My choice of instrument was completely arbitrary. When I was young, my parents took me to a music school where they would test you to see what instrument you’d be suitable for. The one thing they said was, “You shouldn’t play the flute!”

That’ll fuel any kid, and I thought, “I’ve got to do that.”

Flutes were cheap and accessible. You could even get them two a penny where I lived in the middle of Africa.

Michael Cox. Photo supplied

Growing up in Zimbabwe, I absorbed African music by osmosis. You couldn’t help but be aware of it. I remember the people unloading trucks and working in the fields would always be singing in harmony. The rhythm is extraordinary, but it’s a natural part of their working day. Rather than feeling that music is to be studied and replicated, this spontaneity is central to everyday life. It’s a powerful prototype that people in other countries and cultures don’t have access to.

You can generally divide musicians into those who are obsessed with their instrument and those who are obsessed with using it for what it can say. I think of myself, first and foremost, as a musician and then an instrumentalist....