Julian Smith (saxophonist)

Julian Smith (born 21 April 1969) is an English saxophonist and music teacher from Halesowen, England. He is also known by his stage name Joolz Gianni.[1] He has made guest appearances alongside artists such as Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), Gwen Dickey (Rose Royce), Hamish Stuart and Steve Ferrone (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. 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.[2]

Julian Smith
Also known asJoolz Gianni
Born (1969-04-21) 21 April 1969
Halesowen, Worcestershire, England
GenresClassical, jazz, soul, blues, funk, pop, reggae
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentsSaxophone, clarinet, bassoon
Years active1993–present
LabelsSony Music
Websitejuliansmithsax.co.uk

Career

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, but later switched to the saxophone. He studied the mechanics of the bassoon at the Birmingham Conservatoire but began concentrating on the sax thereafter.[3] Smith has been playing the saxophone for 30 years and cites some of his influences to be Kenny G, David Sanborn, Candy Dulfer, and Kirk Whalum.[1]

He toured with The Stylistics in 2010 and with Diversity in 2012 on their Digitized tour.[4]

Britain's Got Talent

On 18 April 2009, during the third series 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, Smith placed third with 16.4% of nearly 4 million votes.

Personal life

He has children with his wife Iraz and said that he entered Britain's Got Talent to "make life better for them".[5]

Discography

Joolz Gianni
  • Chilled 2 the Sax (2003), Sony TV
  • The Prayer - Classical Relief for Haiti (single)

Compilation appearances
  • The Classic Chillout Album (2001), Sony Music Entertainment
  • The Classic Chillout Album 2 (2001), Columbia Records
  • The New Classic Chillout Album (2002), Sony Music Entertainment
  • Open Space - The Classic Chillout Album 2 (2002), Columbia Records

Julian Smith
  • Take A Breath (2009), Big Bear Records[6]
  • Somewhere (2010), Big Bear Records[7]
  • Ibiza Summer Sax (2010), Big Bear Records[8]
  • Christmas Songs & Lullaby′s (2010), Big Bear Records[9]
  • Wonderful World (2015)[10]

References
  1. "Joolz Gianni". Platinum Live. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  2. "Birmingham sax player Julian Smith comes third in Britain's Got Talent". Birmingham Post. 31 May 2009. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  3. "Julian Smith: Sax sensation". ITV. 23 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  4. "diversity digitized dvd trapped in a game live tour 2012 released 19 november". All Street Dance. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  5. "Britain's got sax appeal". ITV. 22 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2 February 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2009.
  6. "Take A Breath". iTunes. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  7. "Somewhere". iTunes. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  8. "Ibiza Summer Sax". iTunes. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  9. "Christmas Songs & Lullaby's". itunes. Retrieved 13 June 2015.
  10. "merchandise". Retrieved 26 January 2016.
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