Fumi Okiji's Old Time Jazz Band

<< back

Fumi Okiji's Old Time Jazz Band features top musicians Idris Rahman, Ben Davis, Stuart Hall and Roy Dodds. Fumi Okiji loves jazz music from its very beginnings through the golden era of jazz vocalists, modern jazz and the avant-garde movements of the Sixties. Her influences are wide and varied taking in Louis Armstrong, Ellington, Billie Holiday, Monk, Betty Carter, Mingus and Eric Dolphy. But in putting together this group, Fumi wanted to focus on the earlier eras of jazz song from New Orleans, black vaudeville and the songbooks of Billie and Ella. There is a nostalgic feel about the group in the choice of material and the treatment. It’s unapologetically old time jazz and at the heart is Fumi’'s achingly rich, sonorous contralto accompanied by a stellar band of musicians who all bring something essential to the group's sound.

Fumi Okiji’'s love of jazz was conceived at the tender age of seven during Saturdays watching MGM musicals. This quickly led to a discovery of the jazz vocal greats such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, and a bit later to their instrumental counterparts. In her teens she attended a weekly free jazz workshop run by trumpeter Jim Dvorak. The musical directions she has taken as a professional have reflected these early interests in the jazz standard and free jazz. She has recently released an album on the F-IRE label as half of the experimental, electronic jazz duo, The Man Who Laughs.
Idris Rahman is a London-based clarinettist, saxophonist, composer, producer and mix engineer.With his band Soothsayers, which he co-leads with trumpeter Robin Hopcraft, he has co-written and produced four albums, and with them he regularly performs all over the UK and abroad. Idris is also involved in a number of other projects as a performer - he has played clarinet with his sister Zoe for several years and has recently recorded with her on the fourth of her albums to which he has contributed. He is a regular saxophonist with Arun Ghosh, and he was recently the saxophonist in the National Theatre production of Fela!

As well as performing, Idris is also involved in the production side of albums, and has built up an impressive catalogue of albums that he has mixed, including two mercury-nominated albums - Melting Pot by Zoe Rahman and Basquiat Strings' debut album. He has also produced a number of albums, most recently singer Julia Biel's debut solo album, which is due for release later this year.

Ben Davis is the foremost jazz cellist in the UK, known for his improvisation and writing. As well as leading and composing for the Mercury Award-nominated Basquiat Strings, he has performed and recorded with an array of renown musicians including Chris Biscoe, Django Bates, Evan Parker, Christine Tobin, Julia Biel, Julian Joseph and Ingrid Laubrock. Ben studied cello and composition at the Guildhall and later at the Banff School of Fine Arts with Dave Holland. Basquiat Strings' second album will be released later this year.

Stuart Hall is an exceptional guitarist. He has recorded with Lol Coxhill, Human Chain, Django Bates, Steve Arguelles, Billy Jenkins, Frevo, Orquestra Mahatma, Martin Speake’s Fever Pitch, Alec & John Dankworth’s Generation Big Band. His credits include Tim Berne and Hungry Ants. He has worked with Loose Tubes, Hermeto Pascoal, and the Ritz Tea Dance Band. He performs medieval music in Belinda Sykes' Joglaresa, and formed the Hermetologists, playing the music of Hermeto Pascoal, with Huw Warren, Eddie Parker and Martin France.

Roy Dodds is one of the most musical drummers on the scene. Since the late Seventies he has been playing drums and percurssion with many roots and jazz groups, including Working Week, Annie Whiteheads's band and Billy Jenkins and Dudu Pukwana's band Zila. He was part of the acoustic pop band, Fairground Atrraction who had a number one hit with 'Perfect' in 1988. Since 1990 he has worked with Eddie Reader, co-producing her first solo album. Roy plays with jazz vocalist Jacqui Dankworth. for whom he co-produced two albums.

"Sophisticated Lady"

"Old Fashioned"