James Pearson is not someone you easily forget; whether it's his mesmerising fingers dancing across the piano, his 'indefatigable' energy (as quoted by The Times) or the wealth of stories he has to share about all the great musicians that ever existed, you will.

Artistic Director, composer, pianist, musician in residence... it seems unconceivable he is able to fit it all in a day, yet he does with a huge smile. In this episode, we will delve into his career that's brought him to travel globally, his arrival and ascension at Ronnie Scott's and the evolution of Jazz music, the whole interspersed with live piano tunes, ranging from Gershwin to bebop. You can absolutely stand up and dance along. Happy listening!

James's website: http://www.jamespearsonmusic.com/

Some of the few great musicians he collaborated with:

- Dame Cleo Lane

- Elvin Jones

- Gregory Porter

His favourite musicians:

- Fats Waller

- Oscar Peterson

- Vladimir Horowitz

And his go to film, with Dudley Moore, his contagious laughter (and a scene where you see his great piano skills) and Liza Minnelli: Arthur

Cela ne m'était encore jamais arrivé : rencontrer quelqu'un à travers ses mots écrits, en découvrant les détails les plus durs et parfois nauséeux de sa vie intime, avant de la voir en personne pour l'interviewer.

Parue début octobre, sa biographie, 'Moi, Fabienne B., mauvaise fille', s'ouvre sur le récit d'une enfance catastrophique et terrible. Pourtant, malgré tous ces traumas , Fabienne s'est relevée, est arrivée à Paris et s'est frayé son propre chemin. Commençant en tant qu'hôtesse au 24 Heures du Mans, elle a su tisser des liens avec des personnes influentes et gravir ardemment les marches du monde du cinéma jusqu'à devenir Directrice de Casting.

Plongée dans cet univers, Fabienne nous confie ses amitiés nouées, les tournages rocambolesques, les coulisses parfois cruelles mais surtout la magie du cinéma.

Dans cet épisode, vous découvrirez une femme forte, sensible, passionnée et profondément touchante. Une femme dont le parcours, je l'espère, vous invitera à changer de perspective sur vos blessures et à y reconnaître, une source de force.

Vous pouvez acheter son livre à la ⁠⁠Fnac⁠⁠ et chez ⁠⁠Payot⁠⁠ en France ou en Suisse.

Cet épisode sera en français.

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Never had I met someone through their words, discovering all the intricate and harsh details about their inner life, before seeing them in person, to interview them.

Published beginning of October, Fabienne's biography "Moi, Fabienne B., mauvaise fille", opens with a raw telling of her terrible childhood. She nevertheless picked herself up, came to Paris and decided to forge her own path. Starting as a hostess at the 24 Heures du Mans, Fabienne befriended influential people and arduously climbed the ranks of the film industry to become Casting Director.

In this episode, Fabienne shares her wonderful on set experiences, the sometimes cruel behind the scenes of the industry, the friendships she forged and above all the magic of cinema. You will discover a woman who is strong, passionate and deeply touching.

This episode will be in French.

Fabienne's top film picks:

- ⁠Chariots of Fire ⁠

- ⁠All That Jazz⁠

- ⁠Mon nom est Personne⁠

Thank you as always to my friend Mory at Pars Studio for the sound engineering.

You’ve got people who squeeze every hour of the day till it’s reduced to pulp, and you’ve got Xhloé and Natasha.

To call them a ‘tour de force’ would be mundane and not representative enough of their mind-boggling grandeur. Having managed to squeeze into one of their sold out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, I spent the following 50 minutes realising what staggering talent and energy looks like on stage.

Throughout this episode, you’ll realise how assiduous, audacious and completely ingenious these two New York based performers are and what it truly takes to make it (and succeed!) in this crazy industry of the performing arts.

Remember their names as you’ll be seeing them again soon. Happy listening !

You can follow their amazing feats on their website: https://www.xhloeandnatasha.com

Or follow them on their social media: @xhloeandnatasha

There are people you meet who you instantly forget, and others who leave such an impression you just have to learn more about them. Following a very serendipitous and rocambolesque bump-in at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, I got to see Amy and Claudio’s fantastically ludicrous and clownesque show which to this day has left quite a mark. Delving into her years at Philippe Gaulier’s famous clown school, Amy explains (in her wonderful Suffolk accent) what clowning really is, what it feels to have the dreaded “flop” happen on stage and shows us how we can all benefit from the lessons learnt.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Happy listening!

To see the trailer of her show: 'Beryl and Clive (their musical)'

Amy's clowning workshop recommendations:

- Ecole Philippe Gaulier

- Mick Barnfather - Clown & Comedy courses

- Spy Monkey - Theatre of the Funny

- Angela de Castro's The Why Not Institute

- John Wright The Wright School with the amazing Tedx talk "Rediscovering playfulness" on the link and his two books:

• Why is that so funny
• Playing the Mask: Acting Without Bullshit.

Thank you to my dear friend Mory at Pars Studio as always for the great sound engineering!

Met by happenstance on a student film set and after chatting for 5 minutes, I quickly realised Lionel had quite a story to share.

To say he had a busy career would be an understatement. Starting as 3rd AD and making his way up to 1st AD and eventually director, Lionel's work has taken him across the globe, working with some of the greatest directors in the world. Seizing every opportunity with one suitcase and the phrase "worst case, if it doesn't work out, they fire me", Lionel has managed to pave an uninterrupted career spanning over 30 years, stopping only when the pandemic hit, when he finally rested and decided to become a teacher at a film school in Paris.

This episode will be in French, but hopefully, my English friends, you'll be able to whip out your textbooks and catch glimpses of his fantastic life.

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Rencontré par cas fortuit sur le set d'un film d'étudiant à Paris, j'ai très vite compris que j'avais face à moi quelqu'un qui n'avait pas eu le temps de niaiser pendant ces 40 dernières années.

Commençant en tant que 3ème AR, Lionel a vite su se faire connaître parmi les meilleurs directeurs du monde, ce qui lui a valu une carrière internationale ininterrompue pendant plus de 30 ans, pendant laquelle il gravi les échelons jusqu'à 1er AR et éventuellement réalisateur. Ne refusant jamais un projet et suivant sa phrase clé "au pire, on me vire", Lionel nous partage sa carrière tant surprenante que rocambolesque, qui, je l'espère, vous inspira à prendre vos propres risques.

A selection of the films Lionel worked on/ Une sélection de film sur lesquels Lionel a travaillé:

- Animal Farm

- Hotel Rwanda

- There's Only One Sun

- Pub Cartier: L'odyssée de Cartier

- Case Départ

Lionel's top picks /ses films favoris:

- Apocalypse Now

- Taxi Driver

- Jaws

Thank you to my dear friend Mory at Pars Studio for the great sound engineering.

I have come to find that most creatives in this industry are very modest and rarely boast about their success.

Jérôme definitely is a prime example; his career as sound engineering and boom operator has led him far and wide across the globe, on projects as varied as they are fascinating.

His sensibility and passion to his craft and to the world film is extremely touching and I hope you will be as enthralled as I was!

Little note: this episode is in french as our dear friend Jérôme (albeit speaking great english) is from the South West of France (where the sun shines) but I am sure your GCSE French will allow you to enjoy this wonderful episode!

Happy listening!

To see the plethora of films Jérôme has worked on throughout his career you can find him on IMDB , AlloCiné and MUBI .

Jérôme's favourite films :

Angèle de Marcel Pagnol

Pierrot le Fou de Jean-Luc Godart

Gare centrale de Youssef Chahine

Thank you to my dear friend Mory at Pars Studio to help make the sound sound so groovy!

Have you ever been moved simply with words? No background music, no back-up singers,…just words and a microphone.

I shan’t give out too much information as this episode truly is unique but I introduce you lovely listener to the amazing world of performance poetry. 

A very fortuitous meeting with a co-actor led me to meet his son, poet and musician, Jasper. I knew when I heard his story that I wanted to bring him on the podcast.

So I nudge you to have a listen and let yourself be transported by Jasper’s words.

Happy listening!

Jasper's Instagram account to follow his poetry.

Jasper’s favourite poet: 

• John Keats (if you haven’t read his poems do buy yourself his Complete Poems for Christmas) 

Poets to go see perform:

• Molly Sapphire 
• Stephen Gill
• Go watch videos of the late Benjamin Zephaniah performing - 'absolute legend' (Jasper's words)

Live poetry to watch in London:

• Sofar Sounds (there isn’t always live poetry at every night but you can email the team to ask)
• Spit Nights

Film we speak about which has beautiful poetry and live poetry : Love Jones

Thank you to my dear friend Mory at Pars Studio for the great sound editing!

To say that I've listened to some of his songs 18 times would be an understatement and it's not just because I happen to (lucky me) to be his cousin. Ever since our family Christmases where his voice and guitar playing clearly stood out from the rest of our cacophony of songs, we knew he'd go somewhere and in London he landed where he is now producing and composing his songs as well as other artists.

Tibo has truly managed to craft a style of his own, blending in R&B, Jazz and blues with a touch of "saudade".

Have a listen to one of his songs and I am adamant you will feel the stress and worry of the day seep out of you whilst you let yourself be carried away by his melodious voice.

Tibo Step

Tibo's 'coup de coeur' artists and songs:

Mk.gee - How Many Miles

Astronne & LaBlue - Sous la pluie

Puma Blue - Too Much , Too Much

ELIZA - Straight Talker

Before launching this podcast, I had already thought about the guests I wanted to invite, and Sam was one of the first names on the list. Having had the pleasure to live with him for a few months, we quickly bonded and through our many (many) late conversations I was amazed by his dedication to his craft as a sound engineer.

Not only is he a walking library of amazing songs, Sam also has an incredible work ethic and is truly a wonderful soul; it was an absolute delight to have been able to talk with him on the podcast.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Sam's 'coups de coeur':

Favourite artists: Al Green, Bill Withers, D’angelo

Favourite Concerts: Joe Hisaishi, Japan Ngonda, Ginger Root

Favourite sessions he was a part of: Jordan Rakei (For ‘The Loop’), Mulatu Astake, Mary In The Junkyard

Podcast recommendation: Tape Notes - The episode Sam mentions with Tom Misch & Adam Jaffrey: Episode 44

Jack of all trades and master of all, Katherine has shown countless times she does not shy away from a challenge. Puppet designer, seamstress, director, teacher - what can’t she do?

A true inspiration to anyone in the performing arts industry or even if you’re starting off somewhere and need some guidance, Katherine will share some amazing stories, advice and life experiences, all thrown in with some love and warmth!

Happy listening !

Katherine’s favourite show: The Ferryman, by Jezz Butterworth.

Katherine's recommendations:

- Puppet workshop: https://www.instagram.com/brunskillandgrimes/

- Clean Break: https://www.instagram.com/cleanbrk/

- War Horse (for those living in the UK): https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/war-horse/

- Her and her Co-founder Tess' company, Bea in My Beanie: https://www.beeinmybeanie.com/

Katherine’s book recommendations:

• ​Stephen Jeffrey’s - Playwriting
• Edwin Catmull: Creative, Inc
• ​Michael Kaiser: The Art of the Turnaround
• ​Kelly Hunter: Shakespeare’s Heartbeat