| Huw Warren | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | 1962 (age 49–50) Swansea, Wales |
| Genres | JazzWorld Music New Music |
| Occupations | Pianist, Composer, Bandleader |
| Instruments | piano, accordion, cello |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Website | www.onesheet.com/huwwarren |
Huw Warren (born May 18, 1962)is a Welsh jazz pianist and composer, whose work crosses and fuses many genres.
Contents |
Born in Swansea, West Glamorgan and grew up on the Gower peninsula. Attended Gowerton Comprehensive School 1973-1980.Early musical experiences were as a cellist in the West Glamorgan youth orchestra and then as an organist in the working mens clubs of South Wales. Left Wales in 1980 to study at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he studied piano with experimental pianist John Tilbury and became involved in both the jazz and avant garde scenes. Studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 1983-84 before starting a freelance career. Relocated to Snowdonia, North Wales in 1993, where he currently lives.
Co-leader and founder of the jazz quartet Perfect Houseplants, with Mark Lockheart, Dudley Phillips and Martin France. Perfect Houseplants have recorded five Cds for various labels (including the Scottish label Linn) and produced collaborative projects with early music artists Andrew Manse, Pamela Thorby and the Orlando Consort. Long and continuing collaboration with English singer June Tabor as arranger and musical director- to date has included recording 10 CDs, worldwide touring and large scale projects with the Creative Jazz orchestra and the LPO Renga ensemble. Huw and June were featured in Phillip King's Freedom Highway film and the Daughter's of Albion project recorded in 2009 by BBC4. Between 1997 and 2005 warren worked closely with UK jazz label Babel, who released 5 albums of his music. Arranged and produced a Welsh Hymn Project in 2004 – Duw Y Wyr,(God only Knows) with singer Lleuwen Steffan, which received media exposure on radio and TV in Wales, including a S4C documentary about the making of the album.
Recent collaborations with international musicians such as Mark Feldman, Maria Pia de Vito, Peter Herbert, Joanna Macgregor, Theo Bleckmann , Pamela Thorby and Erik Truffaz have brought Huw Warren's music to a wider audience. His project Dialektos with Italian singer Maria Pia de Vito has resulted in two recordings (Dialektos and O Pata Pata)and collaborations/performances with musicians such as Gabriele Mirabassi, Ralph Towner and RA Ramamani. The trio Queurcus with saxophonist Iain Ballamy and June Tabor is also a major creative milestone and will shortly release a live album on a major European label.
Huw Warren has performed and recorded with many of the UK's finest Jazz musicians including Kenny Wheeler, Loose Tubes, Steve Arguelles, Julian Arguelles, Billy Jenkins, John Parricelli, John Etheridge, Christine Tobin, Tim Garland, Scott Stroman, Antonio Forcione and Brian Abrahams' District Six.
Recording and live projects with Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello, Eddi Reader, Echobelly, Christine Collister and The Audio Bullys.
Film scores for Colin Towns, Stephen Warbeck and Mike Gibbs.
Recent projects have also seen Huw Warren working with artists from a number of different fields including: Brace (2009) with Choreographer Chloe Loftus Coloured Gloves (2009) with artist Catrin Williams ACES residency, Aberdeen (2011) with sculptor Helen Dennerly, writer Esther Woolfson and artists Dalziel and Scullion Closure (2012) documenting a rural welsh community with photographer David Woodfall and Video artist Greg Byatt
Huw Warren has worked as apiano and composition teacher in the Jazz departments at Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, as well as leading many workshops and speacialist music education programmes. He is currently visiting Jazz piano Tutor at RWCMD in Cardiff, piano tutor at the GSMD summer school, and faculty member at JIMS in Salzburg. He has written and arranged for the ABRSM jazz syllabus.
1997 "Swing Fun/Yokate" commissioned by the ABRSM for their Jazz Piano exam syllabus.(solo piano)
1997 "Caterpillar" commissioned by Curiad, for the schools songbook "Cantabile"-contemporary songs by living welsh composers.(voices and piano)
1998 "Riot" commissioned by Piano Circus with funds from the Arts Council of England.(six pianos)
1998 "A Quiet Eye" new arrangements and compositions for June Tabor and large ensemble commissioned by the Creative Jazz Orchestra with funds from the National Lottery.(voice,piano,viola,5 brass,3 reeds)
1998 "Steamboat Bill Jnr" new score for classic Buster Keaton movie commissioned by Birmingham Jazz for performance at Birmingham International Film and TV Festival, November 1998 (guitar, piano, saxophone, bass, percussion)
1999 "Take the fire" score for new adaptation of Jean Cocteau monologues at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. Performed by actress Amanda Harris and commissioned by TOYE productions, March 1999.(solo piano)
1999 "New Folk Songs" suite of pieces for contemporary Jazz ensemble, based on traditional music from East Anglia, commissioned by Andrew Milne award/Eastern Arts for performances by Perfect Houseplants in Nov 1999.
1999 "Left a bit" new music for piano and two percussionists/electronics commissioned by Eccentric Management with funds from the Arts Council of England for performance in Berlin and England in 2000.
2000 "Lullaby, exit, Bear" for 13 piece ensemble commissioned by RSC millenium project.
2001 "Shout/Greens" commissioned by the ABRSM for the Jazz Horns syllabus
2001 "Still Hearing you" arrangement for the Palladium ensemble as an encore piece (recorder, violin,viola da gamba and theorbo)
2002 "I am the Song" commissioned by Tauntons Sixth form college choir (Southampton), and performed at the National Festival of Music for Youth at the Royal Festival Hall in the Summer of 2003.
2003 "Railway Mania" commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, for performance in October 2004 ( children's choir and mixed ensemble)
2004 "Tangled" new piece for Tango Siempre, commissioned by Corsham Music Festival, Wiltshire. (violin, accordion, double bass, piano)
2005 "Soldier, Shepherd, Sailor" June Tabor and The LPO Renga Ensemble
2005 "New Welsh Stories" Big Band suite, commissioned by Cerdd William Mathias, with funds made available from the PRS Foundation
2006 "This is Now!" Multi-media work for Orchestra Helclecs, featuring John Parricelli, Lleuwen Steffan and Nobsta Nuts. Funded by the Arts Council of Wales 'Creative Wales' Award
2006 "Strung Out" Double violin Concerto, Welsh Chamber Orchestra and Beaumaris Festival/PRSF
2006 "In the Beginning/Slippery" Welsh Jazz Composers Orchestra/ACW
2006-"Gower Boy" (film with Gee Vaucher)
Vortex Jazz/Babel label
2007 - "Solo piano pieces"
KPM/Galapogos
2007 - "Open"
piano piece for Elena Riu/Boosey and Hawkes
2008 - "Brace"
dance collaboration with Choreographer Chloe Loftus (prsf new steps in music)
2009 - "Hermeto….jazz/art project"
collaboration with artist Catrin Williams at Galeri Caernarfon
2010 - "The Brecon project"
Collaboration with Erik Truffaz, Sura Susso, Paula Gardiner and Simon Thorne -performed at Brecon Jazz 2010
2010 - “Tilt”
Commissioned by Classical/Jazz mixed ensemble “New Perspectives” First performance Leasowes Bank Arts Festival July 2011
2011 - “Gladrags”
Big band/ large jazz ensemble, commissioned by Farnham Festival 2011
O Pata Pata (Maria Pia de Vito/Ralph Towner) 2011 Ashore (June Tabor) 2011 Hermeto + 2009 (Basho) Dialektos - Maria Pia de Vito and Huw Warren 2008 (Parco Della Musica) Everything We Love and More – Huw Warren and Peter Herbert 2006 (Babel) Brillanza – Waltraud Koettler, Huw Warren, Peter Herbert 2007 (Extraplatte) Duw a Wyr – Huw Warren and Lleuwen Steffan - 2005 (Sain/Babel) 100's of Things a Boy can Make – with Mark Feldman 2003 (Babel) Infinite Riches in a little Room – solo piano 2001 (Babel) A Barrel Organ far from Home - mixed ensemble1997 (Babel) Perfect Houseplants – Perfect Houseplants AH UM (1992) Clec – Perfect Houseplants -1994 (EFZ) Snap Clatter – Perfect Houseplants 1997 (Linn) New Folk Songs – Perfect Houseplants 2000 (Linn) Extempore – Perfect Houseplants+The Orlando Consort 1999 (Linn) Extempore 2 - Perfect Houseplants+The Orlando Consort 2002 (Harmonia Mundi USA) Pulse -Huw Warren/Peter Whyman/Peter Fairclough 2004 (FMR) Murmur – Madalena 2005 (Babel) A Quiet Eye – June Tabor 2000 (topic) An Echo of Hooves – June Tabor 2004 (topic) Busy Listening -Steve Arguelles Quintet– 1998 (Babel) East meets West - Billy Jenkins' Voice of God Collective+Fun Horns of Berlin 1998(Babel)
live broadcasts for Radio 3 including duos with Peter Herbert and John Parricelli. Late junction live special with June Tabor, Radio 3 60th anniversary concert with Perfect Houseplants. Radio Wales Arts Show special interview with Nichola Heywood Thomas,Late Junction 10th anniversary live special(2010), Hermeto+ live for Jazz on 3 (2010) with Dudley Phillips,Iain Ballamy, Maria Pia de Vito and Martin France.
BBC4 Sessions with June Tabor, later with Jools Holland, S4C Documentary (Sioe Celf) about the making of Duw y Wyr with Lleuwen Steffan, BBC4 documentary “Jazz Pianists” recorded at Brecon Jazz Festival (2006) and S4C 25th anniversary programme about Brecon Jazz(2007)
dent
web:www.onesheet.com/huwwarren blog: www.huwwarren.wordpress.com scores: www.galeritonic.co.uk/scores listen: www.huwwarren.bandcamp.com