Joanna is a rising contemporary jazz star from Saffron Walden who has released 2 albums and recently supported Jamie Cullum at his sell out show at Audley End – a fantastic achievement for an unsigned artist. Music-Zine caught up with Joanna before her recent show at The High Barn.

How did you start writing music?

I wrote my first song when I was five; “Happy December” which my mum got me to stand up in church and sing, so it was always there. I was also very shy though, so there was this strange dichotomy going on.
My father was an RAF bandsman, a tuba player in a marching band, so I have early memories of carol concerts with this thundering brass sound – I get very emotional nowadays when I hear that sound. It’s something I want to use in one of my songs. The song is a comment on the Iraq war which I want to release that as a charity single but it seems to have a real stigma attached to it – people are worried that I would be seen to be on the make, using an emotional issue to get my name around, but it’s something I feel passionate about.

I’m releasing a single using a lottery grant I’ve been given, and I wanted it to be that, but it’s now going to be something else. I guess I have to go with it as someone else is filling in the forms!

So I learnt piano from the age of 6, after being chucked out of ballet! We moved around a lot as my dad was in the RAF and being posted here, there and everywhere.

I wrote songs all through junior and senior school, then went to college to do music and drama where I first performed in the college indie band.

That was really the first time I’d performed on a stage. Up until then I’d always been too shy to perform even though I wanted to, and had written loads of songs. So that went on for about a year until I decided to move to London and seek my fortune there.

I started doing jazz gigs in wine bars and restaurants. I now regret not going for it more at that time – I was in my early twenties, but as well as success in music I wanted stability, to settle down and have kids as well – having my cake and eating it basically, which is what I may call the next album!

So from there I started playing on cruise ships, which my dad had done before me. Dan and Charlie from the band were doing their own thing for a while, but I got them to cut their hair and smarten up so we could go and do those gigs. That was a real learning curve for us – I basically learnt to play the piano during that time and it taught me how to work an audience. It’s a similar thing to doing a world tour – playing every night and travelling to all sorts of places, but it provided us all with some stability in our careers as well. Eventually though it was quite draining artistically, playing covers night after night. I had a real hunger to do my own songs but I didn’t find the drive to get anything going. It was the birth of my daughter that made me value my time and my art as it was taken away from me for a year while I was mothering her – I didn’t have time, or any music in my life for that period. It was a big shock!

You’re quoted on your website as saying that your daughter has had a big influence on your songs

Yes. When I got some time back I had a burning desire to get into the studio and record, and play gigs. I was finding I was loving music again whereas before playing every night on the ships it had become a job. So through my daughter I was getting all these creative thoughts and ideas. My music isn’t huge and commercial, but it feeds me in a creative way.

What else inspires you to write?

Lots of different things really. If I’m inspired by something I’ll sit at the piano and work on a hook or melody, then I’ll come back to it later with some lyrics when I find the time. The sound always comes first. I sometimes wish I played guitar as well; the piano leads me to write lots of ballads. Charlie and Dan get involved when we record the songs, coming up with different chords here and there that sound nice.

What influences do you have, and what are you listening to at the moment?

I seem to be stuck on early Fleetwood Mac, James Taylor and Carole King, along with some folk music like Cara Dillon. I listened to Ella Fitzgerald solidly for about 5 years. Charlie and I listen to a lot of jazz around the house too.

Tell us about getting your CD into Tesco’s and Waitrose? Not an easy task for a signed band let alone someone without a record deal!!

My manager Neil is responsible for that. He had no idea at the time that it was a difficult thing to do, and that helped I guess – the naïve approach! I had the support slot with Jamie Cullum lined up, again as a result of Neil, and because he had created so much interest in the local papers and radio stations he was able to take the cuttings into the stores. He spoke to the store manager at Waitrose first who racked it out right across their chart wall, which was amazing. So we created a news story out of that and took some photos and that convinced Tesco’s to do the same thing.

And how did the Jamie Cullum support slot happen?

I got in touch with Mark Connor, Jamie’s manager and sent him a CD. He didn’t appear to be that interested, so, again Neil stepped in and had a chat with him. Initially Mark told him he didn’t like the CD, so Neil pushed him to explain what exactly he didn’t like. A few hours later Mark was back on the phone saying he thought it was fantastic! So Neil had a meeting with him and we managed to get the support slot. We were given 20 minutes, but it was amazing! They put me on when people were still arriving, but the reaction was fantastic – rapturous applause after every number! The local press had jumped on the story leading up to the gig, so people were behind us.

As soon as I had finished playing, Neil frog-marched me to the merchandise stall where I must have signed over 100 CDs. They also gave me my own bodyguard! It was bizarre, going out into the crowd to see my mum and dad with this bodyguard shadowing me everywhere!

What has happened as a result of that performance? Has it led to other opportunities?

Not enough really. I forget what a big thing that is sometimes and it’s almost a case of having to go back to all the people I’ve spoken to in the past and tell them about this new development. I’ve started mentioning it in all my emails and conversations. I had hoped that we could do it again as Jamie seemed to really like my music, but the record company is making the decision as to who is supporting him on his next lot of shows.

So what does the future hold for you?

I have a single coming out in October which I have had a grant to release, and a lot more gigs before then I hope!

You can find out more about Joanna and buy her CDs from www.joannaeden.com. Alternatively you can download her albums from itunes, or hear a sample of her music on www.myspace.com/joannaeden