Better than TV is a jazz band that includes current and former students of the university. The current line-up is made up of pianist David Burgoyne, trumpeter Louis Day, drummer Daniel Yuan Yao, trombonist Simon Fothergill, sax player Alastair Appleton and bassist Sergio Contrino. 

How long have you been together?

We started in around 2010 and had our first real gig at Clare Jazz. Before that, we played swing. Since then we have played lots of gigs in college bars at St. John’s and Churchill.

Your band doesn’t have a fixed membership, with musicians joining and leaving the band every term. What is it like to function like that as a group?

At the beginning of term we are usually less tight than at the end, but it’s also a great thing because it’s nice to have different approaches to music in the band and to see people change a lot and develop the way they play. The reason we change our membership every so often is that it would just be too tough to maintain a band with students who’ve left Cambridge.

How did you learn to compose?

I really have no idea how I learned how to compose! I suppose the most important thing for me was getting a piano and when I was 14 I started to compose songs on the guitar.

How did your passion for jazz evolve?

I started listening to jazz when
I was pretty young, a guy in my building introduced me to Charlie Parker and that’s where it started. I really like playing jazz, although usually I listen more to classical music, especially Bach.

Who would you recommend as an introduction to the genre?

I’d recommend Miles Davis, though that’s a little bit on the old side. John Coltrane is also a great artist to listen to, as is Thelonious Monk, whose compositions are great. I haven’t even got to the nineties yet but I’d also add Mingus to the list because of his wonderful orchestration.

How do you compose music for your band? Do you approach them with a finished track or do they sometimes evolve from jam sessions?

Usually I prepare at least a schematic score and then we start from there. But what you listen to in the recording depends a lot on the musicians that are playing. The idea is there from the start but then we move on from there, elaborating, sometimes making it up as we go along.

How did you manage to produce your album without a label?

I’ve been playing the role of project manager, really, which has made my playing suffer somewhat. For the recording, other students helped and the music society in Churchill gave us their studio. In fact, it took two years to release it, but I have to say I’m very grateful to the guy that did the mixing. I was naïve enough at the start to think I could do it all myself, but boy was I wrong there!

How do you like the Cambridge jazz scene?

It’s very active. When I started here, there was quite a big difference between the town scene and the university one. If I achieved anything during my time here it will be that I succeeded in merging them. I came from the town side and started to play with students, which was probably the best thing I ever did and now it’s pretty common to have students and Cambridge residents playing together.

How do you feel when you perform on stage?

Performing live is the best thing if it goes well! Sometimes we don’t practice very much and we can be a bit messy, but if it goes well it is very satisfying for us as musicians.

Are there any acts from the Cambridge Jazz Festival that you’re looking forward to seeing or have already enjoyed?

I’ve absolutely loved seeing Partikel, Valia Calda, Nikki Iles and Karen Sharp and I’m looking forward to seeing RipRap on Friday.

Better Than TV will play at the Anchor this Sunday 29th November as part of the Cambridge Jazz Festival