Jazz trombonist Jai Patel on performing with Coldplay at Wembley and touring with Burna Boy
For recent Trinity Laban graduate Jai Patel, this summer brought the chance of a lifetime: performing with Coldplay at Wembley Stadium as part of their record-breaking Music of the Spheres tour. Sharing the stage with Femi Kuti and Kaidi Akinnibi, Jai joined fellow alumni Made Kuti, Axel Kaner-Lidstrom and Joe Elliott, in bringing Arabesque to life before tens of thousands of fans.
Reflecting on the experience, Jai says: “Playing with the Kuti family and fellow Trinity Laban alumni was amazing because I love Afrobeat music, and really enjoy the music of Fela Kuti and Dele Sosimi, who tutored me at Trinity Laban. I learnt so much from them. I’ve also been a huge fan of Coldplay my whole life, and my dad is an even bigger fan, so I grew up on that music. Doing a big show like this was incredible – everyone was super friendly and the atmosphere was fantastic.”
Jai studied jazz trombone at Trinity Laban, having started the instrument when he was seven but decided on a career in music at seventeen. “It was a decision based on the fact that I wanted to continue playing,” he says. “I wanted to see what my potential would be if I fully committed to the trombone and I knew the opportunity was out there. I didn’t want to regret not doing it later, as I love performing so much. I thought I’d give it as much as I’ve got and see what happens. I ultimately applied to conservatoire because I needed to be in an environment where I could find out how to fully achieve my potential.
Being around so many different people really helped me discover my own musical identity.
“It’s an amazing four years and you’re surrounded by the right facilities to realise what you want to do. You have time to collaborate with musicians, building relationships and trust. I had a great time at Trinity Laban – I really loved it. Central London can be overwhelming, but Greenwich has a lot of green space and beautiful views of the Thames. You can relax and it’s a wonderful environment to be creative in. I gave as much as I could, so got a lot out of it and I tried to be as present as possible, making sure I was rehearsing and signing up to projects. Being committed and having a good foundation to build off going into the industry has been so helpful.”
Jai goes on to discuss the jazz course. “The variety of people made it feel like everyone had the ability to pursue their own musical identity and goals,” he says. “It was all welcome within the course and community. There are so many people doing different things and aiming for different sounds, both within and outside of jazz. There’s a strong commitment to the jazz tradition at Trinity Laban, but also the ability to expand to other musical styles. I love the community here. Being around so many different kinds of people really helped me discover my own musical identity. Head of Jazz Hans Koller supported me the whole way through with my development.”
During his time at Trinity Laban, Jai worked as an assistant at the Jazz Hang, a programme aimed at young musicians who want to engage more with jazz. Delivered in partnership with Tomorrow’s Warriors and Lewisham Music, Trinity Laban’s Jazz Hang is a series of regular sessions of informal and practical jazz learning, along with opportunities to attend weekend jazz masterclass days. “I loved being an assistant at Jazz Hang,” says Jai. “It was my introduction to Jazz Ensemble teaching and it was really helpful because I got to study underneath the lead tutor and take in their ideas. One of my goals was to develop my educational skills in leading workshops and understand how to introduce jazz to younger people. I got time in a lower pressure environment because I wasn’t leading the sessions, but taking in all the different techniques and building my skills to lead my own sessions now. I met some great students who were incredible musicians and I’m sure in five or ten years’ time they’ll be colleagues as well. They’re really inspiring to be around. It was great to be involved with Lewisham Music too because I ended up teaching and I have a job there now. I’m not from London, so I didn’t come through Tomorrow’s Warriors when I was younger, but the Jazz Hang connected me with their staff and they really helped to push my career. A lot of the gigs I’ve recently got, including performing at Wembley and with seed for Cassie Kinoshi, have been indirectly through Tomorrow’s Warriors support. All of this together was really important for me.”
Reflecting on the advice he’d give incoming applicants, Jai highlights the importance of research and sustaining motivation. “If you’re applying soon, learn as much as you can about the jazz tradition and look at the legacy that came before you, on your instrument and outside your instrument,” he says. “Find topics that resonate with you. The things that resonate with you emotionally will keep you motivated and working hard up until auditions and past that into your career. Continue your journey of discovery and learning because it’s the things that you like that will keep you going all the way through. Think about your career before you go to conservatoire and when you’re there, think about what’s going to happen when you leave because you want to set yourself up. Try and prepare, have a vague of plan of what you want to do and work towards it.”
This autumn, Jai sets out on tour with Burna Boy – a musician he’s loved listening to for years. “I’m very grateful to have this coming out of conservatoire,” he says. “We’re starting in New Zealand and Australia, then coming back to London before flying out to America and Canada. It’s going to be a lot of fun and travelling, it’ll be amazing to play with him and work with really great musicians in the band. I’m also really excited to do it with one of my really good friends, Solomon Kola, who was at Trinity Laban with me and we’ll both be graduating in absentia at the same time. I don’t know what to expect, but I feel prepared. I reached out to some of my tutors at Trinity Laban to ask for advice. They’ve all been so nice about giving me pointers and musical advice about managing tour, as they’ve been through it all before, so I feel much more comfortable now. We’re going to play some great music and I’m excited to see what I learn from that experience. We’ll take a graduation photo in Philadelphia. I’ve had enough general help from conservatoire to feel like I can handle most things that come at me now in the industry, whether I’m playing jazz or other genres. I’m very excited about it.”