Image via Danika Lawrence
Will Schube still can’t believe Larry David got Salman Rushdie to say ‘fatwa sex’ on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Nubya Garcia is always brimming with ideas. The British jazz saxophonist’s new album, Odyssey overflows with creative riffs, surprising chord changes, and sonic revolutions but never sinks under the weight of Garcia’s ambition. It’s both restrained and a burst of firecrackers lighting up the night sky. She walks a tightrope without breaking a sweat, backed by a world class band that effortlessly switches between written and improvised music.
“I wanted this album to be epic,” Garcia explains over Zoom. “The things that I was writing had an energy to them that had a larger than life feel. I needed to follow that.”
Garcia was born in England to a Guyanese mother and Trinidadian father. She first came to notoriety thanks to Gilles Peterson’s 2018 London jazz compilation We Out Here, which was curated by the movement’s shining light, Shabaka Hutchings. The compilation didn’t introduce Garcia, but helped illustrate the ways in which she was helping to define the city’s new sound.
More acclaim arrived on the heels of Garcia’s phenomenal debut LP, 2020’s Source, which imagined jazz through various lenses from cumbia to dub to salsa. On that record, she examined the influences of her Guyanese background from the perspective of a classically trained jazz musician – infusing her compositions with Latin and African rhythms. As Kamasi Washington helped redefine West Coast jazz, so did Garcia in the UK. Source seemed to say: look at all the things that jazz can be.
Of course, you can only break the rules once you’ve learned them, and Garcia’s education has been integral. While much of what she does is defined by her eagerness to improvise, an equal weight should be given to the craft and techniques honed at a number of highly acclaimed institutions. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music, earned a summer scholarship at Berklee College of Music, and graduated (with honors) from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.
But not everything on Odyssey is studied. Its unpredictability — the way she balances composition with improvisation — combines her schooling and deep love for the history of jazz. In fact, it was secondhand advice from a legendary practitioner of the genre, Sun Ra, that actually led her to begin writing Odyssey. “Someone told me, or I read somewhere, that Sun Ra created every day or wrote something for the creator every day,” Garcia says. “That stayed with me, and I have never let it go.”
During our conversation, she continuously describes the LP as “epic” and “cinematic,” which, while factual, doesn’t quite capture the complexity and energy that courses through these songs. Her band, which includes Joe Armon-Jones (keys), Daniel Casimir (bass), and Sam Jones (drums), places a premium on dynamism. Garcia’s celestial levitations never float too far off thanks to the band’s hard-charging, more traditional jazz instrumentals, funk workouts, and string-led suites.
Garcia only truly began writing Odyssey when she freed herself from the expectations that came with following up Source. This sabbatical — brought about by a case of burnout — allowed her to contextualize her career less as a summation of songs and albums than as a compendium of her interests. Odyssey is the album that she saw each morning when she woke and began writing. It didn’t matter what she came up with, only that she was doing it. Often, this freedom led to some of her boldest ideas to date (only some of which ended up on Odyssey). This process is a reflection of a bell hooks quote she continually returned to while writing and recording: “The function of art is to do more than tell it like it is — it’s to imagine what is possible.”
Odyssey is certainly an epic, but it’s also an intimate portrait. Garcia can paint the sky or capture a still life of an ant. Often, she does both at once. After Source, she thought she may have lost her ability to define the difference. Exhaustion ensued, but the rest it forced led to a realization that eventually informed Odyssey: As she explains: “I needed to be in a dreamlike wonder again. I needed to have time to daydream.”
Odyssey has a lot of connotations to it and can mean a lot of different things. When did you realize that encapsulated what you were going for on this new record?
Nubya Garcia: It was when I had gotten a few things together and I started writing in my notebook. I have one that has music notation but a bit of space, too, where I can write words I’m thinking about or a story that may have inspired it. I wanted the album to operate in a cinematic way. I wanted to write music for a film that doesn’t exist yet. I didn’t just pluck it out of thin air.
I was reaching for something and I didn’t know how we were going to get it to the end of the finish line, but I knew I was onto something. This sound feels like where I am right now. Obviously when I added the strings, that just took it to another space. I wanted to elevate from Source and elevate from things that I’d done previously. I wanted epicness.
With “Odyssey” the tune, I remember the day that I wrote that. It was before most of them had titles or anything or I knew what the record was going to be called. I wrote that and it was a very straightforward process, which really doesn’t happen every day. Every section just came together. I was like, ‘this sounds like a journey. It sounds like an expedition. It sounds like a real trial,’ not in a negative or ominous way. It just sounded like we really fucking went somewhere. That was one of the first ones that had a title other than “Triumphs,” which we’ve been playing live for ages. As the other titles came into play, Odyssey was the one that stayed because it felt like it encapsulated everything that I was feeling, trying to say, trying to communicate, and evoke through the music.
When you’re trying to make this music that sounds like a journey, does that emerge while writing the record? Or is it a theme that reveals itself after the record is done and you’re like, ‘Oh, wow, every song is like this.’
Nubya Garcia: I wrote a lot of music before the first tune from this album came through. I went through a big process of just writing and getting in the flow state every day. I knew I didn’t want to write this album on the road. I wanted to be in my studio at home. I wanted to get up every day, set the intention, put on the incense, leave my phone in another room, and I’m committing to my day of creation, i.e. work.
Some people go from nine to five. I’m in my studio in that intense writing period for the purpose of needing to get the shit out. Some of it will be bad, some of it will be better, and some of it will really have a spark. I didn’t want to clutch at creative ideas. I wanted to have a plethora that I could be like, ‘Yep, that’s the one that I want to work on today.’ Or, ‘Oh, wait, I feel like five days ago I wrote something and I have another idea for it.’ I wanted that. When I got to this space of ‘Okay, I’m going to go into refine mode now,’ I had things I wanted to work on. I’m going to build them up, I’m going to arrange them. I’m going to really pour into them in a different way than the initial creative spark.
I wanted to feel like it was a direct channel and not from a sense of outside validation or good or bad. I had to ask, ‘What am I trying to bring to the table? Is it light? Is it dark? Is it blue? Is it red?’ I’ve been trying to get very far away from judgment. Not to say that judgment can’t make your things better, but the good and the bad doesn’t really help when you’re just trying to create. You can get to that later.
Source was so well received. Was that in the back of your mind as you were writing Odyssey?
Nubya Garcia: This is where the problem begins, that it wouldn’t be as good or that Source was a one-time thing? Could I do it again? Where does my talent lie? All of this kind of stuff. That was real bullshit, and I’m really glad to be outside of that space now. I also think you have to go through that. It reassesses what creativity means to you and what being an artist means to you. Did I have any of that really touching me? No. I think it was mainly for myself, even preempting what people were going to say, because we all live on the internet. We know how it goes sometimes. I’m very grateful that people have been very nice about the music that I made.
I’m in a new space again. I’m a completely different person. I’ve had so many different experiences. I want my music to progress and grow with me. That doesn’t mean that I need to write a symphony shrouded in technical ability. It just means that I’m not where I was when I wrote Source. It was really about understanding that I’m at the beginning of the journey again, and that’s going to feel really daunting and that will get mixed up with doubt that is not really mine or imposter syndrome that has nothing to do with me. I’ve made a conscious effort to do a lot of work on getting to a state of nonjudgmental flow in life and in the studio. I’m really grateful for that and not rushing into, ‘I have to create something today.’
People used to ask me when the new album was coming. That happened all the time. At the time it made me feel a bit anxious. Now I have chosen to look at it as like, oh my goodness, someone wants to hear my music. Someone’s excited and they want to support me. It got me to the place where I needed to get to, which was someone excited to write music again and excited to write it from a place not of anxiety or worry. I had to stop asking, ‘Is this as good as Source?’ That doesn’t really matter because I’ve made something that I’m proud of. I felt like I challenged myself on it and I did things that I hadn’t done before, and I really made sure that this was something that represented me right now. It’s something I can hopefully look back on and see where I went creatively.
Did you record most of the daily sketches?
Nubya Garcia: Not everything was recorded, but I made something every day. There’s something really powerful about sitting down and writing something on the piano, then never looking at it again. I’m never going to hear it again. It’s not even recorded, it doesn’t exist. That’s the beauty of improvisation. Some things I would really build and record and go back to and then transcribe and whatever, but it was all a part of getting to a place of freedom where not everything I create has to be consumed or shared. It’s purely for me. I made something today, I reached another part of my soul that hadn’t been reached in that way before. That’s why I love music. That’s why I love being creative, and that’s what draws most kids and young people to creating, to actually doing it. It’s not because you’re waiting to hear what someone thinks of it or what it’s going to.
How does a song like “Odyssey” go from initial idea to final song? Are you writing on an instrument? Are you writing by hand? What’s your process? Or does it change from track to track?
Nubya Garcia: With “Odyssey,” it just started with chords that sound a bit like McCoy Tyner or Wayne Shorter. That’s what I was maybe channeling. It just built from there. When I added the strings and the idea to cement the groove with that kind of modal swing, which stems from show tune form. It really helps me to have the sound demoed out before, then I’ll score it, transcribe it, and give it to my band, an orchestra, whoever needs it.
I know you did some traveling before working on this new record. Does where you are play a role in the music you make?
Nubya Garcia: I’m a Sagittarius. I can’t sit still. Thank goodness my work and my life and my touring is what it is because I’ve always been so curious and very much interested in seeing the world and being in different places, learning different things. Travel is a big part of my life and everybody who knows me knows I go away for the winter. I don’t think I’ve been in London for 10 winters now in a row.
Where do you normally go?
Nubya Garcia: Everywhere. I’ve been to Colombia, I’ve been to Mauritius. I love the heat, so I head to the Southern hemisphere. Obviously it’s important to take a break. It’s a sabbatical for me every year. Whether it’s been an album creation year or a heavy touring year, I think it’s important to switch off when you can and how you can with the resources that are available to you. I don’t work an office job so I can practice from anywhere. I can go and do a two month sabbatical and practice for two months. That is literally gold in this day and age, having the time. It’s definitely a huge part of my makeup and what makes me.
How do you balance songwriting with practice? They’re very distinct entities.
Nubya Garcia: Probably really badly. I feel like I’m not very good at doing one or the other. That would be really great if I could do two hours of practice and two hours of composition. If you are in a deep technical hole, it’s hard to then sit at the piano and transcribe something or write something. Sometimes it’s a season of each. I’ll still practice, but it won’t be as much if I’m in a writing period. If I’m in a practice season, it’s because the album is done so I’m not really writing. There will be various other projects like films, but it’s not like putting together an album. Balance is a pretty tricky thing. I am working on doing both at the same time and having a practice routine that can lead to writing. I’m still trying to get better at that.
I was reaching for something and I didn’t know how we were going to get it to the end of the finish line, but I knew I was onto something. This sound feels like where I am right now. Obviously when I added the strings, that just took it to another space. I wanted to elevate from Source and elevate from things that I’d done previously. I wanted epicness.
With “Odyssey” the tune, I remember the day that I wrote that. It was before most of them had titles or anything or I knew what the record was going to be called. I wrote that and it was a very straightforward process, which really doesn’t happen every day. Every section just came together. I was like, ‘this sounds like a journey. It sounds like an expedition. It sounds like a real trial,’ not in a negative or ominous way. It just sounded like we really fucking went somewhere. That was one of the first ones that had a title other than “Triumphs,” which we’ve been playing live for ages. As the other titles came into play, Odyssey was the one that stayed because it felt like it encapsulated everything that I was feeling, trying to say, trying to communicate, and evoke through the music.
When you’re trying to make this music that sounds like a journey, does that emerge while writing the record? Or is it a theme that reveals itself after the record is done and you’re like, ‘Oh, wow, every song is like this.’
Nubya Garcia: I wrote a lot of music before the first tune from this album came through. I went through a big process of just writing and getting in the flow state every day. I knew I didn’t want to write this album on the road. I wanted to be in my studio at home. I wanted to get up every day, set the intention, put on the incense, leave my phone in another room, and I’m committing to my day of creation, i.e. work.
Some people go from nine to five. I’m in my studio in that intense writing period for the purpose of needing to get the shit out. Some of it will be bad, some of it will be better, and some of it will really have a spark. I didn’t want to clutch at creative ideas. I wanted to have a plethora that I could be like, ‘Yep, that’s the one that I want to work on today.’ Or, ‘Oh, wait, I feel like five days ago I wrote something and I have another idea for it.’ I wanted that. When I got to this space of ‘Okay, I’m going to go into refine mode now,’ I had things I wanted to work on. I’m going to build them up, I’m going to arrange them. I’m going to really pour into them in a different way than the initial creative spark.
I wanted to feel like it was a direct channel and not from a sense of outside validation or good or bad. I had to ask, ‘What am I trying to bring to the table? Is it light? Is it dark? Is it blue? Is it red?’ I’ve been trying to get very far away from judgment. Not to say that judgment can’t make your things better, but the good and the bad doesn’t really help when you’re just trying to create. You can get to that later.
Source was so well received. Was that in the back of your mind as you were writing Odyssey?
Nubya Garcia: This is where the problem begins, that it wouldn’t be as good or that Source was a one-time thing? Could I do it again? Where does my talent lie? All of this kind of stuff. That was real bullshit, and I’m really glad to be outside of that space now. I also think you have to go through that. It reassesses what creativity means to you and what being an artist means to you. Did I have any of that really touching me? No. I think it was mainly for myself, even preempting what people were going to say, because we all live on the internet. We know how it goes sometimes. I’m very grateful that people have been very nice about the music that I made.
I’m in a new space again. I’m a completely different person. I’ve had so many different experiences. I want my music to progress and grow with me. That doesn’t mean that I need to write a symphony shrouded in technical ability. It just means that I’m not where I was when I wrote Source. It was really about understanding that I’m at the beginning of the journey again, and that’s going to feel really daunting and that will get mixed up with doubt that is not really mine or imposter syndrome that has nothing to do with me. I’ve made a conscious effort to do a lot of work on getting to a state of nonjudgmental flow in life and in the studio. I’m really grateful for that and not rushing into, ‘I have to create something today.’
People used to ask me when the new album was coming. That happened all the time. At the time it made me feel a bit anxious. Now I have chosen to look at it as like, oh my goodness, someone wants to hear my music. Someone’s excited and they want to support me. It got me to the place where I needed to get to, which was someone excited to write music again and excited to write it from a place not of anxiety or worry. I had to stop asking, ‘Is this as good as Source?’ That doesn’t really matter because I’ve made something that I’m proud of. I felt like I challenged myself on it and I did things that I hadn’t done before, and I really made sure that this was something that represented me right now. It’s something I can hopefully look back on and see where I went creatively.
Did you record most of the daily sketches?
Nubya Garcia: Not everything was recorded, but I made something every day. There’s something really powerful about sitting down and writing something on the piano, then never looking at it again. I’m never going to hear it again. It’s not even recorded, it doesn’t exist. That’s the beauty of improvisation. Some things I would really build and record and go back to and then transcribe and whatever, but it was all a part of getting to a place of freedom where not everything I create has to be consumed or shared. It’s purely for me. I made something today, I reached another part of my soul that hadn’t been reached in that way before. That’s why I love music. That’s why I love being creative, and that’s what draws most kids and young people to creating, to actually doing it. It’s not because you’re waiting to hear what someone thinks of it or what it’s going to.
How does a song like “Odyssey” go from initial idea to final song? Are you writing on an instrument? Are you writing by hand? What’s your process? Or does it change from track to track?
Nubya Garcia: With “Odyssey,” it just started with chords that sound a bit like McCoy Tyner or Wayne Shorter. That’s what I was maybe channeling. It just built from there. When I added the strings and the idea to cement the groove with that kind of modal swing, which stems from show tune form. It really helps me to have the sound demoed out before, then I’ll score it, transcribe it, and give it to my band, an orchestra, whoever needs it.
I know you did some traveling before working on this new record. Does where you are play a role in the music you make?
Nubya Garcia: I’m a Sagittarius. I can’t sit still. Thank goodness my work and my life and my touring is what it is because I’ve always been so curious and very much interested in seeing the world and being in different places, learning different things. Travel is a big part of my life and everybody who knows me knows I go away for the winter. I don’t think I’ve been in London for 10 winters now in a row.
Where do you normally go?
Nubya Garcia: Everywhere. I’ve been to Colombia, I’ve been to Mauritius. I love the heat, so I head to the Southern hemisphere. Obviously it’s important to take a break. It’s a sabbatical for me every year. Whether it’s been an album creation year or a heavy touring year, I think it’s important to switch off when you can and how you can with the resources that are available to you. I don’t work an office job so I can practice from anywhere. I can go and do a two month sabbatical and practice for two months. That is literally gold in this day and age, having the time. It’s definitely a huge part of my makeup and what makes me.
How do you balance songwriting with practice? They’re very distinct entities.
Nubya Garcia: Probably really badly. I feel like I’m not very good at doing one or the other. That would be really great if I could do two hours of practice and two hours of composition. If you are in a deep technical hole, it’s hard to then sit at the piano and transcribe something or write something. Sometimes it’s a season of each. I’ll still practice, but it won’t be as much if I’m in a writing period. If I’m in a practice season, it’s because the album is done so I’m not really writing. There will be various other projects like films, but it’s not like putting together an album. Balance is a pretty tricky thing. I am working on doing both at the same time and having a practice routine that can lead to writing. I’m still trying to get better at that.
Some people go from nine to five. I’m in my studio in that intense writing period for the purpose of needing to get the shit out. Some of it will be bad, some of it will be better, and some of it will really have a spark. I didn’t want to clutch at creative ideas. I wanted to have a plethora that I could be like, ‘Yep, that’s the one that I want to work on today.’ Or, ‘Oh, wait, I feel like five days ago I wrote something and I have another idea for it.’ I wanted that. When I got to this space of ‘Okay, I’m going to go into refine mode now,’ I had things I wanted to work on. I’m going to build them up, I’m going to arrange them. I’m going to really pour into them in a different way than the initial creative spark.
I wanted to feel like it was a direct channel and not from a sense of outside validation or good or bad. I had to ask, ‘What am I trying to bring to the table? Is it light? Is it dark? Is it blue? Is it red?’ I’ve been trying to get very far away from judgment. Not to say that judgment can’t make your things better, but the good and the bad doesn’t really help when you’re just trying to create. You can get to that later.
Source was so well received. Was that in the back of your mind as you were writing Odyssey?
Nubya Garcia: This is where the problem begins, that it wouldn’t be as good or that Source was a one-time thing? Could I do it again? Where does my talent lie? All of this kind of stuff. That was real bullshit, and I’m really glad to be outside of that space now. I also think you have to go through that. It reassesses what creativity means to you and what being an artist means to you. Did I have any of that really touching me? No. I think it was mainly for myself, even preempting what people were going to say, because we all live on the internet. We know how it goes sometimes. I’m very grateful that people have been very nice about the music that I made.
I’m in a new space again. I’m a completely different person. I’ve had so many different experiences. I want my music to progress and grow with me. That doesn’t mean that I need to write a symphony shrouded in technical ability. It just means that I’m not where I was when I wrote Source. It was really about understanding that I’m at the beginning of the journey again, and that’s going to feel really daunting and that will get mixed up with doubt that is not really mine or imposter syndrome that has nothing to do with me. I’ve made a conscious effort to do a lot of work on getting to a state of nonjudgmental flow in life and in the studio. I’m really grateful for that and not rushing into, ‘I have to create something today.’
People used to ask me when the new album was coming. That happened all the time. At the time it made me feel a bit anxious. Now I have chosen to look at it as like, oh my goodness, someone wants to hear my music. Someone’s excited and they want to support me. It got me to the place where I needed to get to, which was someone excited to write music again and excited to write it from a place not of anxiety or worry. I had to stop asking, ‘Is this as good as Source?’ That doesn’t really matter because I’ve made something that I’m proud of. I felt like I challenged myself on it and I did things that I hadn’t done before, and I really made sure that this was something that represented me right now. It’s something I can hopefully look back on and see where I went creatively.
Did you record most of the daily sketches?
Nubya Garcia: Not everything was recorded, but I made something every day. There’s something really powerful about sitting down and writing something on the piano, then never looking at it again. I’m never going to hear it again. It’s not even recorded, it doesn’t exist. That’s the beauty of improvisation. Some things I would really build and record and go back to and then transcribe and whatever, but it was all a part of getting to a place of freedom where not everything I create has to be consumed or shared. It’s purely for me. I made something today, I reached another part of my soul that hadn’t been reached in that way before. That’s why I love music. That’s why I love being creative, and that’s what draws most kids and young people to creating, to actually doing it. It’s not because you’re waiting to hear what someone thinks of it or what it’s going to.
How does a song like “Odyssey” go from initial idea to final song? Are you writing on an instrument? Are you writing by hand? What’s your process? Or does it change from track to track?
Nubya Garcia: With “Odyssey,” it just started with chords that sound a bit like McCoy Tyner or Wayne Shorter. That’s what I was maybe channeling. It just built from there. When I added the strings and the idea to cement the groove with that kind of modal swing, which stems from show tune form. It really helps me to have the sound demoed out before, then I’ll score it, transcribe it, and give it to my band, an orchestra, whoever needs it.
I know you did some traveling before working on this new record. Does where you are play a role in the music you make?
Nubya Garcia: I’m a Sagittarius. I can’t sit still. Thank goodness my work and my life and my touring is what it is because I’ve always been so curious and very much interested in seeing the world and being in different places, learning different things. Travel is a big part of my life and everybody who knows me knows I go away for the winter. I don’t think I’ve been in London for 10 winters now in a row.
Where do you normally go?
Nubya Garcia: Everywhere. I’ve been to Colombia, I’ve been to Mauritius. I love the heat, so I head to the Southern hemisphere. Obviously it’s important to take a break. It’s a sabbatical for me every year. Whether it’s been an album creation year or a heavy touring year, I think it’s important to switch off when you can and how you can with the resources that are available to you. I don’t work an office job so I can practice from anywhere. I can go and do a two month sabbatical and practice for two months. That is literally gold in this day and age, having the time. It’s definitely a huge part of my makeup and what makes me.
How do you balance songwriting with practice? They’re very distinct entities.
Nubya Garcia: Probably really badly. I feel like I’m not very good at doing one or the other. That would be really great if I could do two hours of practice and two hours of composition. If you are in a deep technical hole, it’s hard to then sit at the piano and transcribe something or write something. Sometimes it’s a season of each. I’ll still practice, but it won’t be as much if I’m in a writing period. If I’m in a practice season, it’s because the album is done so I’m not really writing. There will be various other projects like films, but it’s not like putting together an album. Balance is a pretty tricky thing. I am working on doing both at the same time and having a practice routine that can lead to writing. I’m still trying to get better at that.
I’m in a new space again. I’m a completely different person. I’ve had so many different experiences. I want my music to progress and grow with me. That doesn’t mean that I need to write a symphony shrouded in technical ability. It just means that I’m not where I was when I wrote Source. It was really about understanding that I’m at the beginning of the journey again, and that’s going to feel really daunting and that will get mixed up with doubt that is not really mine or imposter syndrome that has nothing to do with me. I’ve made a conscious effort to do a lot of work on getting to a state of nonjudgmental flow in life and in the studio. I’m really grateful for that and not rushing into, ‘I have to create something today.’
People used to ask me when the new album was coming. That happened all the time. At the time it made me feel a bit anxious. Now I have chosen to look at it as like, oh my goodness, someone wants to hear my music. Someone’s excited and they want to support me. It got me to the place where I needed to get to, which was someone excited to write music again and excited to write it from a place not of anxiety or worry. I had to stop asking, ‘Is this as good as Source?’ That doesn’t really matter because I’ve made something that I’m proud of. I felt like I challenged myself on it and I did things that I hadn’t done before, and I really made sure that this was something that represented me right now. It’s something I can hopefully look back on and see where I went creatively.
Did you record most of the daily sketches?
Nubya Garcia: Not everything was recorded, but I made something every day. There’s something really powerful about sitting down and writing something on the piano, then never looking at it again. I’m never going to hear it again. It’s not even recorded, it doesn’t exist. That’s the beauty of improvisation. Some things I would really build and record and go back to and then transcribe and whatever, but it was all a part of getting to a place of freedom where not everything I create has to be consumed or shared. It’s purely for me. I made something today, I reached another part of my soul that hadn’t been reached in that way before. That’s why I love music. That’s why I love being creative, and that’s what draws most kids and young people to creating, to actually doing it. It’s not because you’re waiting to hear what someone thinks of it or what it’s going to.
How does a song like “Odyssey” go from initial idea to final song? Are you writing on an instrument? Are you writing by hand? What’s your process? Or does it change from track to track?
Nubya Garcia: With “Odyssey,” it just started with chords that sound a bit like McCoy Tyner or Wayne Shorter. That’s what I was maybe channeling. It just built from there. When I added the strings and the idea to cement the groove with that kind of modal swing, which stems from show tune form. It really helps me to have the sound demoed out before, then I’ll score it, transcribe it, and give it to my band, an orchestra, whoever needs it.
I know you did some traveling before working on this new record. Does where you are play a role in the music you make?
Nubya Garcia: I’m a Sagittarius. I can’t sit still. Thank goodness my work and my life and my touring is what it is because I’ve always been so curious and very much interested in seeing the world and being in different places, learning different things. Travel is a big part of my life and everybody who knows me knows I go away for the winter. I don’t think I’ve been in London for 10 winters now in a row.
Where do you normally go?
Nubya Garcia: Everywhere. I’ve been to Colombia, I’ve been to Mauritius. I love the heat, so I head to the Southern hemisphere. Obviously it’s important to take a break. It’s a sabbatical for me every year. Whether it’s been an album creation year or a heavy touring year, I think it’s important to switch off when you can and how you can with the resources that are available to you. I don’t work an office job so I can practice from anywhere. I can go and do a two month sabbatical and practice for two months. That is literally gold in this day and age, having the time. It’s definitely a huge part of my makeup and what makes me.
How do you balance songwriting with practice? They’re very distinct entities.
Nubya Garcia: Probably really badly. I feel like I’m not very good at doing one or the other. That would be really great if I could do two hours of practice and two hours of composition. If you are in a deep technical hole, it’s hard to then sit at the piano and transcribe something or write something. Sometimes it’s a season of each. I’ll still practice, but it won’t be as much if I’m in a writing period. If I’m in a practice season, it’s because the album is done so I’m not really writing. There will be various other projects like films, but it’s not like putting together an album. Balance is a pretty tricky thing. I am working on doing both at the same time and having a practice routine that can lead to writing. I’m still trying to get better at that.
How does a song like “Odyssey” go from initial idea to final song? Are you writing on an instrument? Are you writing by hand? What’s your process? Or does it change from track to track?
Nubya Garcia: With “Odyssey,” it just started with chords that sound a bit like McCoy Tyner or Wayne Shorter. That’s what I was maybe channeling. It just built from there. When I added the strings and the idea to cement the groove with that kind of modal swing, which stems from show tune form. It really helps me to have the sound demoed out before, then I’ll score it, transcribe it, and give it to my band, an orchestra, whoever needs it.
I know you did some traveling before working on this new record. Does where you are play a role in the music you make?
Nubya Garcia: I’m a Sagittarius. I can’t sit still. Thank goodness my work and my life and my touring is what it is because I’ve always been so curious and very much interested in seeing the world and being in different places, learning different things. Travel is a big part of my life and everybody who knows me knows I go away for the winter. I don’t think I’ve been in London for 10 winters now in a row.
Where do you normally go?
Nubya Garcia: Everywhere. I’ve been to Colombia, I’ve been to Mauritius. I love the heat, so I head to the Southern hemisphere. Obviously it’s important to take a break. It’s a sabbatical for me every year. Whether it’s been an album creation year or a heavy touring year, I think it’s important to switch off when you can and how you can with the resources that are available to you. I don’t work an office job so I can practice from anywhere. I can go and do a two month sabbatical and practice for two months. That is literally gold in this day and age, having the time. It’s definitely a huge part of my makeup and what makes me.
How do you balance songwriting with practice? They’re very distinct entities.
Nubya Garcia: Probably really badly. I feel like I’m not very good at doing one or the other. That would be really great if I could do two hours of practice and two hours of composition. If you are in a deep technical hole, it’s hard to then sit at the piano and transcribe something or write something. Sometimes it’s a season of each. I’ll still practice, but it won’t be as much if I’m in a writing period. If I’m in a practice season, it’s because the album is done so I’m not really writing. There will be various other projects like films, but it’s not like putting together an album. Balance is a pretty tricky thing. I am working on doing both at the same time and having a practice routine that can lead to writing. I’m still trying to get better at that.
I know you did some traveling before working on this new record. Does where you are play a role in the music you make?
Nubya Garcia: I’m a Sagittarius. I can’t sit still. Thank goodness my work and my life and my touring is what it is because I’ve always been so curious and very much interested in seeing the world and being in different places, learning different things. Travel is a big part of my life and everybody who knows me knows I go away for the winter. I don’t think I’ve been in London for 10 winters now in a row.
Where do you normally go?
Nubya Garcia: Everywhere. I’ve been to Colombia, I’ve been to Mauritius. I love the heat, so I head to the Southern hemisphere. Obviously it’s important to take a break. It’s a sabbatical for me every year. Whether it’s been an album creation year or a heavy touring year, I think it’s important to switch off when you can and how you can with the resources that are available to you. I don’t work an office job so I can practice from anywhere. I can go and do a two month sabbatical and practice for two months. That is literally gold in this day and age, having the time. It’s definitely a huge part of my makeup and what makes me.
How do you balance songwriting with practice? They’re very distinct entities.
Nubya Garcia: Probably really badly. I feel like I’m not very good at doing one or the other. That would be really great if I could do two hours of practice and two hours of composition. If you are in a deep technical hole, it’s hard to then sit at the piano and transcribe something or write something. Sometimes it’s a season of each. I’ll still practice, but it won’t be as much if I’m in a writing period. If I’m in a practice season, it’s because the album is done so I’m not really writing. There will be various other projects like films, but it’s not like putting together an album. Balance is a pretty tricky thing. I am working on doing both at the same time and having a practice routine that can lead to writing. I’m still trying to get better at that.
Where do you normally go?
Nubya Garcia: Everywhere. I’ve been to Colombia, I’ve been to Mauritius. I love the heat, so I head to the Southern hemisphere. Obviously it’s important to take a break. It’s a sabbatical for me every year. Whether it’s been an album creation year or a heavy touring year, I think it’s important to switch off when you can and how you can with the resources that are available to you. I don’t work an office job so I can practice from anywhere. I can go and do a two month sabbatical and practice for two months. That is literally gold in this day and age, having the time. It’s definitely a huge part of my makeup and what makes me.
How do you balance songwriting with practice? They’re very distinct entities.
Nubya Garcia: Probably really badly. I feel like I’m not very good at doing one or the other. That would be really great if I could do two hours of practice and two hours of composition. If you are in a deep technical hole, it’s hard to then sit at the piano and transcribe something or write something. Sometimes it’s a season of each. I’ll still practice, but it won’t be as much if I’m in a writing period. If I’m in a practice season, it’s because the album is done so I’m not really writing. There will be various other projects like films, but it’s not like putting together an album. Balance is a pretty tricky thing. I am working on doing both at the same time and having a practice routine that can lead to writing. I’m still trying to get better at that.
How do you balance songwriting with practice? They’re very distinct entities.
Nubya Garcia: Probably really badly. I feel like I’m not very good at doing one or the other. That would be really great if I could do two hours of practice and two hours of composition. If you are in a deep technical hole, it’s hard to then sit at the piano and transcribe something or write something. Sometimes it’s a season of each. I’ll still practice, but it won’t be as much if I’m in a writing period. If I’m in a practice season, it’s because the album is done so I’m not really writing. There will be various other projects like films, but it’s not like putting together an album. Balance is a pretty tricky thing. I am working on doing both at the same time and having a practice routine that can lead to writing. I’m still trying to get better at that.