Songs We Heard

Is there a musical tradition as timeless or as universal as the singing of nursery rhymes and lullabies to children? These songs have provided many generations with their first experience of music and continue to enjoy the same popularity today.

When considering new repertoire for my jazz piano trio, it occurred to me that such well-known themes could also provide a rich source of musical inspiration; their melodic simplicity and harmonic clarity make them an ideal material for improvisation. And so the idea for ‘Songs We Heard’ was born.

The album features many nursery rhymes well-loved in the English-speaking world, including favourites such as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ and ‘Three Blind Mice’, as well as the French songs ‘Alouette’ and ‘Frère Jacques’. Often these melodies are also known across other cultures but set to different words. My research into international songs for children also led me to uncover several unfamiliar musical gems: ‘Cradle Song’ from Sweden, ‘Little Swallow’ from China, ‘Edo Lullaby’ from Japan and ‘Wakyumwa Katambanga’ from Kenya. Three original themes inspired by reminiscences of my own childhood complete the set.