Spotlight On... Azamiah

From the nationwide acclaim of Bad With Names to the establishment of Sub Club regular Rebecca Vasmant’s own label (Rebecca's Records), it’s clear there’s been a surge in Scotland’s jazz underground over the last few years. The aforementioned label pressed In Phases, the 2023 debut of collective Azamiah, whose four members – INDIA BLUE (vocals), Josef Akin (keys), Alex Palmer (drums) and Norman Villeroux (bass) – thread together elaborate, multi-genre compositions, from tranquil meditations replete with naturalistic ambience, to discordant and buzzy breakdowns.

Azamiah’s new EP, Two Lands, came out earlier this week on Floating World Records, and just like the name would suggest, this is another multifaceted release that embraces jazz’s ability to always shift between different tones, tempos and styles. The only consistency is inconsistency as Two Lands emphasises liminality, but there is an emotional conviction, a philosophy, that uplifts the whole record. We ask collective members INDIA BLUE and Norman Villeroux about the project.

How did Azamiah first come together, and were there any particular artists/sounds that influenced you early on?

INDIA BLUE: I wanted to start a band under my name when I left my job to begin my path as a musician. My good friend, Josef Akin, said I should move back to Glasgow where he and Norman would play in my band. When I moved up, I messaged Alex Palmer and Romy Wymer, who later joined the project. We ended up spending a lot of time as a band forming our first album, In Phases, and so decided to change the band name from INDIA BLUE, to Azamiah to reflect the collaborative nature of the project.

At that point, we were listening to music by Hiatus Kaiyote, Makaya McCraven, MNDSGN, Solange and Nils Frahm. I was spending a lot of time in nature, developing a close connection with the natural world around me, which undoubtedly had a prominent impact on the creation, production and overall sound of In Phases.

In Phases created a really tranquil atmosphere, and was described as “spiritual jazz”. Do you think that’s a fitting term, and how do you get in the mindset to create such tonally distinct music?

IB: In Phases was written and inspired by my deepening connection with nature and a realisation of my own inner power to create. Through directly immersing myself in the natural world, experiencing its aliveness, beauty and being humbled by its strength and power, I was able to build the vision and framework of In Phases. In this way, our music has a spiritual quality to it, because of its connection to something that is greater than us.

For me, the creative process is all about being open to the world around and within us, being still enough to allow ideas to be channelled through – like a vessel. It can be hard, but learning to let go of expectations can be a gateway to creating authentic art. Allowing yourself to turn up as the artist that your heart and soul desires to be in each moment, without trying to filter or perfect something will allow your truest self to shine. Even if you want to be silly and make something for fun, you’ll often be surprised at the outcome!

According to your press release, you followed In Phases with a writing residency in Suffolk. What sort of lessons had you learned from the production of In Phases, and how did the residency go?

Norman Villeroux: The residency was a way for us to get together in a focused and intimate way. Currently, we are split between Glasgow and London [Josef Akin recently moved to the UK's capital], so the residency gave us an opportunity to be in one place for a certain period of time with the intention to make music. Because the music is collaborative, it was very important for us to make sure our individual voices shone through the music, and workshopping the songs intensely during the residency permitted that. It was a beautiful time, and the music just flowed out of us in a very organic way. Whether it was rearranging some of India’s personal compositions, re-visiting older tunes or just making new songs from scratch, the whole process was very smooth – a result of playing so much together since the release of In Phases! It was very special, and we attempted to convey this through the music found on the EP.

Since In Phases, we matured a lot as musicians, but also as a collective! We have been playing for such a long time together that it almost feels like second nature. Otherwise, in terms of the production on the new EP, we wanted to try new things, and with that comes new challenges. However, our vision was much clearer, so the whole process was quicker.

What was the production of Two Lands like? Did you approach the record with some idea of what you wanted to do, or was the recording more improvisational?

IB: Two Lands is a mix of new tunes written during our residency in Suffolk, as well as INDIA BLUE compositions rearranged by Azamiah.  The new tunes came out through long hours of improvisation during the residency. Themes and motifs would appear and feel good, and we would start weaving together a song from the bits we liked. Songs like River Native and Pressure Point were INDIA BLUE songs that were rearranged as a collective in order to fit the sonic aesthetic of the band. In both cases, it was clear that we wanted to make songs that are much more structured, compared to some of the music in In Phases, which is much more improvisational. The recording, again, was much more focused than the recording of In Phases – we knew exactly what we wanted the music to sound like, and recorded all the tunes live in the studio. The final stages of production (post recording) took place in my home studio where I chopped up and rearranged parts, mixed vocals, added samples in some areas and recorded anything else that we felt was needed; adding those final touches to make the EP sound as best as it could

In the lyrics of Two Lands, there’s a lot of struggling with isolation and separation, particularly in My Lonely Heart or the title track, but the music is groovy, uplifting and often ethereal. What sort of ideas do you hope listeners will take away from this EP?

IB: Each song is its own world that carries so many different meanings. I think therefore, it’s important for listeners to interpret those meanings as they wish. However, for me, the overall message that I often find woven throughout my work is the journey of healing; that darkness, isolation, pain and despair are transitory, and not permanent. That we can grow and gain strength from life’s challenges and hardships. That it’s possible for our greatest challenge to be transformed into our greatest gift. I really want to communicate this message in my music to my audience, and to leave listeners feeling empowered and at peace.

INDIA BLUE with Azamiah @ The Great Escape Festival, 2025 

Just last month, you performed at the Great Escape Festival, and at the Future Jazz Showcase in London earlier in the year. How did the performances go?

NV: The past couple of months have been very exciting! The Future Jazz Showcase at The Jazz Café in London was amazing, and the Great Escape Festival left us buzzed and excited for what lies ahead. It really feels like the project is picking up some steam, and that the effort put into the project is being felt and shared! We are also assembling an amazing team of people who are helping push the project further, which includes our agent Jack Berg at ATC Live, Jonathan Beckitt and Elsa Hill at Floating World Records, and Chris Latham at Swell Publicity, all of whom we love working with. Not to mention funding bodies like Creative Scotland who helped us fund the EP, as well as being supportive and encouraging. Same goes for Jazz Scotland and all those involved in nurturing the jazz scene in Scotland, all of whom have been amazingly supportive. It just feels like things are falling into place for us to be able to share our music, and that feels very good!

And finally, what does the rest of 2025 look like for Azamiah?

NV: The summer is looking busy with gigs at The Glasgow Jazz Festival (22 June), The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (12 July), Latitude Festival (25 July) and a UK Tour in Autumn, playing in London (23 October), Brighton (24 October), Bristol (26 October), Leeds (29 October) and our very own Glasgow (31 October). Some more in the pipeline to announce soon as well!

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Two Lands is out now. Azamiah plays The Glasgow Jazz Festival, Glasgow, 22 Jun; Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, Edinburgh, 12 Jul; Latitude Festival, Suffolk, 25 Jul.