"High Wire Performer"
Imagine the soundtrack to a touring Big Top and jazz is hardly the first
musical form that springs to mind, but London based pianist and F-ire
affiliate Nick Ramm cites the circus as an inspiration for his debut recording
project "Clown Reviseted". In terms of concept and musical content,
it's a playful and refreshing leap from reality. With red nose in hand,
B&S went in search of the ringmaster.
How did your connection with the circus come about?
"Back in 2002 I received a random phone call from a friend offering
me work with a quartet for two weeks as part of a traditional touring
circus in Holland. Once he explained the job, it sounded like fun. We
played a real variety of music; I remember the horses running round the
ring to a Rolling Stones cover; there was "Axel F" for a ventriloquist;
Bizet's "Carmen" for one of the clowns; and the high wire group
were three Spanish guys with Ricky martin-style high energy salsa. I really
liked the chaotic nature of it."
What elements of your circus experience did you hope to convey in an album
project?
"It's quite a general sense of being introduced to a community that
plays all these different kinds of music and takes it on the road. I also
like the idea of playing for a performer. That's something I don't usually
do, because I'm always playing for an audience. The idea of a visual element
is something I've tried to hold on to."
Why did you find the clown most fascinating?
"There was something in the music I got off on and thought I could
take further. It's something that's very catchy and maybe slightly twisted.
You get as many different types of clowns as you do people. The clown
is simply someone who's really good at bringing out a certain quality
and holding the attention of an audience just by doing very normal and
obvious things. In terms of the music I was writing, I put hardly any
limitations on myself but I did want there to be a degree of simplicity
about it. I also played with the idea of what clown music meant to both
myself and an audience."
What other projects are you involved in?
"Jade Fox(with Dave Okumu), Fulborn Teversham (with Seb Rocheford)
and I've also been working with Marcina Arnold and Jonny Phillips' Oriole."
Would you ever return to the circus?
"I'm not sure - partly because of the animals. I remember watching
elephants going through the motions. But then there were some amazing
dogs who seemed to be really enjoying themselves, grabbing hold of a rope
and swinging round the circus looking jolly. It's very weird to understand.
But I suppose that adds to the whole anarchy of the experience."
