Mj Milner

Manchester, United Kingdom

Billboard

I am a musician...

... composer, community musician, singer-songwriter and educator.

I play with Kokoriko (www.virb.com/kokoriko) making intuitive explorations into international improvisations (stick that in Pseud's corner!). It's a jazzy-Afro-Latin-folky thing with some rock and a sprinkling of Arabic stylings...

I am also a frequent collaborator and compadre with Aidan Jolly and Jilah Bakhshayesh (www.aidanjolly.com & www.myspace.com/aidanjolly). Along with Amnesty International award-winning Jaydev Mistry on percussion and electric guitar, we've just recorded (in January 08) a splendid acoustic album of socially conscious songs, due for release later this year.
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INfluences and INspirations include: my sons (it's their world when I'm gone), Antonio Forcione, ECM, radical folk traditions, Michael Franti, I Giant Leap, Flora Purim and Airto, Joyce, Ani DiFranco, Rock Against Racism, Fela Kuti, everytime I do this I think of more amazing people, Roy Ayers, Trilok Gurtu, Andy Sheppard, Lammas, Martin Simpson, Eliza Carthy, Ellen MacArthur (yes the sailor), my grandmother, loads of people who aren't famous but make a difference everyday, Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Free, Anita Roddick ... come on, there's too many to list!
OUTfluences include greedy selfish people, materialist money-chasers, and those who don't think for themselves.
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MESSAGE TO EVENT ORGANISERS: I will perform for free at benefits, protests and awareness raising events if it relates to climate change, global warming, defending civil liberties and promoting social justice. If you like my sounds and you are organising something (especially if it's in the UK northwest) email me through virb or - martin@everydaymusic.org.uk.
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I work with music in many community and education settings. For more info on this see www.everydaymusic.org.uk.