Zara McFarlane’s debut album, 2011’s Until Tomorrow, came garlanded with ra… Read Full Bio ↴Zara McFarlane’s debut album, 2011’s Until Tomorrow, came garlanded with rave reviews and a MOBO award nomination, and heralded a major new talent in the world of British jazz. The follow-up, also recorded for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, is a more ambitious collection that draws from many more influences: from the deep spiritual jazz of Pharoah Sanders to dub and reggae.
“With the first album,” says Zara, “I was trying to create a cohesive sound, one that used the same line up and the same instrumentation throughout. This time the focus is on the songwriting, and the arrangements are tailor-made to suit each song. There’s a lot more variation – around half of the tracks are duets, and I use more than one band. If there is a unified, cohesive theme, it’s in the lyrics: the songs represent a journey through a woman’s life.”
Gilles Peterson has been a key figure in Zara’s career. They first met when she was performing with the house music project Bopstar at the Southport Weekender in May 2010, where she gave him an EP of acoustic jazz songs she’d recorded. Within a few months, an impressed Peterson had signed Zara to his Brownswood Recordings label, and that EP eventually provided the basis for her debut album Until Tomorrow.
“Gilles has been an incredibly enthusiastic person to work with,” says Zara. “With the first album, I’d recorded most of it before he’d signed me, but this time he’s been more involved in its creation and made suggestions. He’s passionate about all kinds of music, not just jazz, which has allowed me to experiment with different sounds.”
Zara McFarlane was born 30 years ago into a Jamaican family in Dagenham, on the borders of Essex and London. She grew up in a household that loved reggae (“we played it all the time – parties, social gatherings, weddings, funerals, you name it!”), as well as the R&B of Michael Jackson and Luther Vandross. Her TV debut came at the tender age of 14, when she did a Lauryn Hill impression on Stars In Their Eyes against a line-up of grown ups.
She was educated at a local comprehensive before moving to the BRIT School in Croydon in her sixth-form to study musical theatre. “I fell in love with musicals and learned tons of old showtunes,” says Zara. “I quickly realised that they were also jazz standards, and I always preferred the jazz versions.” After a BMus degree in Popular Music Performance from the Tech Music School in Acton (part of the University of West London) she started to pursue her love of jazz, studying jazz and improvisation at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
When not working on her own material, Zara has performed as a featured vocalist in Gary Crosby’s ska orchestra Jazz Jamaica, and performed with esteemed British jazzers such as Orphy Robinson, Denys Baptiste and Soweto Kinch. She’s made house music with Bopstar and paid tribute to Tammi Terrell with Norwegian DJ/producer Dalminjo. Her tracks have been remixed and reworked by the likes of Viennese techno duo Ogris Debris, Ninja Tune’s Floating Points, Afro-funker Osunlade and space-jazzers Emanative. She’s fronted Italian DJ Nicola Conte’s big band, performed at a Nina Simone tribute concert in Amsterdam and played support for South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and American singer Gregory Porter. At the upcoming London Jazz Festival she’ll be appearing opposite Dianne Reeves (Queen Elizabeth Hall, 20 November). She also maintains a role in education, teaching workshops in vocals and improvisation around Britain and Europe.
“I love all areas of this work – the teaching, the performing – but this album showcases what I’m most into at the moment, which is writing,” she says. “These songs on this new album are more personal than anything I’ve ever written. It’s me opening up, taking listeners on a journey.”
“With the first album,” says Zara, “I was trying to create a cohesive sound, one that used the same line up and the same instrumentation throughout. This time the focus is on the songwriting, and the arrangements are tailor-made to suit each song. There’s a lot more variation – around half of the tracks are duets, and I use more than one band. If there is a unified, cohesive theme, it’s in the lyrics: the songs represent a journey through a woman’s life.”
Gilles Peterson has been a key figure in Zara’s career. They first met when she was performing with the house music project Bopstar at the Southport Weekender in May 2010, where she gave him an EP of acoustic jazz songs she’d recorded. Within a few months, an impressed Peterson had signed Zara to his Brownswood Recordings label, and that EP eventually provided the basis for her debut album Until Tomorrow.
“Gilles has been an incredibly enthusiastic person to work with,” says Zara. “With the first album, I’d recorded most of it before he’d signed me, but this time he’s been more involved in its creation and made suggestions. He’s passionate about all kinds of music, not just jazz, which has allowed me to experiment with different sounds.”
Zara McFarlane was born 30 years ago into a Jamaican family in Dagenham, on the borders of Essex and London. She grew up in a household that loved reggae (“we played it all the time – parties, social gatherings, weddings, funerals, you name it!”), as well as the R&B of Michael Jackson and Luther Vandross. Her TV debut came at the tender age of 14, when she did a Lauryn Hill impression on Stars In Their Eyes against a line-up of grown ups.
She was educated at a local comprehensive before moving to the BRIT School in Croydon in her sixth-form to study musical theatre. “I fell in love with musicals and learned tons of old showtunes,” says Zara. “I quickly realised that they were also jazz standards, and I always preferred the jazz versions.” After a BMus degree in Popular Music Performance from the Tech Music School in Acton (part of the University of West London) she started to pursue her love of jazz, studying jazz and improvisation at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
When not working on her own material, Zara has performed as a featured vocalist in Gary Crosby’s ska orchestra Jazz Jamaica, and performed with esteemed British jazzers such as Orphy Robinson, Denys Baptiste and Soweto Kinch. She’s made house music with Bopstar and paid tribute to Tammi Terrell with Norwegian DJ/producer Dalminjo. Her tracks have been remixed and reworked by the likes of Viennese techno duo Ogris Debris, Ninja Tune’s Floating Points, Afro-funker Osunlade and space-jazzers Emanative. She’s fronted Italian DJ Nicola Conte’s big band, performed at a Nina Simone tribute concert in Amsterdam and played support for South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela and American singer Gregory Porter. At the upcoming London Jazz Festival she’ll be appearing opposite Dianne Reeves (Queen Elizabeth Hall, 20 November). She also maintains a role in education, teaching workshops in vocals and improvisation around Britain and Europe.
“I love all areas of this work – the teaching, the performing – but this album showcases what I’m most into at the moment, which is writing,” she says. “These songs on this new album are more personal than anything I’ve ever written. It’s me opening up, taking listeners on a journey.”
Spinning Wheel
Zara McFarlane Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Spinning Wheel' by these artists:
Andrew Strong What goes up must come down spinning wheel got to go…
benny goodman and his orchestra What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Black Honey Love is just a spinning wheel Darling, like the tumble leave…
Blonde On Blonde This is the time of the Spinning Wheel There is no…
Blood Sweat And Tears What goes up must come down Spinnin' wheel got to go…
Blood Sweat andTears What goes up must come down Spinnin' wheel got to go…
Blood Sweat Tears What goes up must come down Spinnin' wheel got to go…
Blood, Sweat & Tears (David Clayton-Thomas) What goes up must come down spinning…
Blood/Sweat/Tears What goes up must come down Spinnin' wheel got to go…
Bop (Harvey) What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Brodka What goes up Must come down Spinning wheel Got to go arou…
Caecilie Norby What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Capiozzo & Mecco What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Catch Up; Milan Pilar What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Catherine McKinnon What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Chris Clark What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Darden Smith Funny thing about growing older is I start looking back Ove…
Dave Barker What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Eugene Grey What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Ferguson Maynard What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Flo Chase Funny how it tends to change Like life has got some…
Hate/Love Say you are a dancer - come and dance Take off…
Horace Faith What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
James Brown What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
James Brown & the JBs What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Junior Mance What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Long John Baldry What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Love Hate Say you are a dancer - come and dance Take off…
Love/Hate Say you are a dancer - come and dance Take off…
M. Thomas What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Maura O'Connell We keep our bones up in the closet We lock ′em…
Max Greger & his Orchestra What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Mel Tormé What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Nana Mouskouri Mellow the moonlight to shine is beginning Close by the wind…
Nancy Wilson What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Nancy Wilson攀 What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
New Jersey Kings What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Peter Cincotti What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Peter-Convent-Band What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Phil Upchurch What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
PP Arnold What goes up must come down Spinnin' wheel got to go…
Ran Blake What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Raulzinho – Impacto 8 What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Ray Conniff What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Return 2 Zero What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Sammy Davis Jr. What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Sounds Galactic What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Stan Reynolds & His Orchestra What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Sweat & Tears What goes up must come down Spinnin' wheel got to go…
Ted Heath What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Ted Heath and His Music What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
The Keith Mansfield Orchestra What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
The Moog Machine What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
The Ventures What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Toscho What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Toscho Todorovic What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Victor Silvester and His Orchestra What goes up must come down Spinning Wheel got to go…
Worthikids A dull mind can't cut you Sleeping dogs won't bite Something…
Blood Sweat & Tears What goes up must come down Spinnin' wheel got to go…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Zara McFarlane:
Open Heart Dear, don't tell me what to do Once I had lost…
Plain Gold Ring Plain gold ring on his finger he wore It was where…
Police & Thieves Police and thieves in the street Fightin' the nation with th…
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