We thought it was time we interviewed some of our acts to find out a bit more about them in the run up to the festival! Today, we're talking to Arabella Sprot, who is performing at The Railway on Saturday 24th September.
WJF: You live in Berlin - where are your favourite places in Winchester to go when you come and visit?
Arabella: My favourite places to visit when I am back in Winch are the Cathedral grounds, the Antiques market, and the watermeadows.
WJF: Which other acts are you looking forward to seeing at Winchester Jazz Festival?
Arabella: I am very much looking forward to seeing Empirical on Friday night! Great players so not one to miss!
WJF: Why is performing at Winchester Jazz Festival important to you?
Arabella: It's important because I grew up in Winchester and it is where I started playing music. It is also important to me because there were never many platforms for performing in Winchester when I was starting to play so I think it's really fantastic that a festival has been started. It will create a new source of art and entertainment in the town, and increase the number of cultural activities on offer.
WJF: What are you up to over the next few months? Are you working on new music?
Arabella: In the next few months I will be focussing on my Berlin-based band 'Earshot', writing new music, putting together a tour after the upcoming concerts in Berlin (see my website for details!) and recording an album in 2017.
WJF: Who are your favourite jazz artists? What songs/albums/artists would you recommend?
Arabella: I am big Stan Getz fan - he is fantastically melodic. But I also take a lot of inspiration from Wayne Shorter, Joe Lovano, Paul Desmond, Mark Turner, Brian Blade and the fellowship, Pat Metheny and many more! There is also a fabulous Michael Brecker album called 'Wide Angles', which has compositions for large ensemble and I can highly recommend that.
WJF: Where can we follow what you are up to? (Social Media links etc)
Arabella: I have a website with all my gig dates in the UK and abroad, and a new Facebook page for my new project called 'Earshot', which I will be working on most in the near future.