gift I think. I know it’s a gift. You have
something as a professional musician
that not everyone has, and that can feel
quite alienating when you sometimes
want people to see you for who you are
and they focus on the music. It’s pretty
much who I am, but there’s everything
else too which makes you a better musician.
It’s important to be a well-rounded
human being first. You’re incredibly lucky
and honoured to be doing this job because
not everyone can do it.
What’s the difference between playing
alone or alongside other musicians?
Playing alone can be a solitary thing. It’s
how we practice and it’s a very important
part of your daily routine. Playing alongside
other people then involves you to
listen in a different way, and to interact,
and for me that’s personally my favourite
part. If it is as a sidesman playing in various
bands where you have a main artist
that takes a very different set of skills
than playing in a string quartet - or it is
much more balanced. But effectively if
you’re working with a good artist, doing
a good project, all of your focus is making
the best music you can, and that then
makes everyone equal.
What do you do outside music that contributes
to your musicality?
I go to the theatre a lot. I spend time talking
to lots of different artists - especially
comedians. And it contributes to the music,
and it contributes to your feelings of
how to function in society as an artist.
You don’t feel so isolated. I also spend
time walking and swimming, trying to take
time away… I tend to think about music
quite a lot when I’m walking around. I also
started scuba-diving. It was an amazing
experience because suddenly you are in
a totally different world, but water covers
so much more of the world than anything
else. It’s crazy that we don’t spend
enough time underneath it.
Name a song or piece of music that
blows your mind?
I listened again recently to Both Sides,
Now by Joni Mitchell. That song was really
important to me in summer 2002 when I
met my ex-husband and he played it to
me for the first time. I just couldn’t believe
what I was hearing - it was just this
absolute perfection of her voice. I recently
heard it at a friend’s funeral and it
sort of finished me off. You can be joyful
or you can be mourning, it can always do
something for you.•
Find out more at:
www.villageraw.com/gabriellaswallow
LUKE
Luke Eira is a
professional clarinetist.
He can be found regularly
at the Buddha Bar, Ronnie
Scott’s, and Crouch End’s
Crossover Jazz Room.
Many of you will have
seen him busking in front
of local supermarkets
where he’s been known
to play for six hours
non-stop. He is a
consummate performer who
lives and breathes jazz.
Why Music?
Because it’s the heart’s calling. I’ve tried
so many other things but I know I was
born to play music. And I have slim hands
as well – so I guess I was born to play the
clarinet. I hold it more like a saxophone
– straight – so I can get more air flow. I
use an open mouth piece and do jaw work
outs. John Coltrane used wide mouth
pieces and clenched really hard to get his
particular sound.
Is being a musician a gift or a curse?
It’s a gracious gift, man. You get to give
love, receive love – it’s beautiful. In the
old days musicians were classed not as
people; they had their own separate class.
Old jazz musicians used to walk around like
gods because essentially that’s what jazz
is – some people might say it’s God speaking.
When they play its universal energy
flow, and creation, and abundance. When
I really play, when I really get into flow, it’s
like infinite possibilities.
What’s the difference between playing
alone or alongside other musicians?
There’s definitely a difference when playing
on stage with an audience and other
musicians. You’ve got to gauge the energy
of the audience and they’ve got to
respond and give back. And that’s what a
good gig is all about - when the audience
and the band are playing off each other
and that energy increases, and increases,
and by the end the room is electric
and it’s like fire. Busking is very different
– people are just passing by. And you
might get encouragement here and there
but you’ve got to give yourself a kick up
the behind every now and then - increase
the energy flow.
What do you do outside music that contributes
to your musicality?
I go to the gym and I train daily. I do it
because it gives me discipline. Meditation
– so important. Mindset. Controlling
yourself, controlling your mind. I do tai chi
as well. I incorporate a lot of physicality
into my playing and that helps as well because
it’s the same kind of flow – you’re
trying to yield to the natural flow of the
universe. I know it sounds clichéd but it’s
true. You’ve got to let go. That’s what jazz
is all about: letting go. I’m not just a clarinetist.
That’s just a figment. That’s just
a creation. That’s just a lie. A façade. It’s
not real anyway.
Name a song or piece of music that
blows your mind?
Lingus by Snarky Puppy. I was chilling with
a couple of friends – they were into drum
and bass and stuff and they were like:
“Yeah. This is new jazz.” So, they put on
this song and the keyboard solo in it blew
my mind. And it stepped me up going:
“OK, this is what I’m going to be doing –
someday.” Working towards it and doing
stuff of that nature that I wouldn’t have
been doing if I hadn’t heard that. It’s not
exactly the birth of me as a musician, but
it gave me direction. •
Find out more at:
www.villageraw.com/lukeeira
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