Shiv Singh

In the second of the Jazz Profiles highlights the live and times of star Bas Player

Bio

Bass player Shivraj Singh was born and raised in Smethwick. He started playing at school encouraged by a teacher and at 13 or 14 joined the Jazzlines ensemble where he met Xhosa Cole. He studied garde at night school and later joined the Junior Conservatoire followed by studying at the Birmingham Royal Conservatoire. Since graduating he has been establishing himself as a musician including leading his own band and playing as a sideman.

This is Shiv working on his 'Day Job'

 Musical Life and Work

 “Jazzlines …Percy [Pursglove] introduced me to a lot of music. He kind of introduced me to bass players, he was like, 'you got to listen to bass players. Go listen to Ray Brown, Wilbur Ware, go listen to the all those guys. Oscar Peterson.' …He gave me the prescription I just went and listened to whatever he said really. But yeah, that's when I heard Oscar Peterson Night Train. These kind of albums. These are the kind of starting points really for me.”

 “Yeah, [I was doing an admin job] just similar to this this job. Similar thing really just needed something after I came out of college quite quickly. And then I was doing the gigs. I was doing a lot more gigs, obviously. So, it was a lot easier. But now it's just this kind of full time. At the moment from home. All computer based. In my dining room. It's quite strange. I didn't think I would be here. But it's good…yeah, it's tricky. You don't really have that community, I guess, that work community, when you're not in the office.”

 Covid

 “I'm working currently (in an admin job from home), because it's just been a bit tricky due to the whole (Covid) situation, trying to get the music thing off the ground, especially being a new graduate. …until this thing blows over, I've got to find out the other means, basically. I would like to get maybe some more teaching going. I know a lot of musicians are surviving off that. So I'm pretty happy with things at the moment, I just need to kind of get the foot in the door somewhere. Hopefully, when things calm down…”