- Mon, 2008-09-08 12:51
With their debut album Knee Deep In The North Sea shortlisted as one of the 12 albums for this years Nationwide Mercury Prize, as well as winning the Time Out Best Jazz Album of 2007, Portico Quartet, the four piece modern jazz group from London, are clearly heading in the right direction.
With a passion for music and playing live, the four musicians have become well known on London's southbank for their tireless busking and spots outside the National Theatre. We caught up with them amidst their hectic schedule to chat about their inspirations both musically and across the globe.
"I Like Music because… it is truth.” Portico Quartet
ILM: Can you give us your personal description of the vibe of the debut album Knee Deep In The North Sea?
PQ: Fresh, new. Like nothing you’ve ever heard before and yet profoundly familiar.
ILM: How does it feel to be nominated for a Nationwide Mercury Music Prize?
PQ: Great. To be one of the 12 albums of the year is an acheivement. It's all hilarious fun really.
ILM: Can you describe the Portico Quartet process of writing and recording such good music?
PQ: We are close friends. We live together. We set up in our front room and just play really.
ILM: What are some of your key sources of inspiration?
PQ: Other music of course. Table tennis. Alfred Hitchcock
ILM: You have worked hard as a group, playing small gigs and regularly busking outside the National Theatre. Where did you find your drive and passion? Were there any points when you considered giving up?
PQ: Never. We just have fun. We never really thought ahead just always responded to the next opportunity. We’ve had such incredible enthusiasm from the public toward what we do from the start on the street that it’s been easy really. Also we LOVE playing.
ILM: What are the future plans for Portico Quartet?
PQ: To make more music and make it amazing.
ILM: Can you describe your favourite place on Earth?
PQ: Plaza Mirador de San Nicolas, Granada. In the old arab-quarter of Granada, South Spain. Sultry, romantic and evocative, this square has incredible guitarists. It over looks the Alhambra palace, framed by the mountains of the Serra Nevada
ILM: What is your earliest musical memory?
PQ: Standing on the table on my first day of school singing ‘Ain’t nothing but a hounddog’ to the class.
ILM: What was the last thing that really made you laugh?
PQ: Hearing the Status Quo kangaroo story.
ILM: If you could change one thing about modern society, what would it be and why?
PQ: Less incessant advertising. It is totally corrosive of all things important.
ILM: What’s in your CD player right now?
PQ: Fleet Foxes
