“Energy and variety” – sax star Jess Gillam tells us about her Lichfield Festival show
Livewire performer Jess Gillam is one of the most recognisable saxophone players in the world. She became the first saxophonist to reach the BBC Young Musician finals in 2016, the youngest soloist to perform at the Last Night of the Proms and, in 2021 – and still in her early twenties – she was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for Services to Music.
Her busy concert career takes her across the world, but she still finds time to host a weekly show The Classical Life on BBC Radio 3 and is a regular face on TV, presenting from the Proms and BBC Young Musician.
This summer Jess is in Lichfield as part of a major UK summer tour with her 7-piece band, which she describes as “jazz trio meets string quartet with a saxophone wedged in the middle. So we have violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano and drums.”
We wanted to know what to expect from this electrifying player who loves to blend classical music with a huge range of other genres.
“I always aim for a show full of energy and variety,” Jess explains. “I think there’ll be a lot of smiles from the stage (and hopefully the audience!). We’ll play a big range of music from Duke Ellington’s Caravan – to a brilliant folk infused tune by Rune Sorensen.”
They’ll also include a piece called La Folia (meaning ‘folly’ or ‘madness’ in Italian): “it’s an ancient melody thought to send people in 15th century Portugal into a dancing frenzy,” says Jess. We’ll have to wait and see if it has the same effect on Lichfield Festival audiences!
In her radio show, she and a guest share their delight in musical discoveries of every kind. So, it’s no surprise to find her own musical inspirations are similarly diverse, from jazz saxophonists and classical musicians to genre-blending singer-songwriters. Asked to name a few, Jess says, “There are so many! Aretha Franklin, Martin Fröst, RAYE, Nicola Benedetti, Jonny Hodges, John Harle and Barbara Thompson to name a few.”
Jess Gillam grew up in Ulverston, a small market town on the edge of the Lake District. And it was there that she first came across the saxophone. “I started playing when I was 7 at the Barracudas Carnival Arts Centre in Barrow. I tried the alto saxophone and completely fell in love with the sound of it. My first experiences of playing live were in parades and carnivals across the country and I always try and bring some of that energy to the stage.”
Jess Gillam and her band are at Lichfield Cathedral on Tue 14 July (7.30pm)