Duo Pete Churchill and Mishka Adams tell stories. A Professor of Jazz Composition at the Royal Academy Of Music, Pete has been writing and performing for over 20 years, both under his own name and with such artists as Kenny Wheeler and Abdullah Ibrahim. Meanwhile, since moving to London in the mid-00s, Manila-born Mishka has established herself as a familiar voice within the jazz and samba scenes, and released a clutch of well-received solo records.

Teaming up with guitarist Ben Barritt (Damon Albarn, Joss Stone, Mike Kiwanuka), Brazilian percussionist Adriano Adewale (Antonio Forcione Quartet, Seu Jorge, Seb Rochford, Zoe Rahman), and saxophonist Mark Lockheart (Loose Tubes, Robert Wyatt, Radiohead, Polar Bear), the combo released Stories To Tell in 2015 – an 11 track collection of songs by Pete.

The band make their Jazzlines debut on 17 June 2016 at The Glee, followed by a special songwriting workshop the next day (at Symphony Hall).

Pete Churchill takes the questions …

How did you and Mishka (and the other guys) come to work together?
We met on the Jazz course at the Guildhall almost ten years ago. I was teaching there and Ben and Mishka were both in the vocal group. On leaving there we all went on to found the London Vocal Project. Adriano and Mark were brought into the project a little later - although we have all played with them on various projects previous to this one.

Each band member has pretty diverse musical experiences and influences - how would you describe the Stories To Tell sound?
I think we were looking for a fairly broad palette of sounds to draw upon as we set about framing each song. The 'acoustic' groove thing was there... guitar/ percussion-led (Adriano and Ben) with the piano slightly freer at times. Mishka is the story-teller and the backing vocals were an important part of the sound - highlighting certain lyrics. Mark Lockheart, in my mind, is commenting all the time - a free spirit providing a sub-text to everything.

Can I detect a bit of a Laurel Canyon vibe to some of the songs ...?
I've always been into that West-Coast thing... Joni, James Taylor, Jackson Browne - the strong, guitar-led narrative singer/ songwriters. I think Ben and Mishka might have caught a bit of that at college with me. As well as jazz, that was the music that underscored my youth.

Were all the songs written for this project, or are they tracks you've built up over a longer period?
This is definitely a collection of songs from the vaults! A couple of them are 25-30 years old - although some are really quite recent. We trawled through my back catalogue and chose very carefully.

The songs have been described as being 'about storytelling' - what are some of the stories you're telling, or themes you're exploring ... ?
I have one ongoing thread - the one about not wasting time... the importance of seizing the moment whenever possible. Also, I have been writing about the plight of the refugee, the wanderer or immigrant for some time now - often as part of massive projects with school children. Some of the songs have come out of these issues-based song cycles that I get to do at the Royal Albert Hall every couple of years.

What are your favourite tracks on the album, and why?
I like the extended episodic songs such as Unbreakable Chain and Keep your Head held High - but of the love songs I'd probably go for My Last Love.

Will the full 5-piece be playing the Birmingham show?
Sadly, no. Due to availability and budget restraints there'll just be three of us - Mishka, Ben and me. We often go out as a trio though... and the first gigs, pre-album, we're in this format. We do all the three-part singing on the album.

What other projects/ releases are you working on at the moment?
I'm writing new songs for this band and both Ben and Mishka are fantastic songwriters and have their own projects on the go. Also, I have hands pretty full with the London Vocal Project right now - we're recording an album as we speak!

Pete Churchill & Mishka Adams play The Glee Club on Friday 17 June.