Drummer Roan Anderson on being ‘jazz adjacent’

Welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World, where I interview musicians about how their music helps make the world more harmonious.

I met drummer Roan Anderson while at the Jazzahead! 2026 Trade Show and Festival in Bremen. We chatted then and it was great to have a proper conversation for this episode in the cafe at Kings Place in London.

Roan won the BBC Scotland Jazz Musician of the Year competition in 2025 and has already - just two years out of the Glasgow Conservatoire - been playing with lots of exciting new ensembles. There’s clearly great things to come in his musical future.

Thanks to Roan for allowing me to play extracts from his two latest singles - Swept Away and Emotionally Intelligent - alongside our conversation.

Thank you for listening to Harmonious World. Please rate, review and share: click on the link and subscribe to support the show.

Don't forget the Quincy Jones quote that sums up why I do this: "Imagine what a harmonious world it would be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing."

Transcript

Hilary 0:37

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of Harmonious World. My name is Hilary Seabrook. Harmonious World is all about asking questions what they do that makes the world a little more harmonious. It was a great pleasure to chat with Roan and at King's Place, which is close to King's Cross to Practice railway station, and a marvellous venue in its override. I met Roan in April at Jazzahead in Bremen, and it was great that we were able to fit in a conversation in person. What you're listening to now is Swept Away, which is the most recent single from Roan. And I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation. So welcome to Harmonious World, Roan Anderson.

Roan 1:46

Yes, thanks so much for having me.

Hilary 1:48

No, and so we met at Jazz Ahead in April in Bremen. And uh you are, let me get this right, BBC Scotland Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2025.

Roan 2:00

Yes, correct. It's quite the quite the mouthful.

Hilary 2:03

Yeah, yeah, but well done to you for that. And also I love it that you're a drummer winning that because you've got to show different things. So um so just talking about that, when you played, did you play your own compositions?

Roan 2:18

I played one of my own compositions, which is more like a it was more of like a groovy jazz thing, so more of like a riffy kind of less traditional, I guess. Um and then I also played Evidence, the Lonious Monk, but uh Joe Ross arrangement of it, kind of. Um so yeah.

Hilary 2:39

Okay. Um and for that, did you play with people or did you do it all solo?

Roan 2:45

I played with a trio, so drums, bass, and piano. Yeah. The piano player brought a synth for matching to make it more kind of electronic yesterday.

Hilary 2:54

Oh nice, yeah. Oh, very good.

Roan 2:57

And and you got to choose who you had as the No, actually, it was like an in-house band that they had for everybody.

Hilary 3:05

Oh, I see. So whoever was missing, you know, so the person dropped out, so for a lot of other people the drummer would stayed in and yeah, so there was a house drummer as well, basically.

Roan 3:15

So yeah.

Hilary 3:15

Yeah. Oh wow, fantastic. So well done for that. That's that's a really exciting thing. Um, so tell me a little bit about your background, tell me how you got there.

Roan 3:26

Yeah, um, I guess probably a lot of my um love for music came from my parents playing so much music and the house when I was a kid, and my dad's into quite weird prog rock music, so um I was always quite into a bit more outlandish stuff, not the usual hip pop. I mean he listened to a lot of pop music as well, but um yeah, he was always interested in curious music. He kind of played my dad kind of played guitar as a young adult, um, not professionally around him, but um yeah, so there was always just music in the house. My mum's an artist, so it was kind of just a creative, creative household, I guess. Um and yeah, I started playing drums when I was like seven or eight, typical like rock and pop stuff. Um done lots of that, then done more prog rock stuff, and then I started doing classical perc percussion um because I joined the the Saturday course at the Conservatoire in Glasgow um for kids, and I thought I'll expand. So I've done percussion. I was doing that for about a year and a half, maybe two years. I was like, oh, I just want to play the drums, you know. Like I just wanted there's so many things, it's such a skill being a classical percussionist, like so many, you know, how you play the tambourine and stuff, it's so intense, like that one small instrument, yeah. Um and I I liked it, and it was cool experiences from it. But it's a percussionist, like if you're playing in a symphony orchestra, a lot of the time you're not playing for 45 minutes sometimes, and I just I think I was not into that, and I just wanted to be a drummer. So the only other course I could switch to at the Conservatoire was um was the jazz drums course. That was the only drum focused course they had on the Saturday course. Right. I didn't like jazz, but I was like one of my friends was doing it at school and he was like, Oh, that's great, you need to do it. So I auditioned, switched halfway through a year, and uh got in and started doing it. And I think I was just good at like you know, trying hard at it. You know, I I didn't I didn't like it at all like at first, like I really didn't, but like I got a book on the Art of Bop, John Riley, which is a classic jazz drummer book, and I was going through that and I was just researching a lot, I guess, but I couldn't it took me ages to find the jazz that I liked because I wasn't so much into the big band stuff. I th in hindsight I wasn't so much into it, like I worked hard at it and like tried to learn how to to do it well and stuff. Um but yeah, I think the first time I really got excited, well I remember the video, it was like Eric Harland at Smalls or something like that, and hearing him play for the first time like in that very modern style. Yeah. I was like, oh, that's the stuff I love. So once I found that pocket of jazz that I really loved, then I was like, oh, this is this is the stuff. So and then I auditioned for the full-time course at RCS. Um, so that yeah, I was only doing jazz for about a year at that point, I think. Right. Um auditioned for the full-time and got got into that, and then COVID hit. Um so my first year was in COVID, um, which was it was it was alright at the time. I was like, this is good because I need to get a lot better. So I just like practice lots, yeah. But then I wasn't really playing with people lots. Um but yeah, and then COVID opened up and it was a it was a good time during uni, I was just like getting hand lots of opportunities to to do different projects and uh small ensemble stuff, playing in a Brazilian uh music band. Like there was just yeah, uni was good, and then now that I'm out of it, that's me two years out. Um I hardly do like much jazz jazz anymore, it's all like jazz adjacent genres, you know, like Neo Soul and RB and I do some contemporary jazz stuff sometimes. It's just yeah, I guess I'm more playing with singers and stuff like that now, and um which is great, I love that as well. Um so yeah, that's me up to the current days.

Hilary 7:39

That's but that's really exciting because you've got a background. I mean, to have done to have had that sort of rock and pop kind of finding your feet, yeah, and then some percussion, and presumably reading music as well.

Roan 7:52

Yeah.

Hilary 7:52

So because that's a lot that's one thing that a lot of drummers miss out on is that reading. Yeah. Uh and that can that that can be that's fine, yeah, you know, for some of them, but it it everything that you can do extra is is is good, I guess.

Roan 8:07

I think that classical discipline thing, like I mean, I was only doing it a short time, but I really my brother's a classical musician as well, so I feel like just got drilled into me, just like you know, being on time and stuff, because in the jazz world it's like 10 o'clock, and it's like people turn up somewhat in that hour, you know. Yeah, um, so I've still I feel it's taught me a lot of good things like that, just like being respectful, I guess, people in that way and people's time, um, which there's not much of that in the jazz world sometimes.

Hilary 8:38

No, but also I think that's what differentiates you. If you're the sort of person that turns up, you know, you're always there. If someone says 10 o'clock, you're there at 10 o'clock, yeah, then you'll get a reputation for that, and that will make a difference.

Roan 8:55

Yeah, hopefully, I guess.

Hilary 8:57

Yeah, no, I absolutely. Because if you've got three drummers and they're they all play kind of the same type of style and that you know they can do the job, but one of them is gonna be reliable. You're gonna always every time go for the reliable one.

Roan 9:09

Yeah.

Hilary 9:09

So, and the one you get on with, and and I know from sort of just sort of hanging out in um in Bremen that you're you know, you're just a nice nice guy, so that's that goes a long way. Thanks, Helena. That's alright. So, um, so I'm really excited for what you're doing at the moment. So, what sort of projects are you doing?

Roan 9:31

Yeah, so yeah, as I said, it's a lot of this year, it's been well I've been trying to I think like last couple of years out of uni, it's been like take every gig and like and I think that's been great. And I've just been doing like saying yes to everything and really just trying to get to know lots of different people in different spaces and in different scenes. So I've done a lot over the last couple of years, but I've I I felt that I was kind of burning out of that like towards the end of last year, of just like I don't know, sometimes I'd not enjoy the music but do the gig or whatever just for the experience. And I think it's been good all good stuff that I've done. Um but this year I kind of made it a promise to myself to like only really take the gigs that I like really love the music, love the people like and be more choiceful. Yeah. Um so I kind of took on a wee bit more private student teaching to kind of counteract the financial like um yeah, no, absolutely. You know, I don't need to say yes to a gig for money kind of thing. Yeah. Um so I've done that and yeah, I'm playing with um, I guess I'll listen names. Guy, as you know, who's was a Glasgow-based singer, now she's based in London, um, but she's doing great, and that's like Neil Soul stuff. Uh she's an amazing singer, she's just releasing music at the moment, actually. Um, and uh Becca Sloan, same kind of Neil Soul vibe. Um she's also releasing music at the moment. Um Tara Kinn as well, who's a BBC Scottish act of the year, so that's not genre focused, but um so she kind of won that a bit across all genres, I guess. Um and she's like ambient folk singer-songwriter, that's beautiful music. Um and she's gonna be recording music soon as well. Um Dylan Barry, who's a sound a young Scotland winner and my old flatmate from uni, he's an amazing drummer. But I'm playing in his band playing drums because now he's decided he's a singer. Oh right. Um, but his stuff's like alt pop music, kind of quite uh inspired by like McGee. I don't know if you know McGee and like Dijon and um that kind of alternative kind of 80s sounding like quite crungy. Um so it's that's great, that's really fun music, and it's quite gospely as well. Like, so there's a lot of chances to go kind of gospel chops on the drums. What else? I've got my own project, How so that's kind of we're gonna wee busy period at the moment because I'm releasing music, and yeah, I guess that's groovy, groove-based jazz, electronic influences, ambient influences.

Hilary 12:16

Um yeah, and there's well I'll put I I need to play some of that to my audience, so you'll have to send me some web five. Yeah, that'd be really good. We can um put some at the beginning and the end of our conversation. That'd be really good.

Roan 12:30

Oh, and Sonny though, which is Sean Morrison, who's why I'm down in London, because we're playing Ronnie Scotts tomorrow night. I'm sure this won't be out before that gig.

Hilary 12:40

So um, but yeah. I mean that's cool, isn't it? Playing Ronnie Scott's.

Roan 12:44

Yeah, that is cool. I'm very excited. That's my first time playing upstairs at Ronnie's, which I've heard is a lot of musicians like it better to play in than the downstairs.

Hilary 12:53

Yeah, and I also think one of the reasons it's nice is because a lot of people, you know, tourists come into London and they go, Oh, you know, we need to go to Jasco, let's go to Ronnie Scott's. They don't care who it is, they don't, you know, they don't know who it is. Then there's no sort of under there's no understanding of of who the artist is. Whereas I think upstairs is very much more kind of uh who's on, right? I'm gonna go that night or whatever. So yeah.

Roan 13:18

More of a chill vade, yeah. Yeah, fantastic.

Hilary 13:21

Yeah, brilliant.

Roan 13:23

It's a cool kind of I guess uh a dream when you start jazz at 16 or whatever, it's like oh, I'd like to play Ronnie Scott's one day, so it's a cool tech box kind of thing.

Hilary 13:32

Yeah. So uh so it sounds like you've got lots of projects going on, lots of people you're working with to kind of find your direction. And I I think this is a really interesting time to be talking to you because you know you're finding your way and finding your sound and stuff like that. So I'd be very interested to hear your because you've got the EP. Is it was it an EP that you've released?

Roan 13:56

Uh I released an EP like three years ago. Oh, okay. Um but right now I'm releasing, I'm just doing like a bunch of singles over summer just to try and build some momentum. Yes, yeah. Um so I released one last week or two weeks ago. I've got one coming out this week.

Hilary 14:10

Oh, okay, cool. Okay, well, send me those and then we'll we'll um we'll help get you some listeners at least, you know. So fantastic. And have you got anything uh it what about in the future? Have you got some exciting things coming up?

Roan 14:23

Yeah, um I mean right now it's festival season, so just had Glasgow Jazz Festival, um Eden Festival, these are all kind of Scottish-based ones. Um got Edinburgh Jazz coming up uh with multiple people. Um what else? I'm doing a couple of like dept gigs for some cool bands as well. I don't know if Azamaya were playing at Jazz Ahead, um, but they're an amazing band. Yeah, um, so I'm depping for their drummer, start of August, and also Matt Carmichael. I'm playing on his band, which is awesome. Um really cool, I'm excited for that because he's he's an insane player, so yeah, um his whole band are so yeah, I love that style of that kind of Scottish folky jazz stuff.

Hilary 15:07

Yeah, there's a lot of really lovely stuff coming out of Scotland at the moment. It's really, really nice. Um and it's it's it's nice that there's a sort of a kind of there's a sound, and it's it it's not being afraid to introduce some elements of you know folk and other traditions within jazz.

Roan 15:31

Yeah.

Hilary 15:32

Um yeah, it's brilliant. It sounds really nice.

Roan 15:34

I love that sort of music.

Hilary 15:36

Yeah, yeah. And also sort of modernizing it, you know, the electronic stuff and the and like you say the groove, you know, having a groove going and stuff, so that's really good.

Roan 15:46

Yeah, no, I think Scotland, especially Glasgow, has so many I guess because of the univer like the uh conservatoire there, like it's like it's been there for 15 years, I think, the jazz course or something. So now there's like a couple of generations of musicians and it it's it the scene is slowly growing and now they're expanding the the uh the years to be like like it used to be one band per year, so it'll be like five people in a jazz year, but now it's like ten or fifteen, like so they're trying to expand it. So yeah, it's just becoming I mean there's not like a specific jazz club for in there was for a while, um, but there's definitely people trying to do their own thing and like pushing for that. So there's a lot of amazing musicians in Glasgow. I think it's becoming I think it's becoming more known now, like around the UK, that it's a bit of a hub.

Hilary 16:35

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I think so. It's that's and that's very exciting. Let's talk about your your composition. So do you compose at the piano or do you start with the drums?

Roan 16:48

I never start with the drums.

Hilary 16:51

That's really interesting, that's very definite.

Roan 16:53

Yeah, I mean I guess some No, I never start with the drums, basically. No, okay. Um which is probably is probably the most overlooked part of like my writing as a drumming part, and it takes me like quite a few months at of rehearsal like rehearsing and gigs to like actually work out what I'm doing on the drums because I'm so focused on I don't know what the the band sounds like or yeah, um but yeah, I usually start sometimes it's on piano, um, but I I usually start try and start with just like wee ideas that come to me and I voice memo everything and then I transcribe it later. And then yeah, I've been big into like use I've got a bought a wee synth this year, like a wee Arturia micro freak is called, and it's amazing. I just love like soundscapy, like digital um I don't know, paddy sounds like you know. Um so I've been using that a lot this year to just like because I can't play piano well, so anytime I do compose on piano, I'm like, is this good? You know what I'm playing? Like or uh is this alright? So like having something where I can get like another sound world has been cool for me this year. Um so yeah, and it kind of changes the vibe a wee, but having a synth and keys, um yeah, and the the trumpet player's got pedals now, so it's kind of like in the last few years it's developed from probably quite jazzy to more electronic-y, which is cool. I like in I'm like in that direction, and I guess I'm um very inspired by like Carto Alto, his classical bass. Like he's always been such a big inspiration, like again what uh going back to when I was like 16, 17, trying to find things that I liked. When I found Carto, I was like, Whoa, this is so cool.

Hilary 18:44

Yeah, and what he does is he kind of goes, Well, you can call it whatever you like. This is my music. Yeah, it it's like you say, jazz adjacent. Oh I think that that phrase was properly popularized by China Moses, who who she's got a she's got a a um uh online radio thing where she she talks about jazz.

Roan 19:09

Um my song's getting played on her thing this week.

Hilary 19:11

Yeah, well, I'm not surprised because she would she likes things that are she doesn't describe herself as a jazz singer, she describes herself as a singer.

Roan 19:20

Right, okay.

Hilary 19:22

And that's one of the things that I really like about what I'm doing with Harmonious World, but also with my reviews, is that I'm going, I don't care what you want to call it, you can call it whatever you like. If it's who was it, Ellington, Duke Ellington, who said uh there are two kinds of music, good music and the other kind, yeah, you know, and I think that's genuinely true, and especially now, because there's so many different influences, and that's the joy of living in such a diverse uh you know population, you know, is everybody in the community brings their own style of music, and you know, that can be incorporated in such a beautiful way.

Roan 20:05

Yeah, labels are a are annoying, aren't they?

Hilary 20:07

Yeah, they really are, and they're well, they're completely pointless. I also think that I think they can be a barrier because when I hear people saying, Oh, well, I listen to you know, house, or I listen to whatever, and it's like, well, have you tried this? And have you tried you know, some people who go, Oh, I don't like hip-hop, but then you'll play them something and they'll be like, Well, that's jazz. It's like, well, yeah, but the it's a hip-hop, you know, it's got a hip-hop beat to it or whatever. Um, so yeah, so it's actually not very helpful at all, and I think it can stand in the way of people discovering new music, and that's what Harmonious World is all about. It's really all about people going, Oh, well, I wouldn't have I wouldn't have chosen to listen to that, but now I'm glad I have.

Roan 20:47

Yeah, you know, so brilliant.

Hilary 20:51

So uh dream venue to play. I mean, obviously you're playing Ronnie's tomorrow, but where what's your dream venue that you could play? Doesn't have to be in the UK.

Roan 21:04

I think Carnegie Hall, but that's a terrible one, in it. But I went when I was like 16. So I just thought it was the coolest place, and I guess it's always that that's the one when you s start getting interested in music, like your parents go, well, maybe one day you'll get to play at Carnegie Hall if you practice, you know, or whatever, or Royal Albert Hall or something like that. Yeah. I think that would be that would be cool. Um yeah, and Ronnie's downstairs, maybe that's maybe that's the next one to check off.

Hilary 21:34

Well, absolutely, but you're clearly not a you're only a s a a flight of stairs away from that, are you? Yeah. And I think that I think there's an element with with upstairs at Ronnie's that they're almost auditioning for the main stage. And obviously they booked that so far in advance that you know you've got to kind of they've gotta they've gotta hear stuff and then try and then get get it booked in for kind of next year or even the year after. Yeah it is. But there are also festivals, aren't there, that that would be a dream to play. Um I you know, I I really want to go to I I wanted to go to North Sea Jazz Festival this year, but it's I I don't I don't think I'm gonna make it because it's the weekend after Love Supreme. I'm going down to Love Supreme this weekend.

Roan 22:19

Yeah, I'd love to play Love Supreme. Yeah. There's also I went to Cologne Jazz Festival. I don't know if you've been to that one.

Hilary 22:24

Okay, no, I haven't been to that one.

Roan 22:26

Quite experimental, but I went a couple of years ago.

Hilary 22:27

Oh okay.

Roan 22:28

And it's amazing. They have such a good budget. You can just get so many amazing, mainly European X, but that like changed changed a lot for me. Like seeing that festival, I'd love to play that one.

Hilary 22:41

Um well, yeah, and we're coming back full circle to Jazz Ahead. I mean, I heard people play at Jazz Ahead, I would never hear because they they haven't been to the UK yet, some of them. Um and that was really quite exciting to hear new stuff. I mean, some of it I was like, yeah, all right, you carry on. I'm glad you're doing it, you carry on, but it's not for me. Yeah, but um there was a lot of stuff that I was really excited by.

Roan 23:07

Yeah. Actually, shout out to Jazz Ahead, because I thought it was gonna that was my first year there, and I thought it was gonna be really intense, and I thought, oh no, I'm just gonna like curl up into a bowl and end up being dead awkward. But it was like one of the most amazing and like inspiring um things I've done recently. Like I I didn't expect it to be a festival at the same time, you know, like where they've got so many acts. I just thought I was gonna have to like business smooth the whole time, and yeah it w I didn't even it wasn't even that vibe, it was just like just chatting and making friends.

Hilary 23:41

Yeah, and actually I think it's what it's about how you follow those things up, you know, follow up what other people that you met and that sort of thing.

Roan 23:48

Um did you see B Toy? Jazz I had B Toy. No, three singers and a bass player.

Hilary 23:57

Oh, I'll check that out. Yeah. Yeah. I um I I I've spoken to Cory Dick quite a few times and been to a lot of his gigs and stuff like that. He was there and because he knows a lot of those guys, you know, Emma Ravich was there as well. They know how to, you know, they do their gig, they do their little bit of you know, quite a short act sometimes, but then they get a chance to go around and talk to people and you know get some more gigs and um just make making the connections that will then get you more gigs.

Roan 24:33

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I seen Cody there this year and he's been, I think, a couple of times, so he was uh just chatting to be bugging. I think that's that like touch and base multiple years in a row. Yeah, it's so important.

Hilary 24:44

Yeah. And and and it's just about you know, we were talking earlier about you know just being pleasant to be around makes a huge difference. Because if people think that you're you're a good guy, you know, good person, then they're gonna be more likely to get you a gig or get you to their festival or whatever it is. So you know.

Roan 25:06

I just realized I didn't finish uh my answer on my creative process. I kind of skipped over it and oh okay.

Hilary 25:13

Well do you want to add some more to it?

Roan 25:14

Yeah, I just wanted to say that um that the I don't know, I think my my compositions are quite open, so um when I write them I'm not really sure how they turn are gonna sound basically so then I um I've just gotta shout out the guys in the band because they really bring their own thing to it as well, which I think like as much as oh I write the music or whatever, I think equally important is to them like the musicians I'm playing with and what they're bringing to it. Um because they're guys that I played like that we were all in uni together. Right. And yeah, we just played s in so many different uh bands together, and even a lot of the bands I mentioned today like the rhythm section are like the same for a lot of them bands. Like we kind of um have become like a little power trio or whatever drums based in piano, like um so yeah, shout out to Ewan Johnson, Chris Quinn, um, Liam O'Neill, Simon Herbert Hoggs. Uh so they're they're all the guys in my band. Brilliant.

Hilary 26:16

Yeah, that's fantastic. And I and one of the things that I always find interesting is when you compose stuff with with somebody in mind, you know, a player in mind, and that really works. And if you think about things like, you know, even Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, um, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, you know, those guys, when they were composing their stuff, it was generally because they've got their trio in mind, their quartet in mind, whatever. But sometimes what's interesting is when one of them is unavailable and somebody else comes in and all of a sudden they bring something different, which it is nice because it's different. It's not necessarily better, yeah, but it's just a different vibe to it. And sometimes that can be really exciting as well.

Roan 26:59

Maybe I'll get maybe I'll switch them out, maybe we'll get one of them.

Hilary 27:02

Oh, yeah. I I I wouldn't don't do that on my behalf because of what I said, but you know, when one of them is doing something else and somebody else comes in, and you'll you will find that other people do play exact, you know, and that's one of the things I love about any kind of improvised music is that you can play exactly the same kind of chords and the same sequence and the same structure, but it can sound totally different because of the way you are presenting it. Yeah, which is exciting.

Roan 27:34

Yeah, it's exciting, isn't it? Yeah, it's crazy how much one person can change something or whatever. Um and yeah, like you said, not in a in a neither good nor bad way, it's just like totally different energy.

Hilary 27:49

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for joining me for this episode, and that that was really, really interesting.

Roan 27:58

Thanks so much, yeah. I feel harmonious and yeah, thanks so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

Hilary 28:16

It was such a pleasure talking to Roan about his music and about his journey, and he definitely has some great places to go, even if it's just down a flight of stairs at Ronnie Scott's. But thank you for listening into that conversation. And what you're listening to now is emotionally unintelligent. There's a link to Roan's website on the show notes, so please do check that out. Please do share, rate, and review wherever you get your podcast. It really does help other people find me. I've noticed I've got I'm getting more and more listeners, so thank you for helping that. And if you're one of my regular supporters, I really appreciate everything. So thank you so much. So I hope you have a really, really good week, and thank you for joining me once more for Harmonious World.