http://medwayjazz.btck.co.uk/Intrerviewswithmusicians

 Harry Stubberfield:  what was your first impression of the British jazz scene when you arrived here in 1994?

GIlad Atzmon: I was obviously very impressed. I guess that British panthers do not realise that the scene in this country is pretty massive 

H:  You, have a great admiration for ‘Bird’, was he the musician who inspired you, and light the flame of jazz in your soul.

G: Totally, it was Bird who showed me the light, and it is Bird who manages to refuel me with aesthetic enthusiasm, when my creative energy falls behind.

H:  One of your many projects over the last few years has been ‘Parker with Strings’ Do you think this is one  of his best periods

G: It is certainly the Album he loved the most. I think that Bird with Strings is one of the most incredible  fusion albums. I think that it is a spectacle of American artistic might. The freedom and brilliance of the individual Bird flying around within the context of accurate lush strings played beautifully and accurately.
H:  “In Loving Memory of America” was highly praised by the British music press, What part of or  period on American music gave you the idea off this album, or was it something else initially.

G: I really wanted to work with Ros Stephen after we completed a Tango Siempre’s Tour and we thought that a tribute to Bird would excite us both. We were correct. It did and it excited many others. It made a very successful album and some very successful tours.