A question of taste - David Lyttle

David Lyttle from Co Down was the first ever Irish musician to be nominated for a Music of Black Origin Award (MOBO). The awards take place next Wednesday and will be broadcast on ITV2. Lyttle was nominated in the best jazz act on the back of his Faces album, which features collaborations with the likes of Talib Kweli and Duke Special.

Best recent book:

Raise Up Off Me, an autobiography by jazz pianist Hampton Hawes. He was a heroin addict in the 1950s and got set up by the cops and then sent to prison for ten years. He wrote to President Kennedy and he pardoned him after five. This is just one part of his incredible life story.

Best recent film:

I liked Nightcrawler.

Best recent show/exhibition/gig:

Must give my fellow northerner and friend Duke Special a shout. Heard him twice in the past year. So much honesty and emotion in his singing and his songwriting is among the heaviest in the world.

What formats do you access music?

I buy records in shops, CDs online and buy downloads from iTunes or Amazon. I don’t go near Spotify as a music fan or as a label owner as it and other steaming platforms have set a really bad precedent and really devalued recorded music.

Best piece of music you’ve been listening to lately:

Been listening to Push Thru by Talib Kweli a lot lately.

First ever piece of music or art or film or gig that really moved you:

‘Christmas Time Is Here’ by Vince Guaraldi from A Charlie Brown Christmas. It really triggered something in me and got me searching for much more sophisticated music than I was into as a teenager. It marked the start of my quest to become a great musician.

Tell us about your TV viewing:

I don’t watch TV very much at the moment. The only shows I’ll watch really are Family Guy, Pawn Stars, Frasier and The Simpsons. Mostly I use Netflix for my viewing. Trailer Park Boys and Better Call Saul have been recent Netflix hits for me. I was late to Breaking Bad but I loved that.

Radio listening:

Blue Of the Night on Lyric FM. Sometimes I try BBC Radio 4.

Name three of your music heroes:

Art Blakey, Q-Tip and Dr John.

Your best celebrity encounter:

John Travolta at an airport in the south Pacific. He had stopped to refuel his 707 and was hanging out in the cafe. He started talking to me and the band and seemed interested that we were musicians. I remember he said something weird like, “You get paid for that, right?”

Most expensive item of clothing you’ve ever bought:

I don’t go much more expensive than Ralph Lauren or Lacoste when it comes to clothes. I’m into retro clothing and enjoy a bit of searching. Bought a great 1980s Adidas tracksuit top recently.

Tech habits:

what you use, and what you use it for: Straight-up MacBook Pro and iPhone. Low-end Gretsch drums, Pro Tools for recording, Technics 1210s for record listening and I’ve a few nice speaker set-ups. My car has a Boston Acoustics system. That’s a pretty heavy listening scenario.

Unsung hero — individual, organisation or group you think don’t get the profile/praise they deserve:

I’m musician-in-residence at the Nerve Centre in Derry this year. They’re among the most forward-thinking, creative, down-to-earth people I’ve ever met. They do amazing work in music and play a big part in making Derry one of my favourite places in the world.

You are king for a day — what’s your first decree?

Ye all must spend the day listening to records with me.