Interview: Nick Pini - Session Musician from London
Nick Pini is a wonderful session and touring musician who has made a name for himself in the UK’s vibrant music scene. Despite coming from a family of classical musicians, Nick decided to pursue his passion for jazz and improvisation, studying at Trinity College of Music in London.
Nick's versatility and musical talent have allowed him to branch out into different genres effortlessly: jazz, improvisation and as a touring and session musician. Since then, he has worked with some of the most famous artists in the world, both as a session musician and a touring band member for some of the world's most well-known artists like Laura Marling, Ethan Johns, Nick Mulvey, Tom Jones, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Seth Lakeman, Ramin Karimloo, Will Butterworth.
In addition to being a talented musician, Nick has also recently moved into roles such as MD and in string arranging, and production.
RINARO: Can you, please, tell us how did you get into playing bass?
NICK PINI: I tried lots of different instruments as a kid. My parents were both violinists and so I started there but it didn’t quite stick, though I recently picked it up again to (attempt to) play folk music on. I tried piano but hated reading music - I would always get distracted by the sound and would then try and make up the next bar of music. Eventually I heard a Herbie Hancock record, The New Standard with Dave Holland playing double bass on it, particularly his playing on New York Minute and it was then that I thought, holy $#!+, I want to make that sound!
RINARO: What got you into jazz?
NIKC PINI: Well, jazz had been around throughout my childhood but mostly in the form of Fats Waller and some of the interlude music from the Goon Shows - we had a limited collection of music. But it was living with 2 Danish guys in London when I was 18 that cemented it. We used to stay up really late drinking coffee and smoking roll ups, playing poker betting with copper coins and listening to jazz records. Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, John Pattitucci..Dave Holland, who I also thought was American.. I became aware of all these great jazz musicians around then. Funnily, I wasn’t really aware how great the UK scene was at that time. Which is a shame as I feel I missed an opportunity.
“Music is a language, at its core, and improvisation between two or more people is simply a conversation”
Image: www.discogs.com
RINARO: If you had to explain the improvisation to a non-musicians, how would you go about it?
NCIK PINI: I would say that music is a language, at its core, and improvisation between two or more people is simply a conversation. You can learn the basics of a foreign language and in a limited way improvise, saying hello, how are you and ordering a coffee. The more of the language you speak the more conversation opens up to you. But most important in this is listening to the other speaker and interacting with them. Improvising music is about finding your musical voice and working on how to express that, whilst listening, understanding and responding to your fellow musicians. You become very at ease with it over time. There have been moments when I haven’t known until we started playing that actually my friend was feeling very sad. These days it feels more like reaching out energetically for each other.
RINARO: How playing with different artists shaped you as a musician?
NICK PINI: Absolutely everyone has something to teach you, if you listen. I am a perpetual student and apprentice to the many wonderful artists I’ve had the privilege to meet. I just try to keep myself open.
RINARO: Could you tell us about paving your career in jazz & pop side by side?
NICK PINI: I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’ve done much paving in an intentional sense. I come from fairly humble roots - we really had very little money at times, growing up - and so as soon as I’d started paying my rent from gig money, I’d essentially achieved something I’d thought was going to be a real challenge and it’s just been really fun and exciting ever since. I have an inner child going, “wow!!” a huge percentage of the time. I remember looking up during a recording session not long ago and looking around the room at the musicians and just thinking, holy flying shitballs..I’m in a room with [name-drop-clang! X4]!!
I’m always very curious to play with people and I try to turn up with the intention of giving myself over to making music with the people in the room, whether it’s really complex or challenging in some other way. I suppose rereading that, I’m also saying that I don’t really draw much of a line between genres of music. Sure, there are differences but not in the way we’re led to believe: genres are just data points used to sell you more stuff. Don’t let them box you in and go explore!
RINARO: With which of the artists have you toured with the most? Could you please tell us about the experience of being on the road?
NICK PINI: I’ve been so lucky and toured with some fabulous artists. Laura Marling is the artist I’ve been on the road with the most, followed by Nick Mulvey. Both are wonderful, generous human beings and treat their musicians very well. Touring is like nothing else. You are a nomad but held to a fairly strict schedule. You get very good at finding coffee shops. I go for lots of exploratory walks and runs. Coming home can be very difficult as you’ve often lost your roots and need to rebuild them.
RINARO: What equipment do you currently use?
NICK PINI: Ah, for which project? - I tend to think like that. I really like older things.. I have a ‘63 Precision bass which I record with a lot. I bought a ‘67 Gibson EB2D (double pickup) specifically for use with Laura - it makes a lovely warm thumpy sound. I have a Rickenbacker which is one of the very few modern instruments I own but is very versatile and a useful different voice. I have a 1969 tele bass which I bought because George Porter jr from the meters used to use one. And some other unusual secret weapons which come out to play when required.
Double bass, I have a lovely old German bass from 1885. I also have one being made by a great luthier in S London called Laurence Dixon. It’s a recreation of the bass played by Ray Brown on the Oscar Peterson records. I’m extremely excited about that!
Amps, I have a ‘61 B15 which lives in a friend’s studio and a ‘64 Blonde Bassman.
I also own a couple of mandolins including a rare National Resonator Mandolin which sounds incredible!
RINARO: What are you currently listening to?
NICK PINI: Well, we just lost the incredible composer and saxophonist, Wayne Shorter, so I’ve been going back over his records.
US jazz saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter performs on July 18, 1986 in Nice. (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)
RINARO: If you would need to recommend 3 albums for someone looking to get into jazz, what would you give them?
NICK PINI: Well, this is tricky. Jazz is a vast ocean touching many musical continents. As a word it also intimidates people, as if we’ve developed some sort of common preconception and misapprehension about it. But jazz is just sound, expressing what people are feeling. It’s “now” music. It is necessarily unafraid of the truth and as a result can sound raucous and raw. Approach it from that perspective.
If you’re interested in instrumental small ensemble music, start with Nightrain by Oscar Peterson. Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. Then I would say either Speak No Evil by Wayne Shorter or maybe Portrait in Jazz by Bill Evans for the utterly ground breaking (at the time and still now) interplay between Bill and bassist Scott La Faro.
If you’re coming from a classical background or like larger ensembles then try Music for Large and Small Ensemble by Kenny Wheeler and Sketches of Spain by Miles David and Gil Evans.
If you like vocalists then this is a whole other world again. Vocalists tend to require more organised music, possibly because of the technical challenges singing presents, possibly because the voice is capable of story telling in a much more direct way so it’s important the accompaniment doesn’t take too much attention.
You could try Nina Simone Live from Carnegie Hall. Also Tony Bennet/Bill Evans, Together Again for one of my favourite tracks, You Must Believe in Spring.
Visit Nick Pini website
