Three In A Bar

In the first of two special episodes with esteemed and newly decorated composers, we sit down with Gavin Bryars, a composer who has led the way in innovation over a long and distinguished career. On Tuesday 12th November he received the Innovation Award in association with the Musicians Union at the Ivors Composers Awards, and we were lucky to get a chance to talk to him about this just a few days before.We discuss his early days of art college, double bass and free jazz, his early iconic pieces The Sinking Of The Titanic and Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet and his creative relationship with Brian Eno. Over his career he has written five operas, twenty ballets and a long list of instrumental, orchestral and vocal works.He has collaborated with many non-classical musicians over the years, including Tom Waits, Father John Misty, Charlie Haden, Bill Frisell, Natalie Merchant, Iarla O'Lionaird, Gavin Friday, Bertrand Belin and Mocke, and with many visual artists such as Bruce McLean, David Ward, Tim Head, James Hugonin, Bill Woodrow, Will Alsop, the Quay brothers, Juan Muñoz and Massimo Bartolini.He divides his time between a Leicestershire village and Vancouver Island, and we discuss his approach to writing in various locations, and in particular the importance of just the right pencil for the job. There really is a lot of time spent talking about this particular pencil.Gavin talks about the formative time he had working as the house bassist as Greasbrough Working Men's Club, performing in the backing band for Bob Monkhouse, Dusty Springfield and many others. The documentary he mentions is available to watch here: MEMORIES OF GREASBROUGH WORKING MEN'S CLUBFor more on Gavin Bryars, visit www.gavinbryars.comFor more on the Ivors Classical Awards 2024 visit https://ivorsacademy.com/awards/the-ivors-classical-awards/Big thanks to Premier for setting up the interview.You can find us on the socials here;Instagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com

Episode 126 features Senior technician at Yamaha Atelier Hamburg Thomas Lubitz. What Thomas doesn’t know about the trumpet isn’t worth knowing as we discover when Verity and Seb meet him at Legendary brass shop Phil Parker.Thomas talks through various models of trumpet and what they can bring to different musical settings and genres. They discuss changes that have occurred over the years and how small adaptations can make big differences. Seb offers up some modification ideas of his own…We aren’t 100% certain Thomas was that keen on them so the offer is out there to any budding entrepreneurs!We are hugely grateful to Yamaha for sponsoring this episode and to Thomas for entertaining some daft questions (Verity) and hair-brained schemes (Seb).To find out more about Yamaha Atelier Hamburg visit their FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/YamahaAtelierHamburg/You can find out about Phil Parker’s Brass shop here: https://philparker.co.uk/You can find us on the socials here;Instagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com

This week on TIAB we’re thrilled to have the multi-talented Steve Pretty join us for a chat that’s as eclectic as his musical life to date!Steve, the mastermind behind the Hackney Colliery Band, takes us on a whimsical ride through his creative world. From the bustling streets of Hackney to the intimate corners of his studio, he shares tales of setting up the band that’s been blowing audiences away with their infectious energy.Steve also dives into his adventures in podcasting, reflects on his early years working in a music shop and shares his experience of doing a show at the National Theatre - revealing how he got lured into the world of showbiz.So grab your headphones and join us for a light-hearted yet insightful conversation with Steve Pretty—where music, theatre, and a sprinkle of nostalgia collide in the most entertaining way!BUY TICKETS TO STEVE PRETTY (AND FRIENDS) ON THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES LIVE AT WILTON'S MUSIC HALL!To learn more about Steve head to http://www.stevepretty.com/Visit https://www.hackneycollieryband.co.uk/ to get their new album Collaborations:Volume Two and or listen on Spotify hereYou can find us on the socials here;Instagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com

Hello lovely listener, here we are again. We promised you an episode by the end of the week, and by jove, here it is.This episode we sit down with the brilliant Ellie Consta, violinist, composer, and founder of the groundbreaking Her Ensemble—the UK's first women and non-binary string orchestra. Ellie’s visionary work is pushing boundaries in classical music, aiming to reshape an industry that has historically lacked diversity and inclusivity.We dive into her journey, from her early days as a classical violinist to the founding of Her Ensemble, and how the group is creating space for women and non-binary musicians to thrive. Ellie shares how Her Ensemble is not only changing who’s represented on stage, but also reimagining the music itself—blending classical with pop and electronic influences, commissioning new works, and challenging traditional concert formats.Highlights include:The inspiration behind Her Ensemble and how it’s changing the landscape of classical music.Ellie’s thoughts on the challenges faced by women and non-binary musicians in classical spaces.The creative process behind some of their most exciting performances and collaborations.The importance of representation and diversity in music.Her Ensemble’s future projects and vision for the next generation of musicians.Possible future plans for fashion collaborations, but which way to go with it - Cath Kidston, or Ultimate Hun??Tune in to hear Ellie’s insightful perspective on transforming classical music and the empowering stories behind her mission to create a more inclusive industry.🎧 **Listen now!** You can find us on the socials here;Instagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com

This week’s guest is virtuoso pianist, composer and improviser Arsha Kaviani.Arsha joined Seb and Verity for a chat ahead of the release of his debut studio album Accents and Echoes (see link below). He talks about the eclectic mix of influences featured on the albumbut also in shaping his musical life…we’re talking Bach to Massive Attack via Rachmaninov and Led Zeppelin. Conversation includes Arsha’s journey from growing up in Dubai to studying in Manchester and ending up in London. He talks about his ‘Musical Portraiture’, bringing a centuries old form of patronage into the 21st Century…it’s a darned good idea! Thanks to Premier Classical for setting up this fascinating and joyful chat with Arsha.Click here to find links to Arsha’s new album Accents and Echoes https://lnk.to/arshakavianiYou can find us on the socials here;Instagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com

This week, Seb and Verity are joined by composer, arranger, keyboard player with the Hoosiers, long time Bear’s Den collaborator and old mate Paul Frith.In true Three In A Bar style this episode is full of twists and turns - we find out whether Paul has ever been in a fight, how he came to write a symphony about Shackleton and some super niche mouthpiece chat.We also find out why Paul and his Hoosier band mates had to be speedily escorted from a gig venue somewhere in the north of England.Paul is the first guest we’ve had who has set us a mathematical challenge - Do we think this is something that will catch on? That is yet to be seen!SUPPORT THREE IN A BAR ON PATREONJoin our Members’ Club for a bonus podcast feed plus many more rewards.Click here: https://www.patreon.com/threeinabarInstagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com

This week’s episode was a total pleasure to record as we are joined by Australian cellist, singer and songwriter Monique Clare.Monique is currently on a European tour and will be appearing at the Cambridge folk festival this month. Aside from festivals, she can frequently be found with her cello up mountains, on cliff tops and more conventionally in concert halls and jazz clubs across the world.Monique chats to Seb and Verity about some of her recent performances as well as recording her latest album Sight, performing with rap legend Eminem, her musical roots and how the heck she manages to so successfully sing and play at the same time! In fact, Monique goes one step further and tries to teach Verity how to do the same. You’ll be delighted to hear the results are all recorded for your listening pleasure?!Better than this, Monique gives us an extraordinary performance at the end of this episode which is not to be missed! This podcast is released in association with D'Addario. D'Addario is the world's largest musical instrument accessories manufacturer and is committed to sustainably providing musicians with the most innovative musical accessories in the world. Monique Clare uses Kaplan cello strings and you can find out more here: ddar.io/celloTo learn more about all that D’Addario offers musicians, head to daddario.com Go to https://www.moniqueclare.com/ to learn more about Monique!SUPPORT THREE IN A BAR ON PATREONJoin our Members’ Club for a bonus podcast feed plus many more rewards.Click here: https://www.patreon.com/threeinabarInstagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com

Here's a little catch up between your two co-hosts, as it had been a minute since they had last spoke. All a nice warm up really before tomorrow's blistering episode with Monique Clare. It's loose chat, in which they cover Verity's new show, Fiddler On The Roof at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, and Verity gives her frank opinions on every member of the band. Seb discusses his latest hyper-fixation, Nancy cuts a tooth, and Verity celebrates her first string arrangement being released on Christof Van Der Ven's new record, "For The Ages".SUPPORT THREE IN A BAR ON PATREONJoin our Members’ Club for a bonus podcast feed plus many more rewards.Click here: https://www.patreon.com/threeinabarInstagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com

This week we headed back online to chat to internationally acclaimed concert pianist and film star Clare Hammond (ok, ok, maybe it was one film but she was playing a young Dame Maggie Smith so come on!)We chatted to Clare ahead of her concerts at this year’s Cheltenham Festival - thanks to the wonderful Dan Hartland for setting up this conversation. Clare talks about the exciting programme for her solo concert, centering around a new commission by Sun Keting.She talks about the dos and don’ts of prepared pianos, top venues, music for left hand piano and the joys in discovering some great yet little known composers - have you heard of Hélène de Montgeroult? We certainly hadn’t but Clare tells us about her unbelievable background…We also discuss recent Clare’s foray into acting - and try to talk her into a Netflix series. We were definitely more into this idea than she was!To book tickets for Clare’s concerts at the Cheltenham Festival and check what else is going on, click here; https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/events/clare-hammondTo find out more about Clare, you can visit her website; https://clarehammond.com/SUPPORT THREE IN A BAR ON PATREONJoin our Members’ Club for a bonus podcast feed plus many more rewards.Click here: https://www.patreon.com/threeinabarInstagram @threeinabarpodTiktok @threeinabarpodThree In A Bar on YoutubeAnything you’d like to share with us? Any guests you’d love to hear or anything you’d like us to do better? Drop us a line at hello@threeinabar.com