'Solo Gemini' is the debut album of composer and jazz pianist Nikki Yeoh. The album features eight original tracks inspired by an eclectic mix of influences from Hermeto Pascoal to John Cage. The music on my debut album 'Solo Gemini' spans a period of 25 years. I started composing aged 5 in the hallway at my nan's council flat in 1970's Islington, sitting on A to Z's that boosted the height of my piano stool so that I could reach the keys. However the first significant piece I wrote was 'Mutual Serenade' (Track 6) at the age of 18, which was inspired by Brazilian maestro Hermeto Pascoal, after hanging out with him at Ronnie Scott's. Hermeto like me is not blessed with a Rachmaninov sized span; he generously shared a technique for voicing chords in a way that melody, bass and harmony can be played without compromise. In a way, without compromise is a reason why this album has taken so long! For me, composition is story telling, each of the tunes on this album has a narrative from my life. The art of story telling is an aural tradition and is prone to elaboration and improvisation each time the tale is told. It's a similar thing with my music; each time the piece is performed there is improvisation, interpretation and embellishment, which adds to the emotional conversation of the piece. Playing these pieces live 100s of times is how I approach finding different ways to tell the stories and in some respects my previous reluctance to put these tracks down was not wanting to commit to a 'final statement' of how they should be. Inevitably at some point the story needs to be told and recorded otherwise the music disappears. So here are my stories, which I'd like to share with you... Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin!
