Django Bates (born Leon Bates, 2 October 1960) is a British jazz musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, band leader and educator. He plays the piano, keyboards and the

tenor horn The Tenor horn (British English; Alto horn in American English, Althorn in Germany; occasionally referred to as E horn) is a brass instrument in the saxhorn family and is usually pitched in E. It has a bore that is mostly conical, like the flu ...

. Bates has been described as "one of the most talented musicians Britain has produced... his work covers the entire spectrum of jazz, from early jazz through to bebop and free jazz to jazz-rock fusion." In addition to his jazz work, he is also a classical composer (writing both large- and small-scale compositions on commission), theatre composer, and has taught as a professor at various European music schools. As a leader, his bands have included Human Chain, Delightful Precipice, Quiet Nights, Powder Room Collapse Orchestra and Belovèd, and he was also a leading figure in Loose Tubes and Bill Bruford's Earthworks.

Early life

Bates was born in

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Prior to 1965, it was part of Kent. It is situated north of Elmers End and Eden Park, east of Penge, south of Lower Sydenham and Bellingham, and west ...

, then in

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, now

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

, England, and attended Sedgehill School. While at this school, he also attended the Centre for Young Musicians in London (1971–77), where he learned trumpet, piano, and violin. In 1977–78, he studied at

Morley College Morley College is a specialist adult education and further education college in London, England. The college has three main campuses, one in Waterloo on the South Bank, and two in West London namely in North Kensington and in Chelsea, the ...

. In 1978, he enrolled at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

to study composition but left after two weeks.

As jazz musician

Bates founded Human Chain in 1979 and, in the 1980s, he rose to prominence in a jazz orchestra called Loose Tubes. In 1991, he started the 19-piece jazz orchestra Delightful Precipice. He also assembled the Powder Room Collapse Orchestra (which recorded '' Music for The Third Policeman'') and created Circus Umbilicus, a musical circus show. Bates has appeared as a sideman or member of

Dudu Pukwana Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana (18 July 1938 – 30 June 1990) was a South African saxophonist and composer. Early years in South Africa Dudu Pukwana was born in Walmer, Port Elizabeth, Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, South Africa. He grew up studyin ...

's Zila, Tim Whitehead's Borderline, Ken Stubbs's First House,

Bill Bruford William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording and tou ...

's Earthworks, Sidsel Endresen, and in the bands of George Russell and

George Gruntz George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker ...

. He has performed with

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

, Tim Berne, Christian Jarvi, Vince Mendoza,

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (July 30, 1945 – May 12, 2024) was an American alto saxophonist. He worked in many musical genres; his solo recordings typically blended jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He began playing the saxophone at the age o ...

Kate Rusby Kate Anna Rusby (born 4 December 1973) is an English folk singer-songwriter from Penistone, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Sometimes called the "Barnsley Nightingale", she has headlined various British folk festivals, and is one of the be ...

, and

Don Alias Charles "Don" Alias (December 25, 1939 – March 28, 2006) was an American jazz percussionist. Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was also a capable drum kit performer. He played drums on the song "Miles Runs the V ...

As composer

Bates has concentrated on writing large-scale compositions on commission. These include: * "Dream Kitchen" for percussionist Evelyn Glennie * "Fine Frenzy" for the Shobhana Jeyasingh Dance Company * "What It's Like to be Alive", a piano concerto for Joanna MacGregor and the

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmo ...

* "2000 Years Beyond UNDO", a concerto for electric keyboard that was performed at the millennium Barbican Festival Bates worked closely with director

Lucy Bailey Lucy Bailey is a prolific British theatre director, known for productions such as ''Baby Doll'' at Britain's Royal National Theatre, National Theatre and a notorious ''Titus Andronicus'', The Guardian review said, 'There is no getting away from o ...

on several theatre projects, including ''Gobbledegook'' for the Gogmagogs, ''Baby Doll'', ( Birmingham Rep, National Theatre,

Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to: Given name * Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator Surname * A. S. Albery, British politician * Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director and impresario * Do ...

), ''Stairs to the Roof'' (

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Mart ...

), ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' ( West Yorkshire Playhouse, Albery Theatre) and ''

Titus Andronicus ''The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus'', often shortened to ''Titus Andronicus'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first t ...

'' ( Shakespeare's Globe). They also worked on a short film ''You Can Run''. Other theatre work includes Gregory Doran's production of ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' (RSC), and Campbell Graham's ''Out There!''. Bates was the inaugural artistic director of the music festival FuseLeeds in 2004. He used this opportunity to initiate the first orchestral commission for

Jonny Greenwood Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the rock band Radiohead, and has composed numerous film scores. He has been named one of the greatest guitarists by numer ...

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

. Bates also commissioned sixty composers including

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, Musical historicism, historicism, Avant-garde music, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early lif ...

Patrick Moore Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore (; 4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominence in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter. Moore's early interest in astro ...

, and

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

, to write one bar each. He then quilted these bars into the piece "Premature Celebration", which was performed by

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

and the

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber music, chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble has headquarters at Kings Place and is Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Since its inaugural concert ...

to celebrate Parker's 60th birthday.

Teaching

In 2002, Bates was a tutor at the

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (formerly Banff Centre) is an arts and culture educational institution in Banff, Alberta, Banff, Alberta. It offers arts programs in the Performing arts, performing and fine arts, as well as leadership trai ...

jazz programme alongside

Jim Black Jim Black is an American jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas. He attended Berklee College of Music. Career His band AlasNoAxis includes Hilmar Jensson on electric guitar, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clari ...

and Dave Douglas. In July 2005, Bates was appointed Professor of Rhythmic Music at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC) in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Denmark. He was appointed visiting professor of jazz at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

in London in September 2010. In September 2011, he was appointed Professor of Jazz at HKB

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, Switzerland.

Awards and honours

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime fiction, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created and primarily written by the American author and former police reporter David Simon for the cable network HBO. The series premiered o ...

'' voted Bates Best UK Jazz Composer in 1987 and 1990. * The

Jazzpar Prize The Jazzpar Prize (established 1990) was an annual Danish jazz prize founded by trumpeter Arnvid Meyer. The winner was chosen from five nominees among internationally recognized performers. The winner received 200,000 Danish crowns and a bronze stat ...

, 1997 * The Ivors Jazz Award, 2019 In 2008, he was nominated for the PRS New Music Award. He was awarded a fellowship by the

Leeds College of Music Leeds Conservatoire (formerly known as The Leeds Music Centre, the City of Leeds College of Music, and Leeds College of Music) is a higher education music conservatoire based in the Quarry Hill district of Leeds, England. It was founded in 19 ...

in 1995.

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

With Loose Tubes * ''

Loose Tubes Loose Tubes were a British jazz big band/orchestra active during the mid-to-late 1980s. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the band was considered to be the focal point of a 1980s renaissance in British jazz. It was the main launchpad for the ...

'' (1985) * ''Delightful Precipice'' (1986) * ''

Open Letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...

'' (1988) * ''Dancing on Frith Street'' (recorded live 1990) (2010) * ''Säd Afrika'' (recorded live 1990) (2012) With Billy Jenkins * ''Greenwich'' (1985) * ''Uncommerciality Vol 1'' (1986) * '' Scratches of Spain'' (1987) With First House * '' Eréndira'' (1985) * ''

Cantilena A (Italian for "lullaby" and Latin for "old, familiar song") is a vocal melody or instrumental passage in a smooth, lyrical style. References {{classical-music-stub Classical music styles ...

'' (1989) With Bill Bruford's Earthworks * '' Earthworks'' (1987) * '' Dig?'' (1989) * '' All Heaven Broke Loose'' (1991) * '' Stamping Ground'' (1994) * ''Heavenly Bodies'' (1997) With

Iain Ballamy Iain Ballamy (born 20 February 1964) is a British composer and saxophonist. He is considered one of the 25 greatest jazz saxophonists of all time and was featured as one of the world's all-time greats in ''BBC Music Magazine''s "100 Jazz Legen ...

* '' Balloon Man'' (1989) * '' All Men Amen'' (1995) With Tim Berne's Caos Totale *'' Nice View'' (JMT, 1994) With

Anouar Brahem Anouar Brahem (; born on 20 October 1957) is a Tunisian oud player and composer. He is widely acclaimed as an innovator in his field. Performing primarily for a jazz audience, he combines Arabic classical music, folk music and jazz and has bee ...

*'' Blue Maqams'' (ECM, 2017) With Sidsel Endresen * ''So I Write'' (1990) * ''Exile'' (1993) With

Julian Argüelles Julian Argüelles (born 28 January 1966) is an English jazz saxophonist. He is best known for his work during the 1980s and '90s with the ensemble Loose Tubes. Argüelles has also worked extensively as a solo performer and with American and E ...

* ''Skull View'' (1997) * ''Escapade'' (1999) With others *

– ''Life in Bracknell and Willisau'' (1983) * Tim Whitehead's Borderline – ''English People'' (1983) * Dudu Pukwana – ''Zila '86'' (1986) * Social Systems – ''Research'' (1987) * The Dedication Orchestra – ''Spirits Rejoice'' (1992) *

Hank Roberts Hank Roberts (born March 24, 1954, Terre Haute, Indiana) is an American jazz cellist and vocalist. He plays the electric cello, and his style is a mixture of rock, jazz, avant-garde, folk, and classical influences. He emerged with the downtown Ne ...

– '' Little Motor People'' (JMT, 1993) * Christy Doran – ''Play the music of Jimi Hendrix'' (1994) * Harry Beckett – Bates plays piano on song: 'Les Jardins du Casino' – ''Les Jardins du Casino'' (1995), ''Maxine'' (2010) * Michael Gibbs — ''Big Music'' (ACT, 1996) * Bendik Hofseth – ''Colours'' (1997) * Søren Nørbo Trio – ''Debates'' (2005) *

Marius Neset Marius Søfteland Neset (born 2 January 1985) is a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone) living in Copenhagen. He is known from collaborations within the jazz bands "People Are Machines", "Kaktusch", " JazzKamikaze" and Django Bates projects "Sto ...

– ''Golden XPlosion'' (2011)

References

External links

*
short film portrait on Django Bates and his work with ECM Records, shot in his home in Bern in 2020

''The Guardian'', 4 February 2005

''The Guardian'', 2 December 2005

Django Bates
on Spotify playlist {{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Django 1960 births Living people 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century British musicians 20th-century English musicians 21st-century British male musicians 21st-century British pianists British male jazz composers British male jazz pianists Crossover (music) Delightful Precipice members Earthworks (band) members English jazz composers English jazz horn players English jazz pianists English male composers English multi-instrumentalists Honorary members of the Royal Academy of Music Human Chain members Loose Tubes members Musicians from Kent People from Beckenham Postmodern composers The Dedication Orchestra members Voice of God Collective members