Breuddwyd Sax Osian Roberts

In a special programme we follow a saxophonist from Cardiff as he attempts to fulfil his dream of recording a jazz CD in New York with one of the best jazz musicians in the world. Osian Roberts and his band will play alongside one of Osian’s heroes, Cedar Walton, who made his name as a world-renowned jazz pianist in the 1960s, and bass player Peter Washington. Together, they’ll create a new record especially for the programme.
“I know this record will sell a lot more because Cedar Walton is playing on it. It will open the market to us in places like Japan where he’s very popular,” explains Osian Roberts, whose band is called The Osian Roberts Steve Fishwick Quintet.
Osian says that although jazz is popular around the world, most jazz musicians flock to the Big Apple. “New York is the closest thing to Mecca in jazz,” he explains. “There are lots of musicians of a very high standard there because people come from all over the world to be part of the city’s jazz scene.
Osian admits he has considered a move to the States to pursue a professional career, but he has no intention of relocating at the moment.
“It would be extremely hard for me to make a living out there because gigs don’t pay in New York. I wouldn’t be able to work like I do now either,” adds Osian, who divides his time between performing jazz and teaching the next generation of talented young jazz musicians.

Osian’s father, Eric, was a professional opera singer and even as a youngster, Osian believed he would be able to make a living in the unpredictable world of music. “I saw a saxophone in a shop window and I thought that it looked amazing. After that, I only ever wanted to be a jazz musician,” he says.
“To fulfil a dream is the pinnacle of any musician’s career. To do this in Manhattan’s jazz scene, the greatest jazz scene in the world, is even more amazing,” adds Osian.
http://www.s4c.co.uk/cerddoriaeth/e_breuddwydsax.shtml