This week I speak to Kassandra e’Silva, a saxophonist, improviser and NHS music therapist. We caught up just before a gig at the Edinburgh Jazz Festival to talk about the power of music in care settings — from dementia wards and mental health clinics to the BBQ playlist at home.

We cover:

• Baby‑wearing during soundcheck 👶
• Pre‑verbal communication in music
• Clinical improvisation and jazz
• Whether all music is a kind of therapy
• And why rhythm might be the most important bit

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00:00 – Intro – ALSO Festival, Nosferatu live score, and a conch bath update

03:00 – Edinburgh Jazz Festival – A tribute to The Jazz Bar and Bill Kyle

08:30 – Interview with Kassandra e’Silva – Backstage at the Spiegeltent

10:00 – What music therapy is – Presence, trauma, and non-verbal expression

13:30 – Lighting up the brain – Music as reconnection

16:00 – Music at both ends of life – Parenting and dementia

20:00 – Letting go of ‘good’ music – From jazz standards to egg shakers

23:10 – Rhythm as anchor – Repetition, stability, and mental health

25:40 – Creative expression – Instruments, blocks, and tambo-responsiveness

29:40 – Teaching vs therapy – When learning becomes part of healing

31:40 – Improvisation as diagnostic mirror – Sound as resistance

34:40 – Participation matters – Why passive listening isn’t enough

36:10 – What’s the point of music? – A beautiful closing answer

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🎶 Check out Resounding, co-written with Nicole Cassandra Smit, on Hackney Colliery Band – Collaborations: Volume Two

👉 Listen on Bandcamp

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Kassandra helped develop this practical guide for carers, families and practitioners.

Includes activity ideas, playlists, and real examples from NHS care.

🎵 Explore the guide

Note: Kassandra’s views are her own, not those of NHS Lothian.

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🎧 Support the show:

💌 originofthepieces.com

☕ patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces

#musictherapy #jazz #musicanddementia #improvisation #originofthepieces #kassandraesilva #stevepretty

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This week, Steve shares a powerful, surprising, and often jaw-dropping conversation with musician, composer and activist Jono Enser.

Jono is a gifted multi-instrumentalist and a member of Nubiyan Twist, but he’s also a disabled artist whose recent experiences as an amputee have sparked a radical rethinking of performance, access, and the body as instrument — quite literally. Together, they explore:

• The challenges and realities of touring as a disabled musician
• How venue design (or lack of it) creates systemic barriers to inclusion
• The radical creativity of reclaiming trauma — including Jono’s current project turning his amputated leg bone into a working flute
• Musical ancestors: from Neanderthal bone flutes to Tibetan thighbone trumpets
• Why accessibility isn’t just a bolt-on feature — it’s a cultural responsibility
• And what it means to give your pain a voice, breath, and song

Plus, Steve shares a clip from his Ocean Songs sunrise performance at Benacre Broad — part of his work with the Blue Machine project, inspired by Dr. Helen Czerski’s oceanography book of the same name.

There’s a lot packed in here, and it’s one of the most wide-ranging and deeply personal episodes yet.

🎟 Jono’s band Nubiyan Twist are touring this summer – check them out.

🎶 His solo project Matters Unknown is also worth diving into.

🎤 Steve is performing live at ALSO Festival and on July 11th at the National Maritime Museum with Blue Machine – see originofthepieces.com for details.

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🧡 Support the podcast and get exclusive content at:

patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces

🎧 Listen, watch, share and review: it all helps the podcast grow.

📍 More info at originofthepieces.com

00:00 – Welcome back + Acid Brass recap

Steve introduces the episode and reflects on his recent chat with Jeremy Deller.

02:00 – Meet Jono Enser

Jono’s musical upbringing, his shift from trumpet to tuba, and the spiritual resonance of breath.

07:00 – Life as a touring amputee

The hidden and not-so-hidden barriers for disabled musicians on the road.

10:00 – Access is everywhere (or isn’t)

From venue layouts to door weights and bar heights — access means more than ramps.

14:00 – What artists and venues can actually do

Practical steps, responsibility, and why checking access before the gig matters.

18:00 – Ocean Songs interlude

Steve shares a clip from his beachside dawn performance as part of the Blue Machine project.

23:00 – A flute made from his own amputated leg

Jono’s extraordinary project connecting trauma, ancestry, and sonic experimentation.

28:00 – Resonance, ritual, and reclaiming space

Caves, Ambisonics, somatic practice and ecological listening.

32:00 – Music as breath and transformation

Why giving pain a voice — literally — matters.

36:00 – What’s the point of music?

Jono’s heartfelt answer to Steve’s recurring question.

40:00 – Wrap-up and upcoming gigs

Tour dates, ALSO Festival, and National Maritime Museum performance previews.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

❤️ Support the show on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces

📬 Join the mailing list + explore the archive: https://www.originofthepieces.com

Welcome back to your favourite podcast for musically curious ears! This week, I’m talking to the brilliant Jeremy Deller, Turner Prize-winning artist and creator of the now-legendary Acid Brass project — a bold collision of working-class brass band tradition and squelchy late-80s acid house.

Join us as we trace the unexpected cultural connections between miners’ strikes, 303s, and knitting in the front row…

00:00 – Welcome and new format intro

Steve explains the new single-topic format and introduces today’s guest, Jeremy Deller.

02:00 – The story of Acid Brass

From a Turner Prize idea to a 30-year legacy: how Jeremy connected acid house and brass bands.

05:00 – Why it inspired Hackney Colliery Band

Steve reflects on how Acid Brass shaped his own journey.

07:00 – Interview Pt. 1: Backstage at rehearsal

Jeremy and Steve discuss working-class music, the politics of sound, and whether acid house is “folk.”

14:00 – What’s a 303, anyway?

Steve demos the iconic Roland TB-303 and compares it to traditional brass.

17:00 – Interview Pt. 2: Deeper dive

Jeremy reflects on his artistic intentions, early audience reactions, and the cultural fallout.

29:00 – The knitting incident

Yes, really. Knitting, brass bands and acid house. Who'd have thought?

32:00 – Musical roles and expectations

Steve discusses how Acid Brass plays with what music is for.

33:00 – The Big Question: What’s the point of music?

Jeremy shares his thoughts on connection, spirit, and why most artists are just frustrated musicians.

36:00 – Outro and rehearsal teaser

Steve wraps up and previews an exclusive clip from the Acid Brass rehearsal at EartH Hackney.

Catch Acid Brass live at EartH Hackney on 13th June 2025, followed by a late-night party with acid house pioneer A Guy Called Gerald. Limited tickets available!

🎟️ Check ticket availability

🎥 Video extras & behind-the-scenes at: Patreon.com/StevePrettyOnTheOriginofthePieces

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