Huw Warren artist page

Pianist and composer, and winner in 2005 of the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation.

Discography

With Peter Herbert Everything We Love and More ( BDV2558) BUY
With Lleuwen Steffen (2005) Duw A Wyr (God Only Knows) ( BDV2558) BUY
Hundreds of Things a Boy Can Make (BDV2442) BUY
Barrel Organ Far From Home (BDV9718) BUY
Infinite Riches in a Little Room ( BDV2132) CD Currently out of stock

On Billy Jenkins/Fun Horns East/West Mayfest '94
On Christine Tobin Yell of the Gazelle
On Steve Arguelles Circuit Busy Listening

Receiving the 2005 highly coveted BBC Jazz Award for Innovation, Huw Warren is one of Wales' most prominent jazz musicians and composers and has established an international presence in recent years, as a musical director/pianist for contemporary folk diva June Tabor for well over a decade (they appeared in 2004 in front of a full house at the Berlin Jazz Festival), and for his ongoing work with ex-Austrian Musican of the Year bassist Peter Herbert (with whom he has recently recorded a new CD Everything We Love and More set for release later this year) and NY violin virtuosic improviser Mark Feldman.

In 2005 Huw undertook a project with the Welsh songstress Lleuwen Steffen reworking nineteenth century welsh hymns titled Duw A Wyr (God Only Knows) There has been a high demand for this singular, evocative CD following critical appraisal from many quarters of the media, appearing in Time Out Critics' Choice for two weeks running and referred to as "an exquisite little gem...(think a low key 'Oficium')" The FT arts critic similarly said "think of this as the lost link between June Tabor and Jan Garbarek: in a just world, it would sell as well as Officium".

Huw has been broadcast extensively live on BBC's Jazz on 3 with Herbert and Feldman as well as in an ongoing duo project with guitarist John Parricelli. This is as well as being a co-leader of jazz quartet Perfect Houseplants, a recent live duo collaboration with international pianist Joanna McGregor and an ambitious writing commission for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and choir in October 2004. He has also played regularly with Billy Jenkins and The Fun Horns (with 2 CDs on Babel) Steve Arguelles and vocalist Christine Tobin. Huw's passionate versatile approach to music knows no bounds. He has a project with Welsh songstress Lleuwen Steffen who interprets and sings hymn tunes as love songs, along with saxophonist Mark Lockheart and was released as Duw A Wyr (God Only Knows) on Babel in 2005. Early in the year Huw appeared with Lleuwen on a BBC Welsh Songs of Praise.

Huw appeared last year on Radio 3's In Tune presenting versions of songs from his most recent CD Hundreds of Things a Boy Can Make, featuring his compositions' intriguing collage-like form of which NY violinist Mark Feldman's passionate virtuosity is a compelling feature. Huw's compositions build a uniquely unadulterated interface between jazz improvisation, twentieth century classical and folk music. Huw has made his name over the past decade as one of the most sensitive and aware musicians, easily able to straddle all musical styles. His first CD in his own name, Barrel Organ (Far From Home), was based on 1930s photos of urban and rural life, and a second Babel highly acclaimed best seller Infinite Riches in a Little Room for solo piano, based on heroes as diverse as Elizabethan composer John Dowland, Brazilian maverick Hermeto Pascoal and bebop supremo Charlie Parker, came out in June 2001. Huw continues to prove himself a richly melodic, unpredictably minimalist and infectiously rhythmic composer besides being a thrillingly lyrical improviser whose highly unique pan-diversity is regarded highly across the often exclusive worlds of jazz, classical, and folk.

In April 2006 Huw took on a major new work with his Orchestra Helclecs titled This is Now! (Nawr!) Featuring the virtuoso guitarist John Parricelli, hip hop MC Nobsta Nutts, singer Lleuwen Steffan and an ensemble originally formed for a concert at Brecon jazz festival in 2004. ' This is Now! (Nawr!)'was a celebration and exploration of the diversity and contradictions of modern Wales using an eclectic mix of musical styles, song and freestyle poetry.

Huw is both a regular performer and composer for the Wales Jazz Composers Orchestra who played at the Brecon Festival in 2006.

His commissions include Riot (for Piano Circus), Steamboat Bill Jnr (a new score for the classic Buster Keaton movie), New Folk Songs (for Perfect Houseplants and Pamela Thorby), Lullaby Exit Bear (for the RSC), and music for a new production of Jean Cocteau's Monologues at the Lyric theatre in London.

He worked on a major multimedia work for children's choir and chamber ensemble Railway Mania, which was first performed in November 2004 by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and East Ayrshire youth Choir.

He has also written for the ABRSM jazz syllabus, Tango Siempre, Ensemble Plus, The Koch Ensemble, The Palladian Ensemble, The Renga Ensemble, the Gwynedd and Mon Youth Jazz Band, and has co-written a reconstruction Mass with Perfect Houseplants and The Orlando Consort (Extempore 2).

In 2007 he accepted a commission to be artistic director of the new Jazzin' Llangollen festival (11, 12, 13 May 2007).

Huw will release a trio recording (with Martin France and Peter Herbert) in October 2009 celebrating the Brazilian maverick compoer Hermeto Pascoal, one of his biggest influences titled Hermeto + also containing half originals by Huw. The track Xibaba by Pascoal is a highlight of Infinite Riches in a Little Room , Huw's debut for Babel for solo piano.

For live bookings please contact Lee Paterson
+44 (0) 7947 103892
+44 (0) 20 79231256
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.gogobetween.com/
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