Angel Noire
Jun 10, 2021
Updated: Apr 5, 2023
Welsh born and raised, Jay still resides in his beloved Cardiff with his lovely family, and when he's not composing his musical masterpieces, he's an avid vintage magazine collector; a lover of old-school telly; an eighties enthusiast, and is addicted to retro fashion. As with music, vintage was made for Jay the same way eyeliner was made for Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes - a band of whom Jay is a big fan.
We caught up with Jay to find out more about his career in music; what's influenced and inspired him over the years... and why he played Give Us A Clue during PE!
I’m already with a slice of my favourite pie (Cherry Bakewell) and a large mug of Earl Grey Tea
Well my favourite era is the 1980s which was during my childhood and teenage years from 5-15 years. My happiest memories was of primary school and my large family. I have a lot of cousins (30 odd!) as my father was one of 11 - large Catholic family! So we were very close as a family and I spent a lot of time playing with my cousins. I also have lovely memories of family holidays during this decade. So I’d say this is ‘my’ era.
I started composing when I was 15 as it was a component of my GCSE music course. On spec, I sent some early pieces to a music publisher which was accepted for publication when I was 16, just after I’d begun my A-levels in Music, French and Spanish at sixth form college.
I knew then that I wanted to go far with composing as it was getting more serious and taking up all my time. I was hooked on it and just wanted to be a professional composer. The idea of creating music then hearing it played was just so thrilling to me and an unusual career.
After A-levels I worked for four years to gain some experience in the ‘real’ world and obviously to earn my own money. During this time I also paid for private composition lessons at music college as I’d decided by now to study composition as the main subject of a music degree. I started my degree in 1997 and graduated in 2000. I went back for more as I did a Masters in composition from 2002-2004.
Composing is a funny thing as only a tiny percentage of composers actually do it as a full-time job. The rest combine it with a main teaching or lecturing job or work as a professional musician. Some just do a totally different job and compose as a hobby.
For me it took years to realise I wasn’t going to be a full-time salaried composer so over the years I’ve done various main jobs. These include retail in my younger days and following that I trained as a primary school teaching assistant. I did this for 15 years off and on and after that I worked as an instrumental music teacher in piano and woodwind and a classroom primary music teacher. After that I moved to Nottingham and resumed teaching assistance.
During all my full-time jobs, I’ve always composed and still had things published and performed. So I guess it’s always been a part-time job in a way.
I started piano lessons when I was 8 years old as my uncle had lessons and I used to love messing around on his piano. My teacher was 83 at the time but he was too strict and I didn’t take to it as I hated practising! So I quit but always knew I’d go back to it later as it felt like I was a bit young to appreciate it.
My real musical epiphany didn’t come until I was 13 and at high school. A very inspiring new music teacher called Liz York started and I just wanted to be involved in all the great things she was offering as she turned the musical life of the school around. I could already play recorder and a bit of piano and I started guitar lessons after school, sang in the school choir and began flute when I was 14. A year later I felt more mature and experienced enough to resume piano lessons with the same teacher - who was 90 by now! But with my extra experience and musical knowledge I took to piano better second time round.
I had a lovely flute teacher at school called Trish Jones who I idolized. She and Liz encouraged me no end as in my last year of high school I was already grade 6 standard. After GCSEs I won a scholarship for free flute lessons for 2 years at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I did these flute lessons weekly and had passed my grade 8 flute by the time I was about to sit my A-levels in the summer of 1993. During this time I was also playing in a small jazz ensemble full of other high school and sixth form students. This was really cool and about a year previously, I’d acquired another instrument - the clarinet - which I’d taught myself to play and was a useful addition to the flute in the jazz ensemble.
I play piano and flute (my main instruments) but I also have grade 6 recorder, and I can play the clarinet and saxophone too.
My popular musical influences haven’t really influenced the music I write but I’ve always loved these artists and followed their careers: Gloria Estefan, U2, All About Eve, Matt Bianco, Basia, Pink Martini.
I have really eclectic tastes in music encompassing classical and jazz but I also love old school popular music by legends such as Elton John, Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac and many others.
You’re a fan of TV shows from the seventies and eighties. What’s your favourite TV score?
This is a hard one. I used to love the very jolly old theme tune to the iconic ITV holiday show, Wish You Were Here…? but I’ve always liked film scores. Anything by John Williams so any film score to classic 80s films by him such as E.T. Indiana Jones films etc.
Wish I’d have been good enough at music technology as I might have become a successful film composer then! So yes, I wish I’d composed a John Williams’ film score to make my Hollywood name and fortune!!
I’d love to have collaborated on a film score with John Williams - obviously!
My biggest influences were my high school music teacher Liz York and my high school flute teacher, Trish Jones. I owe all my subsequent musical experiences and successes to them!
1980s for the memories and fashion
Chocolate chip definitely - mint chocolate chip is my favourite ice cream!
Do I have to choose between grunge and techno? Well, neither is my bag but I’m not a fan of clubby dance music so I’ll go grunge!
Always followed Neighbours much more than Home & Away.
TOTP no contest! That’s what kept me up-to-date with the week’s new releases. I lived for 7.30 on a Thursday night! It’s a shame it was stopped, as now, I haven’t a clue what’s in the charts any more. And I could be missing some great new artists. (Agree a hundred per cent! - Angel)
I was never a ‘must-have-those-cool-new-trainers- kind of kid, or adult really! But if I made a choice based on how they look I’d go for British Knights.
Two iconic musicals - what a choice!! It’d have to be West Side Story, mainly for the music. Leonard Bernstein wrote some of the finest musical songs in WSS. Still sound awesome today.
Never been sporty really so sportswear has been always been largely absent from my wardrobe - but loungewear rocks. I have many pairs of fleecy loungewear trousers. I live in them - well during lockdown staying in was the new going out, wasn’t it? Even before that for me actually..!
Bad Boys Inc! I Had a major crush on David Ross for ages and you’d have found him adorning my bedroom walls c. 1994.
I only actually recently found out he is gay and lives in Los Angeles. Yes!!!!
Oh god - horrible memories of high school. Wasn’t a fan of this period in my life - except for the music but I hated everything else.
I’m lucky as I was medically excused from PE and Games due to me being born blind in my right eye, so during this time I’d have a laugh with my friends who used to take it in turns to bunk off and keep me company. It’d usually involve us finding an empty classroom and trying to avoid getting rumbled by a wandering teacher. I think we used to play Give Us A Clue and muck around with those silly stories you’d all take it in turns to write a line, fold it over then pass it on so you’d end up with a very silly and often hilarious story!
Hated all sciences at school and was rubbish at them. I used to zone out, chat and muck about with friends and generally have a good laugh!
Sea shanties?! Well…I heard recently a guy has tried to make them popular again?? Nathan Evans that’s him. Apparently he loves them and he’s gone viral singing them on TikTok!
They were essential during long sea voyages to maintain morale amongst the sailors and rowers below. I think shanties were the equivalent of the black workers in Africa singing blues songs whilst working on the plantations. Just one musical style was at sea and the other on land.
I bet if I delved into it sea shanties have an interesting history…I wonder if anyone has written any contemporary ones? (Um, maybe you could??? - Angel!)
Photos: Courtesy of Jay Mackie, Pixabay and Wix
Word Cloud: Angel Noire