'Educate yourself quickly' with Sarathy Korwar, Nadine Shah, James Holden and Nubya Garcia

Jazz musician Sarathy Korwar talks to Nadine Shah, James Holden and Nubya Garcia about whether there is something inherently dysfunctional about being a performer, relationships with their voice or instruments, and what it means to control and own your own music.

Sarathy Korwar was born in the US, grew up in Chennai and Ahmedabad in India before moving to London. He’s a percussionist, drummer, producer, and bandleader who’s at the forefront of the jazz world right now, using both modern methods and pulling resources from his classical roots. Joining him is the formidable singer-songwriter Nadine Shah. Her 2017 album Holiday Destination was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and her most recent record, 2020’s Kitchen Sink, arrived to huge acclaim. Her sound has been described as everything from "loner pop" to "jazz meets indie". James Holden is an electronic pioneer who’s revered by musicians and fans alike. He now runs his own label, has made a soundtrack, and performs improvised synth music in his ‘spiritual-synth-jazz-trance’ band The Animal Spirits. And finally, Nubya Garcia is a saxophonist, composer and bandleader. As well as being one of the most important musicians in the UK right now, her long awaited debut record Source was released in the summer of 2020. She also plays in the bands Nérija and Maisha with some of the UK’s finest musicians.