Please can you tell us about your new album and UK album launch?
Absolutely! The new album – Last Night of the World – is a collection of songs written over the last couple of years; exploring themes of new beginnings & motherhood, of loss & letting go, and grander themes like the vastness of the universe & our role within it (!!). Despite some of the heavier themes, I see these songs ultimately as joy-driven, uplifting and filled with hope; yes life is chaotic & messy, it’s unpredictable and there will be tragedy, but despite all of this, despite the unlikelihood of the circumstances (that this planet we call home should exist at all), it does & we do exist, and to exist means living & seeing the whole spectrum of the human experience.
This record was recorded remotely, so that means I sent out demos of me singing/playing tenor guitar to the band, & built up the tracks, bottom up, starting with James Maddren on drums & percussion, adding Robin Mullarkey on bass & then filling in the harmony (Matt Calvert & Al Cherry on guitars, and Tom Cawley on synths) One of the production details I love with this record is all the instrumental layering; multi-tracking vocals together with great swathes of harmonies, layers of different guitars (I think I play mandolin on a couple!), and a cacophony of synths.
In a nutshell, I am writing jazz-infused, pop-folk, story-driven songs shaped by lush harmony, epic choruses and space for improvisation 🙂
We go on our UK tour in May, so I’m looking forward to really playing this music in, and seeing how the songs evolve.
What other projects are you currently involved in?
I am working together with the vocalists Brigitte Beraha, Clare Wheeler & Lauren Kinsella to create a very interesting & unique new vocal group, called Facades. We’re all writing material for the group, with built in space for improvisation, and spontaneous interpretation, influenced by our backgrounds as jazz musicians, as well as contemporary classical writing for voices and A Cappella.
I also just recorded an album of songs written by the pianist & composer Tom Hewson. It is beautiful material which is starting to take shape with the help of guitarist Ant Law and drummer Jon Scott, for starters.. I’m very excited to hear how this develops.
What are you currently listening to and what was the last CD or download you bought?
The last cd I bought was last night (!)- it is the new album – The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman- by the one-of-a-kind, ineffable artist, Eska- It really is impossible to define, but I came away (from the launch gig) beings wholly inspired (and reminded) that all we can do is try to be our most authentic self, as artists; no-one else can take that space from you. What she has is incredibly special & rare – she is like no other.
What is your all-time favourite album and why?
This is an impossible question, sorry!! However, today at this moment, the one album I am compelled to mention is Want One by singer-songwriter and composer, Rufus Wainwright. It is full of such sonic delights, exciting, dramatic & tantalising – the melody writing is so strong, weaving and building in unexpected ways, and the lyric detail can break you apart. I love Rufus- I think he’s got a powerful combination of lyrical nuance, and harmonic depth, with melodic shape, expression & diversity… And that really ticks the boxes of a jazz musician who enjoys songs!
Who has caught you attention recently that we should be listening out for?
Bosnian/Slovenian Berlin-based singer-songwriter Mirna Bogdanovic is writing really cool songs- coming from a nu-jazz/contemporary jazz place with loads of harmonic detail & melodic virtuosity- which I absolutely love!
Last Night Of The World by Fini Bearman was released on 25th April 2025 and is available from Bandcamp
For more information visit Fini Bearman//Creative Beans
