Mike Walker (jazz guitarist)
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| Mike Walker | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 12, 1962 in Salford, England |
| Genre(s) | Jazz Jazz Fusion Improvisation |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Years active | 1981-present |
| Associated acts | George Russell Peter Erskine Steve Swallow Dave Holland John Taylor Tal Farlow Anthony Braxton Bill Frisell |
| Website | www.mike-walker.co.uk |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Gibson ES-335 | |
Mike Walker (born July 12, 1962), is a jazz guitar player from Salford, England. Walker has played and recorded with the legendary George Russell, Peter Erskine, Steve Swallow, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor and performed with Dave Holland, Tal Farlow, Anthony Braxton, Bill Frisell and many others.
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[edit] Biography
Mike Walker was initially influenced by his father's piano playing, his mother's singing, and his brother's guitar playing. Mike went on to discover a passion for the great jazz guitarists Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Larry Coryell, Tal Farlow and others. After many months of hard practice (woodshedding), Mike entered the Manchester music scene with River People, a fusion band comprising Mike playing a Gibson ES-335 guitar; Paul Allen on fretless bass; Tim Franks on drums, and Paul 'Bob Session' Kilvington on keyboards.
Mike's playing drew the attention of Alan Butler, a vibraphone player of considerable repute, who in the 1980's had a long running residency at the Malt Shovels, a well-known 'jazz' pub in Altrincham. Mike joined Alan's quartet in the mid-80's, where he needed to rapidly grasp the new vocabulary of bebop oriented standards, and more contemporary jazz compositions.
During the five to six years that Mike was a member of Alan's quartet, he had begun to travel further afield playing gigs with Mike Gibbs and Kenny Wheeler. While Mike was with the Mike Gibbs band he was called upon to deputise for an absent John Scofield, during which he was heard by Kenny, who asked him to play with his big band. Mike also formed a fusion band with pianist and composer Roy Powell about this time called Some Other Country with bassist Gary Culshaw, and drummer Steve Gilbert. Mike and Gary had previously played together and had strong feeling for each other's playing. Some Other Country soon established itself as one of the North's favourite fusion bands.
Mike's musical collaborations continued to expand during the late 80s and early 90s. One such was with Nikki and Richard Iles who had formed a band called Emanon, which provided a vehicle for the compositional and arranging skills of Nikki and Richard, and fertile ground for Mike's brand of inspirational playing. Nikki and Mike would subsequently enlist Gary Culshaw, and drummer Steve Brown, to form the Mike Walker Quartet. Also at this time Mike was playing in the Sylvan Richardson band, where he met his long-time collaborator and friend, the sax player Iain Dixon. Mike, Iain, Sylvan, and drummer Mikey Wilson would later form the band which came to be known as Brazil Nuts.
Whilst in Zurich with the Kenny Wheeler Big Band, Mike met Julian Arguelles and subsequently joined his quartet. He also recorded several CDs with him, one of which featured on bass, Steve Swallow, with whom Mike would record again on the Mike Gibbs album 'By The Way'. The players were Peter Erskine, John Taylor, Kenny, Mike, and Django Bates.
In the early 90's Mike toured extensively in various bands led by Tommy Smith, including a quartet with Mick Hutton on bass, and the Canadian, Ian Froman, on drums. Occasionally Tommy added Niels Lan Doky or Jason Rebello on piano. One of Tommy's quartets featured the Scottish drummer Tom Bancroft, an association that would lead to Mike, Tom, and Tom's sax playing brother Phil, working together at the Glasgow Jazz summer school. After many years Phil asked Mike to join his newly formed band which has been touring steadily since, together with Thomas Strønen, the Norwegian drummer, and bass player Steve Watts who replaced Reid Anderson of 'The Bad Plus'.
During the last decade Mike has also visited the States, and most of Europe, as George Russell's guitarist, recording with him on several occasions. Also, as a member the Creative jazz Orchestra, Mike has played with Vince Mendoza, Anthony Braxton, Bill Frisell, Tim Berne, and Mark-Anthony Turnage.
Other musicians that Mike has played and recorded with over the last 20 years include Dave Holland, John Taylor, Tal Farlow, Bob Moses, Arild Anderson, and Palle Mikkelborg, as well as some fine vocalists including Mica Paris, Norma Winstone, and Jacqui Dankworth with whom Mike regularly tours.
Mike released his first album under his own album, called 'Madhouse and the Whole Thing There' in May 2008. It features the members of Brazil Nuts, plus strings, French horn, piano, brass section and vocals etc. Mike says about it:
"This album is the first under my name. It's about dissonance masked by consonance, and having clear statements despite the density. I wanted the harmony to be supported by the melody. I wanted the rhythm and bar lengths to feel completely natural, even though they're not. I wanted it to be singable, and street-walk whistleable. I didn't want the face to reflect the inner workings."
Mike continues to work on new projects. He has written new material for another album which will feature musicians from England and United States. He has nearly finished his book 'The Comprehensive Fretboard System'. He is establishing a publishing business with long time friend and musician Iain Dixon, and continues to perform on a regular basis. He lives in Rossendale with his two children.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Nick Purnell, 1 ,2, 3 (with Peter Erskine, John Taylor) 1991
- Tommy Smith / Sylvan Richardson, Pyrotechnics (with Jason Rebello) 1993
- Roy Powell, Big Sky 1994
- Julian Arguelles, Home Truths (with Steve Swallow) 1995
- Mike Gibbs, By the Way (with Steve Swallow, Bob Moses, John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler) 1996
- George Russell, It's About Time 1996
- London Trombone Quartet, Some Of Our Best Friends 1996
- Julian Arguelles, Skull View 1997
- Steve Plews Ensemble, Anywhere 1997
- Peter Fairclough, Permission 1997
- Julian Arguelles, Escapade 1999
- Steve Williams, Skyward Bound 1999
- Richard Iles, From Here to There 1999
- Steve Williams, Lo-Fi 2001
- Roy Powell, North by Northwest 2001
- Julian Arguelles, As Above, So Below 2004
- Phil Bancroft, Headlong 2004
- Steve Berry, In An Ideal World : live at Manchester Jazz Festival 2004
- Steve Plews Ensemble, Extracts From Infinity 2004
- George Russell, 80th Birthday Concert 2005
- Steve Williams, 4 am 2006
- John Helliwell, Creme Anglaise 2006
- Anthony Braxton and the Creative Jazz Orchestra, Composition No. 175 / No. 126 2006
- Tony Faulkner Jazz Orchestra, Thad Jones and the Ellington Effect 2006
- Vibration Music Society, Primo 2007
- Mike Walker, Madhouse and the Whole Thing There 2008
