Junction Tales

An afternoon where music and conversation meet — live, informal, and rooted in the local scene.

 

Curated in partnership with Ilario Ferrari and hosted by Ruth Fisher alongside Orphy Robinson MBE, Conversations in Jazz brings together artists in a format that prioritises connection as much as performance: short sets, shared stories, and space for the music to breathe.

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Across four one-hour sessions, the afternoon moves between established voices and emerging talent — all anchored in and around Watford’s growing jazz community.

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2:00pm

Jazz Train Choir & Micol Fusar

The day opens with a combined youth choir drawn from Watford Jazz Junction’s Jazz Train programme — a project that has worked with primary schools across the area, building confidence, musicianship and a genuine connection to live music over the past 18 months.

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They are followed by emerging pianist Micol Fusar, representing the next wave of local talent — thoughtful, developing, and already making her mark within the WJJ ecosystem.

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3:00pm

David Gordon & Christian Garrick

Pianist David Gordon and violinist Christian Garrick bring a long-standing musical partnership shaped by instinct, humour and deep musical intelligence.

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David Gordon is one of the UK’s most versatile pianists, equally at home in jazz, Latin and classical settings. Alongside his own projects, his career has included work with artists such as Norma Winstone and Alec Dankworth, as well as composing for theatre and film — always marked by a distinctive mix of lyricism and rhythmic playfulness.

 

Christian Garrick is widely recognised as one of the leading jazz violinists of his generation. A former member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, he has gone on to lead his own acclaimed groups and collaborate with a wide range of artists across jazz, folk and classical worlds, including work with John Etheridge and the BBC Concert Orchestra.

 

Together, David and Christian create something that feels both relaxed and razor-sharp — moving effortlessly between jazz standards, Latin repertoire and original material. Their interplay is fast, conversational and often unexpectedly funny, underpinned by a shared musical language built over years of playing together. Described by The Guardian as “brilliant… musical intelligence, humour, sharpness, swing”, this is a duo that rewards close listening — and makes it feel easy.

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4:00pm

Ilario Ferrari & Mari Songs

A familiar figure to Watford audiences, Ilario Ferrari has become a central part of the local scene — both as a performer and as the driving force behind Conversations in Jazz that runs in St John's Church every 2 months. A multi-instrumentalist and natural host, his work blends musicianship with an instinct for creating space for others.

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He is joined here by Mari Songs, a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter with a soulful, contemporary sound. Discovered by Ilario at Notting Hill Jazz Festival, her voice sits somewhere between classic soul and modern jazz — direct, expressive and grounded in strong song-writing.

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5:00pm

Shri Sriram – Singing Bass

Closing the day, Shri Sriram presents his solo project Singing Bass — a stripped-back, immersive exploration of sound built around his custom fretless bass.

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Shri first came to prominence in the late 1990s as one half of the groundbreaking duo Badmarsh & Shri, whose fusion of electronica, Indian classical influences and live instrumentation helped define a new UK sound at the turn of the millennium. From there, his career has spanned collaborations with artists including Nitin Sawhney and Talvin Singh, placing him firmly within that generation of musicians reshaping British jazz and global music.

 

In more recent years, his work has moved increasingly into jazz and large ensemble writing, alongside a growing reputation as a composer and bandleader. At the same time, projects like Singing Bass reveal something more distilled — an artist stepping forward alone, focused on tone, texture and space.

 

Using a highly personal extended technique, Shri’s playing blurs the line between bass and voice, creating a sound that is at once melodic, rhythmic and atmospheric. It’s minimal on the surface, but underpinned by decades of musical exploration.

 

This is a rare chance to hear a heavyweight artist in an intimate, exploratory setting — closing the afternoon not with volume, but with depth.

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​Thank yous

Many thanks to Rev Corniel Quak for hosting us this afternoon in the beautiful St John's Church.

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We would further like to thank the Watford Community Fund, Watford Community Housing Grants, and The Wavendon Foundation for financial support in bringing all our musicians together today.

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We would also like to thank accountants Hillier Hopkins for their support of our work, and One Jazz Radio, Jazz FM, Vibe FM and Cerys Matthews on BBC 6Music for their promotion of this afternoon's show.

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Looking forwards

​We continue to seek substantial funding for our next festival, proposed for May 2027, when we hope to return with a fuller musical line-up across a week.

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