Kind Of Jazz, 10 Questions For

1. You have released a lot of great music together. What is it that draws you to working with each other?

GEORGIA: Every time I hear Alan play, I find new beauty and jaw-dropping talent. You can never stop learning, working with a musician of that calibre. That aside, his compositions move me deeply and it continues to be a privilege to turn them into songs together. We released our second album, ‘Quiet Is The Star,’ in the heart of the Pandemic in 2021 and as we didn’t meet in person for 4 years from 2019 to 2023, there was a sense of unfinished business. There were a lot of songs that we had not played together, never mind recorded. And to then also find a whole new soundworld with the addition of the stunning orchestral title track, I think proves we still have plenty to say.

ALAN: Georgia and I share a lifelong love of standards. We are drawn to songs that resonate deeply and explore the complexities of adult emotions. Naturally, this tradition has shaped our collaborations, bringing us together through a shared appreciation for its timeless artistry. This style of songwriting has endured for nearly a century, remaining as relevant as ever. This is evident in the countless performers of all ages who continue to find meaning in it.

2. Several of the tracks, for example ‘Same Old Moon’ and ‘Heart of Hearts’, have subtle but profound political messages. Is something that is important to you?

GEORGIA: I have been politically active since I was a teenager, thanks to the positive influence of my mum, a great champion of human and social rights. But I think transferring that to the stage and work takes courage, confidence, and a cause. It took a while to grow into all of those, but when I started writing my own lyrics, I was organically drawn to representing everything important to me. My first serious foray was on my third album, ‘Silhouette’ in 2010, with songs like ‘TransOcéanica’,’Finisterre’ and my lyrics to Pat Metheny’s composition, ‘Question And Answer’, which he approved, and the track became ‘Question The Answer’.

The songs co-written with pianist and composer, Kate Williams, on our Parliamentary Award-winning 2019 album ’Finding Home’, centred on the rights and experiences of refugees. I worked on my stage craft and presentation to fully contextualise and do justice to such delicate themes, because you always hope to take the audience with you.

On this new album, ‘Same Old Moon’ was written back in 2016, in response to the devastating impact of both Brexit and the first Trump administration, and ‘Still We All Can Dream’ to mark Black History Month as we headed into the 2020 US elections. I wrote the lyrics to the title track, ‘A Story Left Untold’, in early 2024, never imagining it to be so prescient for our current world order. The narrative can be interpreted as both one person’s confessional and one nation’s history. It is subtle but once you know it is intended as a cautionary tale against authoritarianism, you will also see ‘Heart Of Hearts’ as a beautiful counterbalance of optimism and hope.

3. Other tracks on the album are more personal. What is it like being able to translate heart-felt emotions into song?

GEORGIA: It’s immense, actually, and I think one of the reasons why our partnership has endured. Our emotional response is never manufactured or contrived and although the lyrics often hold a deeply private meaning for me, the feelings and themes are universal.

I have found writing and performing songs in memory of those I have loved and lost has been profoundly therapeutic. ‘The show must go on’ can be a cruel master to serve, so for me this can be a way to reclaim agency and space.

ALAN: That’s at the core of what we do. For a song to be truly heartfelt, it has to come from a deeper place—not a superficial or performative one. For me, that means melody and harmony must be carefully crafted with sophistication and intent. Only then can a song be born with real emotional depth.

4. You have written lyrics in Italian, which is your second language. What inspired this and was there a sense of homage to your heritage?

GEORGIA: Alan had actually suggested that I try this, some time ago but all I had previously done were a few translated lyrics from Italian into English. Although technically Italian is my first language, it was quickly superceded by English when I started school. For many years, it was a language I mainly listened to or read in and despite being bi-lingual, there was always a filter, a detachment: almost as though I were in disguise. So, it’s fitting that ‘The Love I Left Behind’ (‘L’Amore Che Lasciai’) –the song I have written my first Italian lyric to – holds a sense of mystery in its narrative.

My lyrics with Alan have developed their own style, having now co-written over forty songs. So, it was definitely challenging translating that into a language I have never written poetically in and sometimes have a tenuous grammatical grasp of! It was also bittersweet because my mum was a formidable Italian language and literature teacher, and I would have loved her input. I was very fortunate though to have a steer from my friend, the wonderful vocalist and lyricist, Diana Torti. Hopefully, this will be the start of many more.

5. Some of the songs are reflective of previous works together. Does it feel like there is a continuum in your joint creativity?

ALAN: We don’t create in different styles—we are a style of our own, one that has taken years to develop and internalize through our individual musical journeys. Our evolution has been organic, shaped by a shared love of music and a deep creative understanding. We’re fortunate to have found in each other a common purpose, allowing our work to flow naturally as part of a larger continuum.

6. How did you select the musicians to work with you and Alan on this release?

GEORGIA: I like the continuity of working with the same people, especially with original music as it takes time to settle in. Drummer Dave Ohm played on our first album ‘Songbook’ and all our tour dates both here, across Europe and the U.S. He also hears the tunes floating around the house before the lyrics are even written, so they are deep in his subconscious now! His swing feel is superb, and he can roar up tempo, but his musicality is unparalled and he always serves the song, which is very important to both Alan and me.

Andy Cleyndert, as well as being a first-rate bassist, engineered and co-produced all three of my and Alan’s albums, so knows the music absolutely inside and out. He has done a tremendous job on this album, particularly in blending the duo, quartet, and orchestral settings so seamlessly. He is the person I have the longest musical association with, and I highly prize his skill and support.

7. The work is accompanied by cinematic artwork. What inspired this and why is it important to include quality artwork with each release, as seems to be the pattern with your later work?

GEORGIA: From the very start of our songwriting partnership, I saw images as clearly as the formulating words and stories, and once I found artist Simon Manfield, he immediately became an integral part of our team. All of his work has been created bespoke for us, marrying our ideas with his own response to the music.

‘A Story Left Untold’ is an evocative title and Simon’s first suggestion was a window scene, so we started with some iconic vistas from Picasso, Matisse, Lee Miller and Andrew Wyeth. We wanted our artwork to hold multiple narratives, protagonists, and viewpoints so we worked in the empty chair (‘From Me to You’), the book (‘The Love I Left Behind’), the bird (‘A Lark’s Lament’). It also needed to reflect both the beauty and brutality of the title track and second half /side of the album: the order and the chaos– hence the lush, curated garden and the desolate, scorched landscape beyond.

Our longstanding graphic designer, Rachel O’Reilly, then created the reverse image of Simon’s cover art, adding another dimension and cleverly relating back to the pencil drawings he made for our first album, Songbook’. These images, colours and textures are inextricably linked to our songs now, and I am proud that our albums (and books) are fully conceived pieces of art, sonically and visually.

8. For you and Alan, what is the most important thing a listener or audience member takes away from hearing your music?

ALAN: Speaking for my notes, I hope the listener carries my melodies with them, for it is in their rise and fall that emotion is found—just as they first came to me, in moments of inspiration and feeling.

GEORGIA: That they might bring solace and validation.

9. What about the future? 

GEORGIA: I would love to work on and perform a suite of songs with Alan in an orchestral setting. More generally, I hope to remain inspired and inquisitive, open minded and open hearted, and to keep developing my craft.

ALAN: I’ve never been one to make plans—I take each day as it comes, practicing the piano, writing music, and waiting for the next call to arms. That said, I do have some symphonic works I’d love to hear brought to life one day.

10. Georgia – no interview with you involved would be complete without mentioning your clubs. Congratulations on the success of not one but two jazz clubs. Can you tell us a little about what it feels like to be involved with two successful clubs? 

Thank you. I want to pay tribute to Hugh and Marion Ockendon for Eltham Jazz Club. They created and ran it for thirty-two, building up a core of loyal regulars whose continued support we value. My partner, drummer Dave Ohm, and I took over in November 2022 and have implemented gender parity in our programming of bandleaders; something important to us both. Attendance this year has been fairly stable, but I don’t think you can ever feel too secure as a grassroots venue. Even a very small change in numbers can really impact, so it’s crucial that audiences keep coming out, especially taking chances on less established artists or those new to them. We are grateful also to some really established names who have elevated the club’s standing by playing for us.

We started the Crystal Palace Jazz Club from scratch in September 2024, mostly bringing two guest artists to collaborate with us in monthly residencies. We have a fantastic mix of audiences with a broad age range. Many are not traditional jazz fans, but they are incredibly attentive and in such a small venue, they really see the inner workings of this artform and understand that it’s all about dialogue and communication. We are so fortunate that our hosts, Hopscotch Taprooms, are a true partner in this venture, that we are building together.