Newcastle contemporary jazz quintet, Nauta, have just released their debut singles. Lee Allcock caught up with the band to discuss the North East jazz scene, playing live and more.
Your double single, ‘Our Time/Gotta See About a Girl’, is out now. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind these tracks and what they represent for Nauta?
The inspiration behind these two tracks comes from two very different spaces. That’s partly because two different band members wrote them, but at their core, ‘Our Time’ is bombastic and confident, while ‘Gotta See About a Girl’ is vulnerable and longing, as it’s a breakup song. Yet when we work these songs out as a band, they take on new meanings, as every member interprets them in different ways – that’s half the magic of jazz; it can mean whatever you want it to. These tracks really represent the two edges of the Nauta sound at the moment, serving as goalposts for us to fill in with future releases.
Your sound blends jazz with folk melodicism and dance grooves. How did you develop this unique fusion? And what artists or traditions have influenced your style?
It wasn’t a conscious decision to fuse jazz with folk and dance; we just played what we felt inside and let it evolve over the last three years. Our sound definitely draws from the current UK jazz scene, with influences like Ezra Collective and Yussef Dayes, but there’s also a Neo-Soul/R&B influence from artists like D’Angelo. Being in Newcastle, a special place with a unique energy, also impacts the music we create.
You’ve been performing across the North of England for a while now, including a sold-out headline show at The Globe and appearances at the Hexham Jazz Festival. How has the live scene shaped the way you approach your music and performance?
The live scene has had a massive impact on our music – it’s our happy place. There’s no better way to discover what works and what doesn’t. If a set bombs, that silence from the crowd feels cavernous, but if they love it, it’s the best feeling. You feel it in your chest for days after, and we try to capture that energy in our music, which definitely influences our studio approach.
With ‘Our Time’ showcasing ferocious free solos and ‘Gotta See About a Girl’ embodying a tender ballad, how do you balance those two extremes in your creative process?
For the most part, it doesn’t impact us too much because both songs are expressed through the same voice, from the same people. It’s the joy of being in a band with talented musicians and great friends; that cohesiveness of musical thought knits everything together. It was definitely interesting to record them back-to-back in the studio, though – it’s not easy to flip from ferocious to tender just like that.
You recorded the new tracks at Blank Studios with producer, Luke Elgie. What was the recording experience like? And how did it influence the final sound of the single?
It’s always a pleasure working with Luke; he’s a phenomenal engineer who makes it easy to get the best version of the song recorded – plenty of coffee helps too. He and Blank Studios had a big influence on the tracks. For ‘Gotta See About a Girl’, we used an upright bass that happened to be in the studio, along with their piano, which helped achieve that more traditional jazz ballad sound.
The jazz scene in the North East is developing rapidly. How do you see your place within that community? And where do you hope to take your sound next?
It’s amazing to be part of the North East jazz scene right now – Geordie jazz is on the rise! Being around incredible bands like Knats and SwanNek is inspiring and drives us to keep evolving and building on the phenomenal music emerging from the burgeoning Newcastle jazz scene. As for what’s next, expect some Afrobeat dance vibes, J Dilla influences, and plenty more solos.
You can listen to ‘Our Time/Gotta See About a Girl’ now on all major streaming platforms.
