Julie Sassoon is a Manchester-born pianist and composer. She got here to the eye of critics and audiences in 2000, when she fashioned the outstanding ‘Azilut!’ trio with drummer Bart van Helsdingen and reeds participant Lothar Ohlmeier. Whether or not touring with Max Richter’s ’Piano Circus’, opening Berlin’s prestigious modern music competition, Maerzmusik with Julius Eastman’s 4-piano works, or collaborating with Israeli singer Efrat Alony, trumpeter Tom Arthurs and drummer, grasp of free improvisation Willi Kellers, Julie is endlessly musically versatile. She lives in Berlin along with her companion, musician Lothar Ohlmeier, and their nineteen year-old daughter, Mia.

LondonJazz Information: What’s the greatest recommendation you obtained about balancing/juggling motherhood and profession?

Julie Sassoon: I didn’t obtain a lot recommendation about balancing/juggling motherhood and profession. I adopted my intuition and made it up as I went alongside based on what I felt was proper. I had no thought what to anticipate. I made certain I had no appointments, no gigs in my diary from the infant’s due date. I had simply recorded my first solo album ‘New Life’ for Babel Information once I was six months pregnant, however I had no thought once I would have the ability to launch the album, once I’d be as much as performing concert events once more. I realised in a short time when my daughter was born that I wanted to be there 100% for her. So I used to be there for her, collectively along with her father 100% at the start of her life. It was one of the crucial fantastic occasions of my life, being in that child bubble, in love with our new daughter. I had pals who have been musicians that didn’t get pleasure from this era as a lot as I did. It’s because they have been nonetheless making an attempt to maintain up their profession concurrently having a small child. This solely creates a battle as a result of, in my thoughts, it’s actually not doable to do each within the first couple of years of the infant’s life. When you consider it, two years actually isn’t a big portion of your life, through which to sacrifice your personal musical/ profession ambitions. If you’ll be able to let go of that for this quick time frame, then you may have essentially the most rewarding time simply being a mom and being there to your baby. I used to be very fortunate as a result of I had and nonetheless have an amazingly supportive companion who shared all of the parenting with me. Who made it doable for me to get again into my music and gigging. 

Earlier than we had a child, we fairly often performed in bands collectively. We have been hoping to proceed this after our daughter was born, and we quickly realised this was not going to be simple, if in any respect doable! When she was about three weeks previous we had a rehearsal with Tom Arthurs and Milo Fell in our house in London, and he or she screamed during, so whoever had completed their solo needed to decide her up and dance along with her until she calmed down! It was not wanting promising. It was clear that Lothar and I’d not be taking part in collectively for some time. We accepted that, after which it was not an issue.

LJN: Your prime tip(s) for different moms in jazz:

JS: My recommendation to moms in jazz is to place your child’s wants first, not less than for the primary couple of years of your child’s life, in entrance of your profession and musical ambitions. It’s only for a brief interval of your life. Crucial factor is that child, who’s 100% completely depending on you and your companion – and this era of whole dependency doesn’t final lengthy, however I imagine it is extremely necessary for the kid’s improvement at the start of his/her life, that she doesn’t really feel she’s in the best way, stopping you from doing one thing. When you can put your musical ambitions on maintain for a comparatively quick interval in your total life, you may then get pleasure from being together with your baby – being a mom and later in her life, she’s going to truly be extra unbiased and fewer needy. Effectively, that’s been my expertise.

LJN: Child/baby gear ideas for journey/touring/gigging:

JS: When my daughter was a child I didn’t go on tour along with her. Once I had gigs – her father would take care of her. When he had gigs, I’d be along with her. The solo album that I recorded once I was pregnant ended up being launched when she was 20 months previous… and from then on, I carried out many solo concert events – for a few years – truly till she was about 8, that was my essential undertaking. It was sensible from a childcare viewpoint. It was simple for her father to take care of her once I was touring.

LJN: Greatest basic journey/gigging/tour-with-child recommendation:

JS: When Lothar and I began taking part in once more collectively, she would both include us to gigs and watch… or  when she was sufficiently old she would keep along with her pals whereas we have been on tour.


LJN: What has stunned you about changing into a dad or mum and remaining engaged together with your skilled actions and ambitions?

JS: What has stunned me is how a lot our daughter has taken within the music she’s been uncovered to all her life… ranging from day one. She was truly born to ‘After The Rain’ by John Coltrane! That was my ache reduction giving start! After which she was danced to sleep to ‘Chet Baker Sings’. Nappies modified to Chick Corea’s ‘Youngsters’s Songs’!          
          

Once we moved to Berlin, she was almost 4. We had no childcare community so she usually got here with us to look at concert events. She was uncovered to free improvised music in addition to jazz and was open to all of it. She was simply a part of it all-of our lives as musicians. She heard improvised music periods in our front room and we had home concert events at house, and gave piano/saxophone/clarinet classes at house until she was 11.

We purchased her a drum package for her eighth birthday. We knew she favored the drums however we additionally thought it’d be good for us to have a drum package at house – for the numerous periods we’d have with different Berlin musicians. Our daughter simply soaked all of it up like a sponge-all this musical enter and it turned a part of her with out us making an attempt in any respect.

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At 11 she selected to go to a specialist music secondary faculty the place she needed to check jazz drums.  She handed the audition and have become increasingly more critical about taking part in the drums, practising 3 hours a day. (An enormous distinction to when she was youthful when she didn’t need to practise in any respect!) And now she’s already a effective jazz drummer!