As she approaches her 12th birthday, Nandi Bushell continues to challenge herself musically. Her latest effort finds the British wunderkind tackling jazz, as she plays four instruments while covering John Coltrane’s “Mr. P.C.”
Nandi, whom Consequence named its 2021 Rookie of the Year, has already proven that she can master rock and metal classics, recently taking on complex tunes like Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” and Tool’s “Forty Six & 2.”
Now, she ventures into jazz, playing guitar, bass, drums and saxophone (!) on the classic Coltrane composition. The youngster impressively handles each instrument, performing like a seasoned jazz club veteran.
In the YouTube description, Nandi described the challenge of playing the Coltrane tune: “Next stop on my Musical Quest! #Jazz – This is my interpretation of ‘Mr P.C.’ by @John Coltrane – I am going out of my comfort zone learning a new grip, traditional grip, on drums. I have to retrain my brain. It’s #HARD! I really tried to push my #saxophone playing too trying to get a jazzy feeling in the notes. I have now been playing #sax for 11 months. Who are your favourite jazz musicians and songs? Let me know!”
Nandi, who turns 12 on April 28th, made worldwide headlines when she engaged in a virtual drum battle with Dave Grohl, eventually joining Foo Fighters onstage for a performance of “Everlong” in August 2021. She recently posted a tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who passed away on March 25th.
“Our love, thoughts and support are with all who knew Taylor,” she wrote on Twitter, Thank you for looking after me, thank you for being so kind and loving, thank you for being the most awesome drummer ever, thank you for bringing so much joy to the world, thank you for being you! With love, Nandi x.”
Watch Nandi performing John Coltrane’s “Mr. P.C.” below, followed by our “Rookie of the Year” interview with the young musician.
Our love, thoughts and support are with all who knew Taylor. Thank you for looking after me, thank you for being so kind and loving, thank you for being the most awesome drummer ever, thank you for bringing so much joy to the world, thank you for being you! With love, Nandi x pic.twitter.com/JAxo6N844a
— Nandi Bushell (@Nandi_Bushell) March 26, 2022
