Benjamin Clementine isn't a jazz musician

To mark Andy’s departure from the show at the end of this year, we’re bringing you some of his favourite conversations from 32 years on air. This week, we’ll hear the American pianist, composer and teacher Seymour Bernstein in a conversation from 2015. Bernstein died earlier this year, just before his 100th birthday, and in that long life he passed on a huge amount of wisdom about music, from how to play Beethoven to helping Ethan Hawke overcome stage fright.

Benjamin Clementine, who is an amazing musician, says he’s not an amazing musician. He’s a British Ghanaian singer, pianist, songwriter, and creative sponge: one of those artists who soaks up so many influences it leads to a totally unique sound which defies categorisation. He’s about to tour Australia and he tells Andy how his songs start as poems, his influences, and his sanguine attitude towards categorisation.

Benjamin Clementine tour dates:

Adelaide 15 October

Melbourne International Jazz Festival 20 October

Sydney 21 October

Perth 24 October

Music heard in the show:

Title: Nemesis

Artist: Benjamin Clementine

Composer: Clementine, Benjamin

Album: At Least For Now