Without The MOBO-winning singer-songwriter Zara McFarlane on rising through the ranks of the new jazz scene and breaking down musical boundaries. Profile by Nick Hasted
Singer Zara McFarlane’s latest album, Arise, shows how representative she is of London’s garlanded new jazz generation. Most of the scene’s key players perform on it – saxophonists Shabaka Hutchings and Binker Golding, drummer Moses Boyd and guitarist Shirley Tetteh are present and correct. But a listener coming cold to its stately structures and dub textures might be surprised to hear that McFarlane won 2014’s Best Jazz Act MOBO. Like so many of her contemporaries in a scene which has achieved mainstream acclaim in recent months, McFarlane starts with jazz, but sees no borders to where she ends up.
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“Jazz is an American art form, and there are people who have lived that history,” says McFarlane, sat in an east London pub where she lets her tea grow cold while considering her career to date. “But I think as Londoners in this scene, most of the people I know are of black British heritage, and other influences come from that, such as reggae or African music, or UK garage or dubstep. With American jazz artists you’re going to hear references to swing feel and traditional sounds, as well as hip-hop. It’s natural that where we come from doesn’t lend itself to just that. We’re exploring the things we know and love.”
“I always felt confident in my voice, because I knew what I was trying to do with it.” The
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McFarlane’s versatility is deep-rooted. She has written songs since she was 11, but it was two years at the BRIT School, from the age of 16, which grounded her as a performer. “Studying Music Theatre taught me how to command a stage,” she says, “in ways you don’t necessarily learn with a pure music degree. We did dance and drama. And as a singer, there’s a dialogue that people expect because of the words. Your posture and how you use your body in dancing also helps you to tell stories through singing.” Being at the BRIT School at all required unusual gumption for a 15-year-old from Dagenham in Essex. Seen last on interview day, the 20 minutes she was due was cut to five. “I thought, I’m supposed to have 20 minutes,” McFarlane remembers, “so I expect to get it. Then you can tell me if I didn’t get in.” She got her full interview, and her place. “I’ve always been determined,” she reflects. “And I always felt confident in my voice, because I knew what I was trying to do with it.” Growing talent McFarlane didn’t hear much jazz at home in Dagenham. She dived into it through revered British jazz bassist Gary Crosby’s outreach outfit Tomorrow’s Warriors, an invaluable incubator for the new jazz scene, which supports young players from outside the conservatoires’ traditional base. McFarlane’s initiation came aged 21 at a Tomorrow’s Warriors Sunday jam at the Jazz Cafe, during her second year at the
