DAVE SWIFT Interview - Bass Player with Jools Hollands Rhythm & Blues Orchestra / Later with Jools Holland

Know Good Music

Nov 12 2023 • 1 hr 42 mins

Dave Swift may not be a household name but he's shared the stage with legendary musicians such as Paul McCartney, Robert Plant, Cher, Joss Stone, Eric Clapton, Roger Daughtry, Paul Simon ... and those are just a few.

He's been a member of Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra since 1991 and also a with the house band on Later with Jools Holland (one of the top tv shows in the UK)

He's been called by Bass Guitar magazine as  "one of UK's top bassists"

We had a great conversation with Dave and probably one of our longest interviews.  We covered a lot of ground from Dave's early beginnings learning his first instrument (not the bass) to auditioning for Jools Holland and recently recording with Rod Stewart for his upcoming album.  There's a lot in between and some great stories from Dave about some legendary musicians he's worked with.  Like the time they needed a guitar player to fill in (for the house guitarist) when Smokey Robinson was set to do a live show... you won't beleive who they got to fill in.   We thank Dave for taking the time out of his busy schedule to talk to us.  He's currently on tour and also in rehearsals for the tv show so he's got a lot going on.  Dave was such a pleasure to talk to and you'll hear it in his voice how serious he is about what he does and the love for his art of making music.

At the end of the interview we did ask some "non-music" questions and when we got into food you would not believe it but we ended up talking about cheeses (like our last interview).. this may be a new thing .. or not ..

************ A little about Dave Swift:

Since joining Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra in 1991, Dave Swift has established himself as one of the UK’s finest, high-profile bass players. In his career, which expands beyond three decades, Dave boasts a musician’s portfolio that seconds no other. Dave Swift has played for an array of renowned artists, from George Benson, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton to Amy Winehouse, Adele and Paul Simon.

Over the years he has performed at many prestigious events, such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, Dubai International Jazz Festival, Blue Note Tokyo, Amnesty International, the Montreux Jazz Festival, Glastonbury Music Festival, and a G8 Conference for world leaders, which included former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and President Bill Clinton. Additional performances include the Millennium Night celebration at the Millennium Dome for Her Majesty the Queen and a sell-out concert at the Sydney Opera House during their 2008 tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Dave Swift is currently on a UK tour with the Jools Holland Band throughout this month and December.  Joss Stone will join them on some dates along with Rod Stewart (who will show up for some shows as a surprise guest)

*********** You can find Dave on Instagram and be sure to check out his website at : daveswiftbass.com KNOW GOOD MUSIC can be found on Podbean (host site), Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Iheart Radio, Pandora and almost anywhere you listen to podcasts.

If you go to www.linktr.ee/knowgoodmusic you can find all the links to the podcast platforms we are on.

Visit our YouTube Channel where you can see 2 video segments from some of our interviews.  Just search "know good music".