Bio

I aim to make evocative music - songs that resonate for people. I hope to tell affectionate stories about grown-ups and their place in a complex world. Drawing on folk traditions and jazz harmonies, I try to explore the common ground that helps us make sense of our lives. 

Often I set my songs in places I feel a kinship with: out of the way places - those I have never visited, and those I know intimately. My landscape is the frozen Antarctic, the low land of Suffolk, the red dust of the Australian outback, the remote islands of the Hebrides – and the journeys we take to reach and leave them. I am drawn to tales of lives well-lived and in flux, at ease and on the road, alone and with others – hopefully with a warm spirit. I hope I'm not judgmental, but that's a tough call!

My music is rooted in the traditional folk clubs of the South East of England, the jazz of London’s Soho, and of course the music I've listened to and played all my life. My ‘infuences’ shift all the time - but I am always drawn to Paul Simon, John Martyn, Steely Dan, Laura Marling, Rickie Lee Jones, Richard Thompson, Keith Jarrett and Miles Davis. 

The songs I write also depend on the very instrument - they make a contribution, they guide me. As a left-hander, readily available guitars of high quality are sparse. So my favourite guitars are those I have had made for me. I prefer British styles of guitar-making to the American giants. My faves are by George Lowden (Lowden), Roger Bucknall (Fylde) and Jake Menear (JKM). Each has their own character, and each writes a different type of song.

I started at 15 in West End coffee clubs. At university in Leeds, I  formed a free music collective, before I joined corporate life on the south coast. The folk music of Hampshire and West Sussex opened my eyes to story-telling, and made me aware of acoustic music traditions which I was inadvertently drawing on.  My life drifted away from music, until in 2004 I produced a simple CD for friends containing my first new songs in over 20 years. Buoyed by their support, I started sharing them more widely on stage both solo and with bands like Night Flight. 

Before the pandemic, I performed wherever I was in the world. I like to believe my intimate style helps me to connect with people one to one. At my very best I fancy I can hear the hearts beating in the room. That is the greatest pleasure I get from performing my songs.

My album Love in Troubled Times - my first of songs for piano - was recorded in lockdown during 2020 with London’s best young jazz musicians, in the Kent countryside. I lost someone close to me during Covid times, and I hope that the final song – Be Careful As You Go – captures the loss other have also felt.

During 2021 I forged a collaboration with producer Matteo Galesi producing three singles which eventually resulted in the album Still. 

Early in 2022 I contracted Long Covid which I have been living with since. My life is currently very limited - fatigue, brain fog, and sensory overload mean I don't get out much. That willl change and ease. And I've rediscovered the joy of the guitar, and now in 2024 I'm writing new acoustic guitar songs for a project for which I am assembling my team.

I keep on dreaming, creating, and I hope… sometimes reaching people who might enjoy my music.