Rosemary Phillips talks candidly about performing on the international circuit, her plans for 2011 and her new album.?
What has it been like splitting your time between Europe and Barbados?
It is a bit of “the best of both worlds” to be able to explore other opportunities overseas and yet return to Barbados for support, inspiration and to do some lovely concerts in Barbados which can help others, such as by working with the Duke of Edinburgh Awards programme, the Heart Foundation and other associations, as well as school fund-raising evenings. I am also looking forward to working with the wonderful new Limegrove Lifestyle Centre, and I am very pleased that they have a few pianos on location which hints at their desire to have entertainment as being an important part of their programme.
How would you say that you have changed and grown personally over the years? And how have those changes influenced your music?
As the years go by I find that I have grown in that I have gained more experience in performing overseas and I have also learned a lot more about the music business in Europe and in France. I have been able to reduce some bad singing habits and I have tried to make it a priority to do vocal exercises as much as possible.
I have changed in some ways in that I am I am continually on the lookout for songs that best suit my voice and to encompass more Caribbean elements into my songs while still singing jazz.
You decided to infuse a lot of Cuban music into this new album. What was the inspiration behind that?
Although I sing jazz, I wanted to explore bringing in other rhythms from the Caribbean into my music and I had always been hearing about Cuba and their talented musicians filled with passion for what they do. As a result, I was keen to work with Cuban musicians and to capture the different rhythms while still including Barbadian folk songs in my repertoire.
It is important to note that working with the Cuban musicians wasn’t a simple coincidence. It was very much my dream to be able to work with one of Cuba’s most acclaimed pianists, Ernan Lopez-Nussa, whom I met in Barbados years ago. When Ernan agreed to work with me on my new album and to lead the ten-piece band, I was overjoyed.
What I also appreciate about Ernan is that he has both a Cuban and French heritage and I thought it would be doubly interesting to explore this in my new album, which was also to reach out to the French market. He also beautifully combines jazz, classical and Cuban music in his piano playing, and it is often used in Cuba’s top films which have been winning awards in Cannes.
Do you have any plans or resolutions for 2011?
For 2011, I am looking forward to working closely with the French label I signed with in order to be distributed throughout France and Europe. I want to focus my energies on improving my voice with a jazz vocal coach and I look forward to putting more time in my piano lessons.
There is lots of hard work ahead as I registered to do my PHD, and I am looking forward to writing my thesis and research papers around the subject of African American jazz and blues women, placing the lyrics of the songs in their socio-historical context.
I hope to do a music television programme here in Barbados, where I interview Barbadian musicians, as well as musicians in the Caribbean.
I also look forward to forming an association of Barbadian / Caribbean musicians to be able to help others distribute their music in Europe, as well as to be able to go on a European tour.
Was there ever a time when you thought of abandoning your music and going in an entirely different direction?
I have always been encouraged to continue studying so as to increase my options in terms of a career. I am lucky to have offers to teach at universities in France so that this is something I am willing to explore as I think I could find it rather fulfilling.
When I started out singing, however, I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t think once of changing careers. There are always challenges at every stage and it is a case of the love for what you do helping to see you through the challenges.
I do find singing to be so rewarding and I love composing my own, as well as singing the songs to keep the memory alive of the jazz greats and the amazing songwriters who have gone before.
It is also rewarding to entertain others – to share life, joy, sadness, to share the poetry in the lyrics, as well as the wonderful melodies with an appreciative audience.
It is also extremely rewarding to be able to use one’s talents to help others such as by doing benefit concerts, helping the sick and those who have been disadvantaged in life. These are some important reasons why I keep singing.
What helps to keep you grounded and focused?
I think the voices and the memory of the lives of the jazz and blues greats help to keep me to do this. That is, all I have to do is to play an old record or CD of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Nina Simone, or especially one of Sarah Vaughan and then I realize I have so much to learn and that I have so much further to go, and these voices make me realize that I have only just begun the journey.
The challenges these women faced in order to keep going in a time of segregation and in the heart of their struggle for civil rights also reminds me that we are so fortunate to be able to do what we can do today and we cannot take our freedom for granted. Just the other day I heard a song Nina Simone sang, I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free, written Billy Taylor, who recently passed away
Are you most at peace when you’re singing off stage, composing, or singing on stage?
I feel at peace when I have composed something that captures the emotions I wish to convey. I also feel at peace singing, whether it is for just for one person or whether it is front of a large audience as long as the love was felt and the song was appreciated.
Could you have scripted the success that you’ve had so far?
I could not have planned the success I have had so far. The opportunities I have had have also been a series of unforeseen and sometimes “lucky” moments, such as being able to sing at top international jazz clubs in Europe, to have been interviewed on BBC world, to have sung with amazing musicians and singers such as with Sir Cliff Richard at a private function or two including at Sandy Lane one evening.
I will never forget the moment when I sang with trombonist Alastair Kay, who played with Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, as well as being able to work with top pianists such as Lloyd Wilson Jr, who played in the Count Bassie Orchestra, as well as Broadway singers from Canada and the US and to have support and encouragement from Gabby, and Arturo Tappin and from other very talented musicians and vocal coaches both in Barbados as well as overseas.
I have not been alone in my “success” and I am very grateful for the support I received from the Ministry of Culture, the National Cultural Foundation, Invest Barbados, the Barbados Community Foundation and the Royal Bank of Canada. I could not have gone further without the financial support to do a new album to take things to the next level, such as now being signed to a label in France.
I am pleased to have been able to perform in so many different countries and with some of the finest musicians from all over the world. Perhaps I couldn’t have written a better script detailing the opportunities I have had. I have a lot to be grateful for.
What would make you feel most complete?
What would make me feel the most complete would be the knowledge of working hard to be the best that I can be spiritually, personally and professionally.
Is marriage and motherhood in your plans for the future?
Marriage and motherhood have not been ruled out but right now my focus is on my music and my studies.
