Julian Smith (saxophonist)
Encyclopedia
Julian Smith is a British
saxophonist
and music teacher from Halesowen
. He is also known by his stage name Joolz Gianni. He has made guest appearances alongside artists such as Tony Hadley
(Spandau Ballet
), Gwen Dickey (Rose Royce
) and Hamish Stuart
(Average White Band), and has performed on national television together with Chris Rea
, M People
, and Dina Carroll
. In 2003, he released a solo album, Chilled 2 the Sax, which features Acker Bilk, Dina Carroll
, and Ola Onabule
. Some of his tracks also appear in the multi-platinum selling The Classic Chillout album series from Sony Music
. Smith became better known after appearing on the third series
of Britain's Got Talent
in 2009 and finished in third place behind singer Susan Boyle
and winning dance troupe Diversity
.
Currently on tour with The Stylistics (November 2010)
Smith's father was a music teacher and had the opportunity to try out a lot of different instruments. He started playing the clarinet
, but later switched to the saxophone
. He studied the mechanics of the bassoon
at the Birmingham Conservatoire but began concentrating on the sax thereafter. Smith has been playing the saxophone for 20 years and cites some of his influences to be Kenny G
, David Sanborn
, Candy Dulfer
, and Kirk Whalum
.
He has children with his wife Iraz and said that he entered Britain's Got Talent to "make life better for them".
of Britain's Got Talent
, Smith entered with his saxophone. A standing ovation occurred after Smith's performance. During the judges' remarks, Simon Cowell
stated, "...there could be something special about you Julian". With the public voting the fate of all the contestants, Smith advanced to the semi-final round of competition which took place on 28 May 2009. In the final on 30 May, Julian placed third with 16.4% of nearly 4 million votes.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and music teacher from Halesowen
Halesowen
Halesowen is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands, England.The population, as measured by the United Kingdom Census 2001, was 55,273...
. He is also known by his stage name Joolz Gianni. He has made guest appearances alongside artists such as Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley is an English pop singer-songwriter, occasional stage actor and radio presenter who gained celebrity as the lead vocalist for the 1980s band Spandau Ballet.-Early life:...
(Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet
Spandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...
), Gwen Dickey (Rose Royce
Rose Royce
Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B band. The group is best known for several hit singles including "Car Wash," "I Wanna Get Next to You," "Wishing on a Star", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "I'm Going Down".-Career:...
) and Hamish Stuart
Hamish Stuart
Hamish Stuart is a guitarist, bassist, singer, composer and record producer.- Biography :Stuart had recorded a couple of singles with his first band, the Dream Police, before he was invited to join the recently formed Average White Band in June 1972.A member of AWB from 1972 to 1982, he went on to...
(Average White Band), and has performed on national television together with Chris Rea
Chris Rea
Chris Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally...
, M People
M People
M People are a British house music act from Manchester, who formed in 1990 and achieved success throughout most of the 1990s. The name M People is from the initials of Mike Pickering, who formed the group.-Career:...
, and Dina Carroll
Dina Carroll
Dina Carroll is an English singer of Scottish and African American descent who had a string of hits from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.-Early career:...
. In 2003, he released a solo album, Chilled 2 the Sax, which features Acker Bilk, Dina Carroll
Dina Carroll
Dina Carroll is an English singer of Scottish and African American descent who had a string of hits from the late 1980s to the early 2000s.-Early career:...
, and Ola Onabule
Ola Onabule
Ola Onabule, a British-Nigerian, soul, jazz, singer-songwriter, musician and producer; born Islington, London 30th March.Ola Onabule has had a career that spans almost two decades defined by his decision to release his music independently on his own label Rugged Ram Records. After a brief...
. Some of his tracks also appear in the multi-platinum selling The Classic Chillout album series from Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. Smith became better known after appearing on the third series
Britain's Got Talent (series 3)
The 2009 series of Britain's Got Talent was the third series of the programme. It began airing on ITV on 11 April. The 2009 panel of judges consisted of Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan...
of Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
in 2009 and finished in third place behind singer Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
and winning dance troupe Diversity
Diversity (dance troupe)
Diversity are an English street dance troupe based in London. They are best known for winning the third series of Britain's Got Talent, famously beating Susan Boyle in the live final. They also won the Families United Positive Role Models at the Spirit of London Awards. The group, initially known...
.
Currently on tour with The Stylistics (November 2010)
Biography
Julian attended Perryfields High School in Sandwell. He studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire.Smith's father was a music teacher and had the opportunity to try out a lot of different instruments. He started playing the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, but later switched to the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
. He studied the mechanics of the bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
at the Birmingham Conservatoire but began concentrating on the sax thereafter. Smith has been playing the saxophone for 20 years and cites some of his influences to be Kenny G
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...
, David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
, Candy Dulfer
Candy Dulfer
Candy Dulfer is a Dutch smooth jazz alto saxophonist who began playing at the age of six. She founded her band, Funky Stuff, when she was fourteen years old. Her debut album Saxuality received a Grammy Award nomination. Dulfer has released nine studio albums, two live albums, and one compilation...
, and Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum is an American smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured as Whitney Houston's opening act for several years. Whalum has also recorded a series of well received solo albums and film soundtracks, with music ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz...
.
He has children with his wife Iraz and said that he entered Britain's Got Talent to "make life better for them".
Britain's Got Talent
On 18 April 2009 during the third seriesBritain's Got Talent (series 3)
The 2009 series of Britain's Got Talent was the third series of the programme. It began airing on ITV on 11 April. The 2009 panel of judges consisted of Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan...
of Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
, Smith entered with his saxophone. A standing ovation occurred after Smith's performance. During the judges' remarks, Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
stated, "...there could be something special about you Julian". With the public voting the fate of all the contestants, Smith advanced to the semi-final round of competition which took place on 28 May 2009. In the final on 30 May, Julian placed third with 16.4% of nearly 4 million votes.
Joolz Gianni
- Chilled 2 the Sax (2003), Sony TVSony Pictures TelevisionSony Pictures Television, Inc. is an American and global television production/distribution subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. In turn, the latter is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony.-Background:...
- The Prayer - Classical Relief for Haiti (single)
Compilation appearances
- The Classic Chillout Album (2001), Sony Music EntertainmentSony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
- The Classic Chillout Album 2 (2001), Columbia RecordsColumbia RecordsColumbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
- The New Classic Chillout Album (2002), Sony Music Entertainment
- Open Space - The Classic Chillout Album 2 (2002), Columbia Records