Interview with David Mitcham of Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra – Glorious Assembly.
Jazz Blues European Union: – Thank you for taking the time to have this interview with Jazz Blues EU. Tell us about your music. When did you start performing?
David Mitcham: – Personally I started performing in my teens, but that was many years ago. In my freelance career I have largely performed my film scores in the studio with orchestras and other ensembles either as conductor/musical director or sometimes on the double bass or other instruments. I formed the Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra last year so we are a very new ensemble, but one made up from amazing musicians many of whom I have had the privilege of working with over the years.
What do you consider to be your hometown and how does that affect your music?
We are based in the south of the UK and many of the players in the band are from in and around London, so I suppose our home town is London.
What performers have been your inspiration?
Performers who have inspired my jazz compositions are (in no particular order) Weather Report, Joni Mitchell, Eberhard Weber, Jan Gabarek, Steely Dan, Django Reinhardt, Duke Ellington, Lalo Schifrin, Dave Grusin, Buddy Rich, Paolo Fresu, Mahavishnu John McLoughlin, Gil Evans, Bill Evans, Igor Stravinsky, Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Ravel, Gustav Mahler, Anton Bruckner…. There are others…!
What do you find most challenging about being an independent artist in today’s music industry?
The biggest challenges I can see are: the dwindling pool of available money, due to ‘world events’ which makes basic living ever more expensive and so people have less to spend on music, and the power of the internet to persuade many people that music is free.
What do you base your success on?
My philosophy is that if I create music that sounds good to me, someone, somewhere will also be moved by it. This goes for everything I write whether it’s a film score, a classical piece or a jazz tune.
Can you talk about your experiences collaborating with other artists or musicians? How does it influence your creative process?
Glorious Assembly is one giant collaboration. The band features many musicians I have collaborated with over the years. When I compose and arrange I see in my mind’s eye the music being played by whoever it is that is going to be performing it, I can feel what they will be bringing to the performance as I write. The Glorious Assembly tunes are musical launch-pads for the band’s soloists.
What was your latest musical release?
We released the first Glorious Assembly album on 2nd May. Just before that Disney released my score for ‘Secrets Of The Bees’
Do you have any news to share? Could you share the story behind your latest new CD Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra – Glorious Assembly and what inspired its creation?
The big news is the launch of the Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra and the new album, Glorious Assembly. I conceived the idea of writing a suite of pieces for jazz orchestra towards the end of 2024. I had been missing working in the jazz genre and thought that an extended big band line up would give me the forces I needed to express some of the ideas for jazz tunes that had been buzzing round my head. So I called a few of the musicians I had worked with in the studio on previous film projects and they were all into the idea. I took six months off to write the scores for the album and we all met at British Grove Studios in 2025 to record the album. I felt I needed more colours than the ‘standard’ big band, so I added various instruments to the usual trumpets, saxes and trombones: 2 clarinettists, one playing the high Eb clarinet as well as standard Bb clarinet and bass clarinet and the other playing Bb clarinet, bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet. Also a flautist (the miraculous Gareth Lockrane) who also plays piccolo and alto flute. At the bottom end of the brass I added a tuba (Dave Powell). But what makes the band are the musicians: on the album is Ianto on drums, joining him in the rhythm section are Gareth Williams piano, John Parricelli guitar, Loz Garratt bass. The saxes are Phil Meadows, Mark Lockheart, Tori Freestone, Kasper Rietkerk and Claire McInerney. On trumpet we have Louis Dowdeswell, Laura. Jurd, Tom Rees-Roberts and James Davison, and on trombone are Andy Wood, Callum Au, Mark Nightingale and Richard Henry. The high clarinets are played by Michael Whight and the low clarinets by Steve Morris.
How does your latest album fit into your creative path? Is this a goal you wanted to achieve?
During the writing it became very much a goal. I had felt starved of writing jazz in my film score career. It had been quite a few years since I had written a big band jazz score for a film (Collusion, 2003). As I was composing the music for Glorious Assembly, it felt like the tunes were writing themselves…it sort of took on a life of its own.
How do you approach the process of songwriting, and are there any specific themes or emotions you tend to explore in your music?
I would say no specific themes, though my music always has an emotional depth and this can sometimes be interpreted as feelings of loss or longing. My dismay at the reappearance of certain kinds of politics in the world, particularly in the ‘free West’, which I thought had been consigned to oblivion has given the Glorious Assembly music a certain flavour.
As an indie musician, how do you navigate the balance between creative freedom and commercial appeal?
I go back to my approach that if I like it, then somebody else will. I am using the Glorious Assembly project as a form of free expression. If it is commercially successful then that would be an added bonus. I want to have some fun performing this music and I want the band to as well. Judging from the standing ovation at the launch concert I think the audience was having fun too!
What role does technology and social media play in promoting your music and connecting with your audience?
We used Bandcamp to sell the CDs and LPs online and that is going well. Social media is rather a mystery to me…. Though Bandcamp seems to work well connecting with fans.
Could you describe a memorable live performance experience or tour that has had a lasting impact on you and your music?
In the jazz genre there have been quite a few. I would cite hearing the Nikki Iles Jazz Orchestra, the Colin Towns Mask Orchestra, anything featuring Gwilym Simcock, witnessing Funk Off live on the streets of Perugia. In the further past hearing the Stan Tracey quartet and octet live.
In an era of streaming platforms, how do you feel about the changing landscape of music consumption and its impact on independent musicians?
I think the whole streaming idea is like having a supermarket and getting rid of the tills! It makes it difficult to justify the expense of producing albums. Qobuz and Bandcamp are trying to reverse the trend and come up with ways of trying to make people value music again. It’s a hard climate for independent musicians and record companies alike.
Musicians often have a close relationship with their fanbase. How do you engage with your fans and build a dedicated community around your music?
It’s a bit of a holy grail, this one. I’m hoping the Bandcamp messaging system will help.
How can fans find you? Lastly, please share some final words with the fans.
Message us on our page on Bandcamp https://gloriousassemblyjazzorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/glorious-assembly or send an email to us at gloriousassemblyjazz@gmail.com . There will be more Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra gigs coming up. As soon as they are confirmed they will be on the Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra Bandcamp page and on the GAJO news on my www.davidmitcham.co.uk website. One comment that stayed with me was from someone in the audience at the launch gig at Messums West who said “…it sounds dangerous, and I love it!…” I think that’s what I love about the Glorious Assembly too!
By Olivia Peevas
