About Jamie Walker

I have a passion for jazz bass but didn't discover it until later in my musical life. I started on saxophone and guitar then, aged 13, I bought my first bass guitar. Over 2 years I progressed to RockSchool grade 8 and got my first taste of improvisation and jazz harmony at the BYMT Jazz School run by Buster Birch.

The journey wasn't easy - at secondary school there was little music, and the school decided to stop GCSE music. I fought this and was allowed to study it in my own time, achieving an A*. For 6th form I moved to a school where my I could pursue my love for music and study it at A level and I'm as happy as I could ever be, playing in the many school bands.

I'm a multi-instrumentalist, but my main one is the bass. I started on Bass Guitar, moving to Double Bass as my main instrument. I play Bass in the NYJO U18s Ensemble led by Winston Clifford, this has focused me on harmonies, learning by ear, grooves, rhythmic work and improvisation and I feel extremely lucky to work with other young musicians and having the chance to play at amazing venues like Ronnie Scott's.

I have my own jazz combo with friends, and we practise and jam, learning by ear, expanding our repertoire and gaining more experience. I can read and play from written notation, chord symbols and by ear from playing day to day. To help me progress in technique and be a versatile player, I have ad-hoc lessons with the great jazz player Calum Gourlay and I also take weekly classical bass lessons. Additionally, I play saxophone (alto/tenor) achieving Grade 8 last year and hoping to take my diploma shortly. My ability to read notation and chords has meant that I can be versatile, performing jazz, funk, pop and rock.

My jazz influences have grown, I love the simple but complex effectiveness of Ray Brown's bass lines, seeing Christian McBride live I was amazed by his speed and how he held an amazing feel. I love the melodic but effective lines of Esperanza Spalding. My interests have widened to others such as, Roy Hargrove, Oscar Peterson, Jesus Molina and The Marsalis Family. Outside of jazz I have a passion for funk and soul, seeing Tower of Power, Kool and the Gang, Trombone Shorty and The Average White Band play live.

I'm delighted to have been offered a place to study Jazz at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire from September and look forward to developing my skills there.