James Davison (Jazz Trumpet): The Musicians’ Company #MiddayMusic
James Davison joined the Musicians' Company Young Artists' Programme after he won our Young Jazz Musician award in 2019. Here he performs 'Stardust' by Hoagy Carmichael in an arrangement by Callum Au and adapted by James Davison. The players in the quartet are Callum Au, Tom Dunnett, Jamie Pimenta and Yusuf Narcin.
James writes:
"Stardust was written by Hoagy Carmichael in 1927 with lyrics by Mitchell Paris. It is a classic jazz standard ballad from the American song book. It is a beautiful tune that I’ve loved playing since the first time I heard it and I thought it would work brilliantly for this slightly unusual line up of instruments: a trombone quartet plus flugelhorn.
It has wonderfully poetic lyrics that talk about how songs and music can bring people together when they are apart. This is why I thought this piece, in particular, would be great for the #MiddayMusic series. The lyrics are:
'High up in the sky the little starts climb
Always reminding me that we’re apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by' "
Winner of Musicians' Company Young Jazz Musician award (2018) and the Smith-Watkins Trumpet Award (2016) at the #RoyalAcademyofMusic, James is now pursuing a busy and varied freelance career based in London. He was lead trumpet in the #NationalYouthJazzOrchestra (2014-2017) and is currently lead trumpet with the #ScottishNationalJazzOrchestra and the #PatchworkJazzOrchestra. He also performs regularly with the BBC Big Band, The Syd Lawrence Orchestra, Pete Long’s Echoes of Ellington Orchestra and the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra.
Recently graduating with a MA in Jazz Performance at the #RoyalAcademyofMusic, James has become a regular lead trumpet deputy in West End Shows including Aladdin, 42nd Street, Book of Mormon, Beautiful, An American in Paris and Guys and Dolls. He has performed with the #LondonSymphonyOrchestra and as guest Principal with the #RoyalPhilharmonicOrchestra and the #HalléOrchestra. James is also a member of the award winning #MishaMullov-AbaddoGroup, Jonny Mansfield’s Elftet, the Sam Watts band, The #LondonJazzOrchestra, as well as his own band co-led with Callum Au, playing the music of Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer.
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Musicians' Company Profile - http://www.wcom.org.uk/yeoman/james-davison
Musicians' Company 2019 Interview - http://www.wcom.org.uk/news/yeoman-of-the-month-james-davison
About our Young Jazz Musician Award - http://www.wcom.org.uk/awards/jazz-young-musician
James's Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/jimjimdavison
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#MiddayMusic is supported by funds from the Musicians' Company’s Prince’s Prize which received a generous endowment in 2015 from The Eranda Rothschild Foundation and Rothschilds Bank, in memory of Leopold de Rothschild, a Liveryman of the Musicians’ Company for over 50 years.
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