Neil Yates
Encyclopedia
Neil Yates is a British Jazz and Folk Musician.
to study jazz
at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
. Neil lived and worked in London for eight years playing jazz with National Youth Jazz Orchestra
, Peter King
, Don Weller
, Denys Baptiste
, Jazz Jamaica All Stars, Alex Wilson
, Clark Tracey, Gary Crosby’s Nu-Troop and the Caroline Taylor Quintet. During this time Yates also worked as session musician for Brand New Heavies
, Supergrass
, Black Grape
, Lighthouse Family
, Alison Moyet
, Will Young
, Raw Stylus
, Suggs
, Matt Bianco
, Robbie Williams
and Rhian Benson
.
Neil then chose to spend a year living in a small caravan travelling round the folk music festivals of Britain and Ireland learning and playing traditional Celtic music
, before moving out to the coast of North Wales
coast to play and write, and to study Celtic music
. During this time Yates was playing and recording with folk musicians such as Michael McGoldrick
, Kate Rusby
, John McCusker
, Karen Matheson
(Capercaille) and John Joe Kelly. Yates was a featured solo artist in Belfast Open House Festival's “Trad with a Difference” evening as the only person ever to successfully interpret Irish traditional styles onto the trumpet.
Yates later formed the band e2K, a group influenced by jazz
, English folksong, Irish melodies and rhythms from Ghana
(West Africa). It was with this group that Yates secured a 2-album deal with the London based independent record label Topic Records
.
Yates was a featured soloist in the Manchester Jazz Festival
2005 special commission alongside pianist John Taylor
. It was at this festival that Yates debuted his own project "New Origins". The band later recorded in March the same year and released their album, "Neil Yates - New Origins", on Yates' own label: Carnyx Records.
Yates currently lectures in jazz trumpet and improvisation at Royal Northen College of Music, Leeds College of Music
, Salford University and the Birmingham Conservatoire.
Biography
Yates studied music at Salford University before moving to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to study jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
. Neil lived and worked in London for eight years playing jazz with National Youth Jazz Orchestra
National Youth Jazz Orchestra
The National Youth Jazz Orchestra is a British jazz orchestra founded in 1963 by Bill Ashton.Based in Westminster, London, NYJO started life as the London Schools' Jazz Orchestra and evolved into becoming the national orchestra...
, Peter King
Peter King (saxophonist)
Peter John King is an English jazz saxophonist, composer, and clarinettist.- Early life :Peter King was born in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, on August 11, 1940. He took up the clarinet and saxophone as a teenager, entirely self taught...
, Don Weller
Don Weller (musician)
Don Weller , is a British jazz musician, tenor saxophonist and composer.-Career:...
, Denys Baptiste
Denys Baptiste
Denys Baptiste is a jazz musician from London, England. A graduate of Tomorrow’s Warriors, Baptiste plays tenor and soprano saxophone in addition to composing....
, Jazz Jamaica All Stars, Alex Wilson
Alex Wilson (musician)
Alex Wilson is a pianist, composer, producer, arranger, and educator. He is a respected British Latin jazz recording artist and composer.-Biography:...
, Clark Tracey, Gary Crosby’s Nu-Troop and the Caroline Taylor Quintet. During this time Yates also worked as session musician for Brand New Heavies
Brand New Heavies
The Brand New Heavies are an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing, a suburb of London, England.-Biography:The Brand New Heavies began in the 1980s as an instrumental acid jazz group called Brother International....
, Supergrass
Supergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
, Black Grape
Black Grape
Black Grape were a 1990s rock band from England, featuring former members of Happy Mondays. The group's music was funky and eclectic, using varied instrumentation and samples.-History:...
, Lighthouse Family
Lighthouse Family
Lighthouse Family are a British musical duo that rose to prominence in the mid-1990s and remained active until the early 2000s. Vocalist Tunde Baiyewu and keyboardist Paul Tucker formed the act in 1993 in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK after meeting while studying at university...
, Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
, Will Young
Will Young
William Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
, Raw Stylus
Raw Stylus
Raw Stylus was a London-based dance music outfit whose core members were Donna Gardier, Jules Brookes and Ron Aslan. In 1995 they released the single, "Believe In Me", which reached #1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was a minor success in the United Kingdom reaching #66 on the UK...
, Suggs
Suggs (singer)
Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
, Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco
Matt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
, Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
and Rhian Benson
Rhian Benson
Rhiannon Afua "Rhian" Benson is a Ghanaian soul and jazz singer, songwriter, and composer.-Early life:Benson was born in Accra, Ghana to a Welsh mother, who was a singer, and an Ashanti father, who was a guitarist, and she has a younger sister.She was raised in Ghana, India, where her family moved...
.
Neil then chose to spend a year living in a small caravan travelling round the folk music festivals of Britain and Ireland learning and playing traditional Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
, before moving out to the coast of North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
coast to play and write, and to study Celtic music
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
. During this time Yates was playing and recording with folk musicians such as Michael McGoldrick
Michael McGoldrick
Michael McGoldrick is a flute and tin whistle player. He also plays the Uilleann pipes and low whistle. He is well known for his ability to skate switch and regular with the same level of ability.-Bands:...
, Kate Rusby
Kate Rusby
Kate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
, John McCusker
John McCusker
John McCusker is a Scottish folk musician, record producer and composer. An accomplished fiddle player, he had a long association as a member of the Battlefield Band beginning in the 1990s and was later a band member and producer for folk singer Kate Rusby...
, Karen Matheson
Karen Matheson
Karen Matheson OBE is a Scottish folk singer, who frequently sings in Scottish Gaelic. She is lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Heritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lead vocals, either alone or jointly with Elaine Morgan...
(Capercaille) and John Joe Kelly. Yates was a featured solo artist in Belfast Open House Festival's “Trad with a Difference” evening as the only person ever to successfully interpret Irish traditional styles onto the trumpet.
Yates later formed the band e2K, a group influenced by jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, English folksong, Irish melodies and rhythms from Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
(West Africa). It was with this group that Yates secured a 2-album deal with the London based independent record label Topic Records
Topic Records
Topic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.-History:...
.
Yates was a featured soloist in the Manchester Jazz Festival
Manchester Jazz Festival
Manchester Jazz Festival is an annual 9-day-long festival focused on showcasing contemporary jazz from the North West of England and beyond.- mjf 2010 :The 15th Manchester Jazz Festival will take place from 23 to 31 July in Manchester city centre....
2005 special commission alongside pianist John Taylor
John Taylor (jazz)
John Taylor is a British jazz pianist; he has occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesiser. He is one of Europe's most celebrated jazz pianists and composers.-Performing career:...
. It was at this festival that Yates debuted his own project "New Origins". The band later recorded in March the same year and released their album, "Neil Yates - New Origins", on Yates' own label: Carnyx Records.
Yates currently lectures in jazz trumpet and improvisation at Royal Northen College of Music, Leeds College of Music
Leeds College of Music
Leeds College of Music, located in Leeds’ Quarry Hill cultural quarter, is the largest music college in the United Kingdom, with over 1,000 full-time and 1,000 part-time students. The college is best known for its leading role in jazz education and started one of the first jazz degrees in Europe...
, Salford University and the Birmingham Conservatoire.
Other Appearances
- 2006: Manchester Road — John Thorne's Oedipus Complex (Surface to Air)
- 2006: Echo Architect — Stuart McCallum (CD Baby)
- 2005: The Other Side of Notting Hill — Cameron Pierre (Candid Productions)
- 2005: Llanita — Almeida Girl & Descaga (Latin Jungle)
- 2005: The Girl Who Couldn't FlyThe Girl Who Couldn't FlyThe Girl Who Couldn't Fly is an album by British folk musician Kate Rusby, released in 2005. The title refers to Rusby's fear of flying.The album cover features a painting by former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon.-Track listing:...
— Kate RusbyKate RusbyKate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
(Pure Records) - 2005: Wired — Michael McGoldrickMichael McGoldrickMichael McGoldrick is a flute and tin whistle player. He also plays the Uilleann pipes and low whistle. He is well known for his ability to skate switch and regular with the same level of ability.-Bands:...
(Vertical Records) - 2004: Star Mountain Sessions — Improvokation (Forged Records)
- 2004: Globe Trekker - Earth Journeys, Vol. 2 — Soundtrack (Pilot Productions)
- 2004: Goodnight Ginger — John McCuskerJohn McCuskerJohn McCusker is a Scottish folk musician, record producer and composer. An accomplished fiddle player, he had a long association as a member of the Battlefield Band beginning in the 1990s and was later a band member and producer for folk singer Kate Rusby...
(Pure Records) - 2004: If Not Now — e2K (Topic RecordsTopic RecordsTopic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.-History:...
) - 2003: My Thrawn Glory — James Grant (Vertical Records)
- 2003: HeartlandsHeartlands (Kate Rusby album)Heartlands is an album by British folk musicians Kate Rusby and John McCusker, released in 2003. It was the soundtrack to the film Heartlands.-Track listing:#Colin's Farewell #Sweet Bride #Weeping Crisps...
— Kate RusbyKate RusbyKate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
(Pure Records) - 2003: Underneath the StarsUnderneath the Stars (album)Underneath the Stars is the fourth studio album by English folk musician Kate Rusby, released on August 11, 2003 on Pure Records.In a 2007 interview, Rusby noted that "The Blind Harper", which appears on this album, is her favourite traditional song....
— Kate RusbyKate RusbyKate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
(Pure Records) - 2003: Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year — National Youth Jazz OrchestraNational Youth Jazz OrchestraThe National Youth Jazz Orchestra is a British jazz orchestra founded in 1963 by Bill Ashton.Based in Westminster, London, NYJO started life as the London Schools' Jazz Orchestra and evolved into becoming the national orchestra...
(NYJO) - 2003: Friday's Child (album)Friday's Child (album)Friday's Child is the second album from original Pop Idol winner Will Young. The album was released on 1 December 2003 and reached #1 in the UK Album Chart...
— Will YoungWill YoungWilliam Robert "Will" Young is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominenceafter winning the 2002 inaugural series of the British music contest Pop Idol, making him the first winner of the now-worldwide Idols-format franchise...
(BMGBMGBertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
) - 2002: Quest — Chris WhileChris WhileChris While is an award-winning songwriter, singer and musician, known particularly for her powerful and moving vocals and the quality of her compositions and live performances. She has enjoyed success both as a solo artist, a songwriter and as a member of a number of notable and influential...
& Julie MatthewsJulie MatthewsJulie Matthews is an award-winning singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. She has been a member of some of the most influential British folk duos and groups and is acknowledged internationally as a major songwriter, with her work being covered by a wide range of artists and...
(Fat Cat Records) - 2002: Migrations — Gary CrosbyGary Crosby (bassist)Gary Crosby OBE is a jazz double bassist, music arranger, educator and Executive Artistic Director of...
's Nu-Troop (Dune) - 2002: 1010 (Kate Rusby album)-Personnel:*Kate Rusby *Lester Simpson, Davy Steele *Ian Carr, John Doyle, Malcolm Stitt *John McCusker *Alison Brown, Andy Seward *Jackie Wells...
— Kate RusbyKate RusbyKate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
(Pure Records) - 2002: Time To Fall — Karen MathesonKaren MathesonKaren Matheson OBE is a Scottish folk singer, who frequently sings in Scottish Gaelic. She is lead singer of the group Capercaillie and was a member of Dan Ar Braz's group L'Heritage des Celtes, with whom she often sang lead vocals, either alone or jointly with Elaine Morgan...
(Vertical Records) - 2002: Echoes — Matt BiancoMatt BiancoMatt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
(Victor) - 2002: Slightly Askew — Chris Bowden (Ninja TuneNinja TuneNinja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
) - 2002: Sound Engine — Joe Broughton (Salenella Records)
- 2001: Shift — e2K (Topic RecordsTopic RecordsTopic Records is a British folk music label, which played a major role in the second British folk revival. It began as an offshoot of the Workers' Music Association in 1939, making it the oldest independent record label in the world.-History:...
) - 2001: The Curse of the Mekons — The Mekons (Collectors Choice)
- 2000: Fused — Michael McGoldrickMichael McGoldrickMichael McGoldrick is a flute and tin whistle player. He also plays the Uilleann pipes and low whistle. He is well known for his ability to skate switch and regular with the same level of ability.-Bands:...
(Vertical Records) - 2000: We Love the CityWe Love the CityWe Love the City is the third album by British indie rock band Hefner. It was released by Too Pure in two formats in 2000, the standard version and a second version with a disc featuring videos for "I Took Her Love for Granted" and "Good Fruit," as well as a John Peel session. The entire John...
— HefnerHefner (band)Hefner were a British indie rock and "urban folk" band formed in east London in 1995. They were active from about 1996 until 2002; since then they have played together only once, for a tribute to the DJ John Peel, who was a strong supporter of theirs....
(Pure Records) - 2000: Film — Jessica Lauren (Melt)
- 2000: On top — Akimbo (Acid Jazz)
- 2000: Good FruitGood Fruit"Good Fruit" is a single by British indie rock band Hefner. Released in 2000 by Too Pure, it was the first single from their album We Love the City....
— HefnerHefner (band)Hefner were a British indie rock and "urban folk" band formed in east London in 1995. They were active from about 1996 until 2002; since then they have played together only once, for a tribute to the DJ John Peel, who was a strong supporter of theirs....
(Pure Records) - 1999: For the Moment — Caroline Taylor Quintet (CMT)
- 1999: The Fidelity WarsThe Fidelity WarsThe Fidelity Wars is the second full-length album by British indie rock band Hefner. Recorded in London over a period of twelve days at Roundhouse Studios, it was released in 1999 on Too Pure.It was reissued by lead singer Darren Hayman in 2008....
— HefnerHefner (band)Hefner were a British indie rock and "urban folk" band formed in east London in 1995. They were active from about 1996 until 2002; since then they have played together only once, for a tribute to the DJ John Peel, who was a strong supporter of theirs....
(Pure Records) - 1999: Marillion.com — MarillionMarillionMarillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
(Sanctuary Records) - 1998: Rude Awakening — Toss the Feathers (Magnetic Music)
- 1998: The Three Pyramid Club — SuggsSuggs (singer)Graham McPherson , better known as Suggs, is an English singer, actor, former radio DJ, TV personality, and most famous as the frontman of the band Madness.-Early life:...
(Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
) - 1998: This Way Up — Edward IIEdward II (band)Edward II is an English band named for King Edward II, which play a fusion of world music, English folk and reggae. Active from 1985, the band broke up after losing several key members in 1999, relaunching as "e2K" in 2000...
(Ock Records) - 1998: World Go Round — Matt BiancoMatt BiancoMatt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
(JVC) - 1998: Stupid Stupid Stupid — Black Grape (MCA)
- 1998: A/C Collection — Matt BiancoMatt BiancoMatt Bianco is a UK band that was formed in 1983. They are mainly known for their success in the mid 1980s and their jazz, Latin-flavoured music....
(JVC) - 1997: In It For The Money — SupergrassSupergrassSupergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
(ParlophoneParlophoneParlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
) - 1996: Cottoning On — National Youth Jazz OrchestraNational Youth Jazz OrchestraThe National Youth Jazz Orchestra is a British jazz orchestra founded in 1963 by Bill Ashton.Based in Westminster, London, NYJO started life as the London Schools' Jazz Orchestra and evolved into becoming the national orchestra...
(NYJO) - 1996: Two Step To Heaven — Edward IIEdward II (band)Edward II is an English band named for King Edward II, which play a fusion of world music, English folk and reggae. Active from 1985, the band broke up after losing several key members in 1999, relaunching as "e2K" in 2000...
(Cooking VinylCooking VinylCooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
) - 1996: Zest — Edward IIEdward II (band)Edward II is an English band named for King Edward II, which play a fusion of world music, English folk and reggae. Active from 1985, the band broke up after losing several key members in 1999, relaunching as "e2K" in 2000...
(Ock Records) - 1995: In Control — National Youth Jazz OrchestraNational Youth Jazz OrchestraThe National Youth Jazz Orchestra is a British jazz orchestra founded in 1963 by Bill Ashton.Based in Westminster, London, NYJO started life as the London Schools' Jazz Orchestra and evolved into becoming the national orchestra...
(NYJO) - 1995: Close to You — The Brand New Heavies (FFRR)
- 1995: Gran Via — Matt Bianco (JVC)
- 1995: Prawns — Big Cheese All-Stars (Big Cheese)
- 1995: Pushing Against The Flow — Raw Stylus (Geffen)
- 1994: Hallmark — National Youth Jazz OrchestraNational Youth Jazz OrchestraThe National Youth Jazz Orchestra is a British jazz orchestra founded in 1963 by Bill Ashton.Based in Westminster, London, NYJO started life as the London Schools' Jazz Orchestra and evolved into becoming the national orchestra...
(NYJO) - 1994: Car Sex — Annabella Lwin (SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
) - 1992: Dashing Away — Edward IIEdward II (band)Edward II is an English band named for King Edward II, which play a fusion of world music, English folk and reggae. Active from 1985, the band broke up after losing several key members in 1999, relaunching as "e2K" in 2000...
(Pure Bliss) - 1991: Wicked Men — Edward IIEdward II (band)Edward II is an English band named for King Edward II, which play a fusion of world music, English folk and reggae. Active from 1985, the band broke up after losing several key members in 1999, relaunching as "e2K" in 2000...
(Pure Bliss) - 1990: Freedom and Rain — Oyster Band & June TaborJune TaborJune Tabor is an English folk singer.- Early years :June Tabor was inspired to sing by hearing Anne Briggs' EP Hazards of Love in 1965. "I went and locked myself in the bathroom for a fortnight and drove my mother mad. I learned the songs on that EP note for note, twiddle for twiddle. That's how I...
(Cooking VinylCooking VinylCooking Vinyl is a UK-based independent record company, founded in 1986. Its original orientation was toward contemporary folk music—notably Billy Bragg, and Michelle Shocked's Texas Campfire Tapes, recorded on a Sony Walkman, one of its first releases...
)