Ahead of the launch of our magazine 'Jazz Revelations: Issue 1 - Leeds' on Wednesday 3rd May at Wharf Chambers, we will be sharing snippets from the different articles in the magazine.
Today, we take a peak at what's inside the article Olivia Cuttill:
One of Leeds’ youngest rising stars and admired trumpeters chats about her journey to Leeds, and the representation of women and people of colour in the scene
Even though Olivia Cuttill has been quick to establish herself in the Leeds jazz scene, she says she finds practising hard. It surprising to hear, especially when you’re lucky enough to see her perform blistering solos either with her quartet, the jazz-fusion band Mangorata, or as part of the gigantic Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band.
It’s a very humble attitude to her music, but you can see the quiet confidence with how nonchalantly she relaxes on stage after tearing it up with these groups. Since moving to Leeds over three years ago from Romford, Olivia has been involved in many releases including a few of her own.
Despite still completing her course at Leeds Conservatoire, she has managed to release her own ‘debut’ album ‘Three’s A Crowd’ in September 2022 as well as a Christmas EP with the outstanding pianist Nico Widdowson soon after.
‘Three’s A Crowd’ sees Olivia in conversation with just one other musician on each track. She develops a range of emotive duets here that overall makes for a very soothing and calming record. Her range of playing extends to the incredibly personal single ‘Titali Ud’ dedicated to her grandmother suffering from dementia.
With Punjabi vocals floated between Latin guitar and soft trumpets, the spiritual textures represent the ‘butterfly’ which the family relates to their grandmother. Despite what she may believe, Olivia has a natural ability to tell a story with her trumpet no matter how little practice has been put in.
Ben chats to her to find out more about the new album, how she approaches songwriting, her upbringing, the Leeds scene, and plans for the future.
Ben - Can you tell us a bit about your debut album ‘Three’s A Crowd’?
Olivia - “I don’t like that word ‘debut’ as it’s not really meant to be a big deal because I change my mind constantly! At the moment, I'm feeling quite free with what I put out there because I've got access to the studios at uni, and friends who will produce it with me.”
“My debut single was in Punjabi but wasn't like Indian classical music at all. I made it about my Nanny as I've always wanted to dedicate something to her because she is an incredible woman and a massive inspiration to me.”
“But I just wanted to make that with the sounds that I had together at the time. I feel like a debut album brands yourself but it’s not necessarily my brand. And I know after releasing it, I will hate everything that I play on it! That's why I find the term ‘debut album’ a bit scary.”
Read more in the 'Jazz Revelations: Issue 1 - Leeds' magazine
The magazine features artists in Leeds producing jazz, R&B, neo-soul, hip hop and electronica music, including:
Phenicia, Vipertime, Yusuf Yellow & August Charles, Jasmine Myra, Sunkissed Child, NikNak, Olivia Cuttill, TC & The Groove Family, Jake Mehew, Plantfood + many more.
We are hosting a launch gig on Wednesday 3rd May at Wharf Chambers to celebrate, with performances from the Olivia Cuttill Quartet, Jake Mehew, and Phenicia headlining.
Proceeds from the launch and magazine sales will go to MAP Charity, a pioneering alternative provider in creative education based in Leeds. They offer music and arts qualifications to young people at risk of exclusion from the mainstream school system. Find more about them here.
Wharf Chambers Co-Operative Club is a members’ club, and you need to be a member, or a guest of a member, in order to attend. To join, please visit wharfchambers.org. Membership costs £2 and requires a minimum of 48 hours to take effect.
In the magazine, you can expect to find in-depth interviews and crate digging with artists, release roundups, an extended feature of our radio piece 'On Rotation', looking ahead to the future talent in the city, a little history on the city's scene, plus a mix to accompany your reading.
The magazine is audio-described as well for those with different accessibility needs.
A big thanks goes to Emma Jones (@emmajonesillustration) for her design work in the magazine, and to Hugh Roberts (@misc.etc_) for the cover design on the magazine and the gig poster.
Thanks to Yasmina Nahas for her contribution to the magazine, and Ally J Steel for his support throughout the project.
And a special thanks to Ben Lee, editor-in-chief of the magazine, for producing the whole project.
We hope to see many of you down at Wharf on 3rd May to support the Leeds scene.
Keep following the Jazz Revelations website, or our Instagram and Facebook pages for sneak previews of the magazine leading up to its release.
Ticket & Bundle Prices:
£5.50 - Magazine only
£7.50 - Launch advance ticket only
£9.50 - Launch OTD ticket only
£12 - Magazine + Launch advance ticket bundle
£14 - Magazine + Launch OTD ticket bundle
Timings:
1930 - Doors open
2015 - Olivia Cuttill Quartet
2115 - Jake Mehew
2215 - Phenicia
Please consider making a donation to The Runnymede Trust and/or the Race Equality Foundation to help further equality within the UK.