The soundtrack to Christmas I was recently asked by Real Eyes for some thoughts about the ongoing appeal of the John Lewis Christmas adverts, particularly their use of music. Why has this strikingly similar series of soundtracks proved so consistently successful in testing with audiences? More
Sodajerker podcast hits 80 episodes With the release of episode 80, the Sodajerker podcast has reached another major milestone. For this edition, Brian and I sat down in Liverpool with one of our musical heroes, renowned bassist, composer and producer Marcus Miller, to discuss his writing process and his work with luminaries like Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, and Aretha Franklin. More
Lamont Dozier interview Through his work with Holland-Dozier-Holland and beyond, Lamont Dozier is responsible for co-writing and producing 54 #1 hits for acts like The Supremes, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson. He has been widely acknowledged as one of the primary architects of the Motown sound. More
New book chapter on live jazz in Birmingham The Cultural Politics of Jazz Collectives, a new book from Routledge, features a chapter that I wrote with Professor Tim Wall entitled ‘Collective Cultures and Live Jazz in Birmingham’. More
Voicing Passion article published The December 2014 edition of The European Journal of Cultural Studies, published by Sage, features an article that I wrote with Professor Paul Long entitled ‘Voicing Passion: The Emotional Economy of Songwriting’. More
