Considering the challenges faced in 2020, Ollie Usiskin has kept his creative energy high. The drummer is excited about his unique jazz project co-created with classical/jazz cellist Max Oliver.

The two met playing in professional sessions, and started improvising for fun at studios in Mill Hill.

Usiskin started recording the sessions, picking out the best bits. “It was breaking the boundaries of free improvised jazz music between electric cello and the drums,” he says. “I said to Max why don’t we put together an album of the best moments.”

Usiskin, from Barnet, fell in love with the drums when he was just nine years old at Alyth Synagogue’s Sunday school. One morning he witnessed a rehearsal for a theatre production and was captivated by the drummer banging out the sounds.

A couple of years later, as a 12-year-old pupil at JFS, he jumped at the chance to learn drums with teacher Cyril Bass. Instead of a full drum kit he was surprised to see just one snare drum in the music room, at the back of the school stage. It taught him a valuable lesson: what matters is practice and skill, not expensive kit.

After school he spent a term at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, inspiring him to pursue the drums as a profession. The high point of his career came in 2008 when he was introduced to a producer working with actor and singer Sir Christopher Lee. The actor was working on his first full-length album, a symphonic metal concept called Charlemagne, by the Sword and the Cross, which was released in 2010. When Usiskin was asked to be the drummer in Sir Christopher’s music video, based on one of the album tracks, he contacted his friend bassist Tony Newton from the rock group Voodoo Six, to form a collaboration with his band. The video now has over three million views.

Usiskin, 49, is relieved that the new album was completed early in 2020, before coronavirus hit the UK. In ordinary times the duo would now be promoting their album through live performances. But as Oliver is in his seventies they cannot even meet up for practice sessions. Nevertheless the album is being launched in October 30. 

The album combines jazz, classical and rock music. Its executive producer is the three times Grammy award winner, American bassist Jimmy Haslip, who was one of the co-founders of the Yellowjackets jazz group. The music is inspired by musicians such as Jack DeJohnette, Tony Williams, Miles Davis, Frank Zappa and John Mclaughlin.

Usiskin is grateful that the reception has so far been very positive. It has been reviewed by jazz pianist and Radio 3 presenter Julian Joseph and summed up by world-renowned drummer Peter Erskine of Weather Report and Steps Ahead as “excellent stuff”.

The Usiskin/Oliver DUO album is available from slamproductions.net from October 30