07.06.18
Each week we will be posting exclusive 60 second interviews with our 2018 Festival bands and artists. This week we are in conversation with Rob Luft, to find out when Elina Duni & Rob Luft are playing mjf 2018 click here.
Name: Rob Luft
Name of the Band (if you’re in a band): Elina Duni & Rob Luft Duo
Where are you/the band from?
I am from London. Elina is from Tirana, Albania, but lives in Zurich, Switzerland.
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How did you get into music?
I came to the guitar via my step-father, who plays in a & rock’n’roll covers band!
*Why did you form the band?
We formed our duo project in order to play jazz & folk songs from across Europe & to fuse our love of ancient traditional songs with jazz music.
What are the most enjoyable aspects of being a musician?
Aside from playing with loads of other incredible musicians, the travelling part is pretty incredible. Elina & myself were lucky enough to tour in Chile a few months back which was astonishingly beautiful!
What is the least enjoyable part of being a musician?
Perhaps the travelling as well! Haha. I think the long car journeys, train journeys, plane journeys (& delays such as the one I’m enduring right now) are pretty horrendous!
Who is your favourite band or artist?
Myself & Elina are both huge fans of Bill Frisell’s music & also we love Radiohead!
What’s the best piece of musical advice you’ve ever been given?
Mancunian guitarist Mike Walker has given me many great nuggets of wisdom over the years, but I’m not sure if I can reduce any of it to one sentence!
What does it mean to you to play at manchester jazz festival?
It should be lovely. My father’s family are all from South Manchester, so it’s a bit of a homecoming feeling!
What advice would you give to the new generation of musicians that would like to follow in your steps?
I suppose that you never know who you’re going to meet & when, so take every opportunity that you get. Keep playing, listening & writing new music & try to stay inspired to create.
What has been the most notable highlight of your career so far?
I have had many great opportunities over the past 5 or so years, but playing with the legendary big band Loose Tubes for their revival concerts in 2015 at Ronnie Scott’s was pretty unbeatable!!
Other than yourself, who are you looking forward to seeing at mjf 2018?
I would really like to catch Dave Holland’s gig with Zakir Hussain & Chris Potter.
For the full Festival Programme click here.