Meet the band: Issie Barratt’s INTERCHANGE

Issie Barratt (baritone saxophone, Artistic Director) is a multi-award winning internationally active composer, arranger, conductor, baritone player, record producer and educator. Ranked by BBC Radio 4’s Women in Music Power List 2018 as one of the 40 most influential women in the music industry, Issie has performed at leading venues and festivals across the world. Known for her genre-fluid approach to composition, her diverse catalogue of commissions includes works for orchestra, big band, choir and chamber ensembles, often featuring internationally acclaimed soloists. Issie runs her own three ensembles – A 21-piece jazz orchestra, Meinrad Iten Quartet and her ground-breaking ensemble INTERCHANGE (championing the music of women jazz composers performed by a diverse collective of female improvisers) and is the founding Director of Fuzzy Moon Records.

Zoe Rahman (piano) is one of the brightest stars on the contemporary jazz scene. A vibrant and highly individual pianist and composer, her style is deeply rooted in jazz yet it reflects her classical background, British/Bengali heritage and her very broad musical taste. Known for her powerful technique, wide-ranging imagination and exuberant performance, she has become a highly sought-after musician, working most recently with the likes of George Mraz, Courtney Pine and Jerry Dammers’ Spatial AKA Orchestra.

Immy Churchill (voice), the daughter of musicians Pete Churchill and Nikki Iles, came to the attention of a wider jazz audience with her performances with Norma Winstone and Dave Holland. She embraces not only lyrical qualities but also the joys of singing wordlessly and improvising.

Jazz trumpeter Alexandra Ridout was crowned the winner of the BBC Young Musician Jazz Award 2016 aged 17 and was noted in ‘The shape of jazz to come: who to look out for in 2018’ in Jazzwise magazine. In 2018 Alexandra won The British Jazz Awards ‘Rising Star’ category. In October 2019 Alexandra was named as one of ‘London’s Most Influential People’ under 25 and was a Parliamentary Jazz Awards nominee in 2020. Alexandra released her debut EP ‘Remote Duets’ in 2020 and fronts her own band, The Alexandra Ridout Quintet.

Helena Kay is a saxophonist and composer based in London. Originally from Perth, Scotland she moved to London in 2012 to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 2016 with a First Class in BMus Jazz (Hons). During her time studying, she was awarded the Young Scottish Jazz Musicians of the Year (2015). Helena released her debut album Moon Palace in 2017 after winning the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award (2017).

Trombonist, composer and producer Rosie Turton is a rising star on the UK music scene, cited by The Guardian as ‘One To Watch’. She released her debut LP, Rosie’s 5ive, with Jazz Re:freshed in early 2019. Rosie’s musical path is defined by her unwavering desire to explore new territories: sounds, textures and collaborations, she’s always open to discoveries. Her music tells the tales of meditative soundscapes and improvisations, blurring the lines between the acoustic and electronic universes.

Playing lead tenor with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in the late 1990s, Alyson Cawley has an impressive performance history, and adds tenor saxophone player in Issie Barratt’s Interchange to her repertoire. From the West Midlands and studying at the Guildhall College of Music, Alyson has also toured Europe with the jazz hip-hop group The Herbaliser, and has made television appearances amongst the likes of Incognito and the James Taylor Quartet.

Shirley Smart is recognised as one of the UK’s most versatile and creative cellists – being equally at home and well versed in jazz and Middle Eastern music, as well as classical music. Originally trained under Raphael Wallfisch at the Guilldhall School of Music, and Janos Starker in Paris, she subsequently moved to Jerusalem, where she remained for 10 years, studying and performing a wide variety of musical traditions. Since returning to the UK, she has quickly become known as one of the most creative cellists on the music scene and has worked with many leading jazz and world music groups. She leads her own trio, with John Crawford on piano, and Demi Garcia Sabat on drums, and band Melange. Shirley is Head of Performance and a Lecturer in Music at City University, and also teaches Improvisation and Jazz at the Royal College of Music Junior Department. She is a visiting tutor for the National Youth Jazz Collective, and an in demand workshop leader.

Charlie Pyne is a London based double bass player and the solid backbone of some of contemporary jazz’s most exciting talents. She has played with artists such as Yazz Ahmed, Noel Langley, Nigel Hitchcock, Brigitte Beraha, Shirley Smart, Karen Street, Nikki Isles, Sophie Alloway, Tori Freestone, Alcyona Mick and Martin France. Charlie’s album Dancing Shadows is a collection of thoughtful, melodic songs with lots of groove and an atmosphere of story telling.

Caroline Boaden is in demand as a drummer and clinician. She has played for pop, rock, jazz and commercial sessions both in the UK and internationally, and accompanied/supported Take That, The Stylistics, Texas, Jacki Graham, Peter King, Jason Rebello, Iain Dixon, Mike Walker and Art Farmer. Currently, Caroline is a leading light on the jazz scene in the North West of England, and a Senior Lecturer at Leeds College of Music.