With the Guardian crediting her as “…one of the most agile and original jugglers of improv and adventurous composition to have appeared in the UK in recent times.” Trish Clowes has a sensational reputation as being one of the finest saxophonists and jazz composers around.  Headlining this year’s Jazz Northeast festival, and just about to release her fourth album with band My Iris, it’s an even more exciting time for Trish that normal. Damian Robinson caught up with Trish.

Hi Trish, congratulations on your new album

Thank you, A View with a Room is my fourth album with My Iris, and I’m really happy with it. We can’t wait to get out and play it to a live audience next.

A lot of the album came together during livestreams you were playing in lockdown – could you tell us a little about the creative process.

All but one of the songs on the album came together for various livestream events and I tried to write something new for each livestream we did.  I think that process was healthy during the uncertainty of lockdown and kept me active creatively.  What also helped was then being able to go into the studio as a band full of energy and focus as we’d played the track and were excited to record them.  The process was new and interesting for us and I think you can hear that excitement on the record.

So you’ll be excited to get out and play the tracks live?

Absolutely, yeah.  Jazz is an interesting process whereby even though we have song structures recorded, the music and style will change each night depending on our energy and the audience’s energy.  That’s one of the things I enjoy so much about Jazz and it’s ability to keep things interesting and different every night.  We found we could do that when we played on livestream but there’s nothing that can replace a live audience and using the energy in the room to influence the live music.  So we can’t wait.

And you’ll be up playing Newcastle’s Jazz festival in May. 

That’s right, Chris, the guitarist in the band, is from the North East and so we all look forward to playing up in the North east whenever we can.  The line-up for the festival is incredible as well so I’m sure it’ll be a great event with lots of different, interesting, artists.  I love Newcastle and the energy of the City so I can’t wait to play.

And you’ll also be playing other dates in the North outside of Newcastle as part of the album tour like Leeds and York and Scarborough?

Yeah, in terms of the tour we’re out on the road in April and May and can’t wait to bring the songs to life.

A View with a Room is released  (CD & digital): Friday 22 April 2022 

3 May National Centre of Early Music, York                    

4 May Scarborough Jazz 

5 May Seven Arts, Leeds                                        

15 May Jazz Northeast, Newcastle