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 flug ...

. 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 additional to his jazz work, he is also a noted 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 Delightful Precipice is a 19-piece British jazz big band/orchestra led by Django Bates. Delightful Precipice contains many individual solo artists, music educators and bandleaders as ensemble members, including Julian Arguelles, Iain Ballamy, E ...

, Quiet Nights, Powder Room Collapse Orchestra and Belovèd, and he was also a leading figure in

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 ...

and

Bill Bruford's Earthworks Bill Bruford's Earthworks were a United Kingdom, British jazz band led by drummer Bill Bruford. The band recorded several albums for Editions EG, Discipline Global Mobile and Summerfold Records. Earthworks went through several line-ups: in add ...

Early life

Bates was born in

Beckenham Beckenham () is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley, in Greater London. Until 1965 it was part of the historic county of Kent. It is located south-east of Charing Cross, situated north of Elmers End and ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, 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, London, Waterloo on the South Bank, and two in West London namely in North Kensington and in ...

. In 1978, he enrolled at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

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

. In 1991, he started the 19-piece jazz orchestra

. He also assembled the Powder Room Collapse Orchestra (which recorded ''

Music for The Third Policeman ''Music for The Third Policeman'' is an album by the composer and musician Django Bates and the Powder Room Collapse Orchestra. It was released by Ah Um records in 1990. The album is based on the 1939 comic novel ''The Third Policeman'', writte ...

'') 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, composer and pianist (although not known for his piano playing). Early years in South Africa Dudu Pukwana was born in Walmer Township, Port Elizabeth, ...

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

Bill Bruford William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former 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 ...

's Earthworks,

Sidsel Endresen Sidsel Endresen (born 19 June 1952) is a Norwegian singer, composer, and actress. She was part of the Jon Eberson group. Since 1987, Endresen has pursued a successful solo career, recording for ECM. Career Endresen was one of the most prono ...

, and in the bands of George Russell and George Gruntz. 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 both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of ...

Tim Berne Tim Berne (born October 16, 1954) is an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and record label owner. His primary instruments are the alto and baritone saxophones. Biography Berne was born in Syracuse, New York, United States. He has said t ...

, Christian Jarvi, Vince Mendoza,

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental Pop music, pop and R&B. He released his first solo ...

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 in New York City – March 28, 2006 in New York City) was an American jazz percussionist. Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was, however, a capable drum kit performer: for ...

As composer

Bates has concentrated on writing large scale compositions on commission. These include: * "Dream Kitchen" for percussionist

Evelyn Glennie Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie, (born 19 July 1965) is a Scottish percussionist. She was selected as one of the two laureates for the Polar Music Prize of 2015. Early life Glennie was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire in Scotland. The indig ...

* "Fine Frenzy" for the Shobhana Jeyasingh Dance Company * "What It's Like to be Alive", a piano concerto for

Joanna MacGregor Joanna Clare MacGregor (born 16 July 1959) is a British concert pianist, conductor, composer, and festival curator. She is Head of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music and a professor of the University of London. She is currently artistic direc ...

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 Philharmon ...

* "2000 Years Beyond UNDO", a concerto for electric keyboard which was performed at the millennium Barbican Festival Bates worked closely with director Lucy Bailey on several theatre projects, including ''Gobbledegook'' for the Gogmagogs, ''Baby Doll'', ( Birmingham Rep, National Theatre, Albery Theatre), ''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-Martin ...

), ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (

West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds Playhouse is a theatre in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire. Having originally opened in 1970 in a different location in Leeds, it reopened as West Yorkshire Playhouse, on Quarry Hill, in March 1990. After a refurbishment in 2018-20 ...

, Albery Theatre) and ''

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

'' (

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and ...

). They also worked on a short film ''You Can Run''. Other theatre work includes

Gregory Doran Gregory Doran (born 24 November 1958) is an English director known for his Shakespearean work. '' The Sunday Times'' called him 'one of the great Shakespearians of his generation'. Doran was artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (R ...

's production of ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral 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 Wilton House in 1603 has ...

'' (RSC), and Campbell Graham's ''Out There!''. He 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 and composer. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the alternative rock band Radiohead, and has written numerous film scores. Along with his elder brother, t ...

of Radiohead. Django also commissioned sixty composers including

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

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

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 was president of the Br ...

, and

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jazz ...

, 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 ...

and the

London Sinfonietta The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary 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 in 1968—gi ...

to celebrate Parker's 60th birthday. ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2, ...

'' voted Bates Best UK Jazz Composer in 1987 and 1990. In 1997, he won the Jazzpar Prize. In 2008, he was nominated for the PRS New Music Award. He was awarded a fellowship by the

Leeds College of Music Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populatio ...

in 1995.

Teaching

In 2002, he was a tutor at the

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

jazz program alongside Jim Black and

Dave Douglas David or Dave Douglas may refer to: Entertainment * David Douglas (director) (born 1953), Canadian cinematographer, director and writer * Dave Douglas (trumpeter) (born 1963), American jazz trumpeter * Dave Douglas (drummer) (born 1979), America ...

. In July 2005 he was appointed Professor of Rhythmic Music at the

Rhythmic Music Conservatory The Rhythmic Music Conservatory ( da, Rytmisk Musikkonservatorium) is a music conservatoire in Copenhagen, Denmark. The RMC was founded in 1986 as an independent institution of higher education under the Danish Ministry of Culture and is the only sc ...

(RMC) in Copenhagen. He was appointed visiting professor of jazz at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire 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 first Duke ...

in London in September 2010. In September 2011 Django Bates was appointed Professor of Jazz at HKB Bern Switzerland.

Awards and honours

the Jazzpar Prize, 1997 The Ivor’s Jazz Award, 2019

Discography

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

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

With

* ''

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

Open Letter An open letter is a 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 addressed to an individ ...

'' (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 ''Scratches of Spain'' is an album by English experimental jazz guitarist and bandleader Billy Jenkins (musician), Billy Jenkins, featuring the Voice of God Collective. It was released on the Babel Records label in 1987. As with many of Jenkins' ...

'' (1987) With First House * '' Eréndira'' (1985) * ''

Cantilena A cantilena (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

* '' Earthworks'' (1987) * '' Dig?'' (1989) * '' All Heaven Broke Loose'' (1991) * '' Stamping Ground'' (1994) * ''Heavenly Bodies'' (1997) With Iain Ballamy * '' Balloon Man'' (1989) * '' All Men Amen'' (1995) With

's Caos Totale *'' Nice View'' (JMT, 1994) With

Anouar Brahem Anouar Brahem ( أنور براهم); 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 ...

*'' Blue Maqams'' (ECM, 2017) With

* ''So I Write'' (1990) * ''Exile'' (1993) With

Julian Argüelles Julian Argüelles (born 28 January 1966) is an English jazz saxophonist. Coming to prominence in the 1980s and '90s with the ensemble Loose Tubes, Argüelles has worked extensively as a solo performer and with American and European musicians. ...

* ''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 The Dedication Orchestra is a jazz ensemble formed as a tribute to the exiled South African musicians who formed the core of The Blue Notes and the Brotherhood of Breath, it features Alan Skidmore, Radu Malfatti, Django Bates, Kenny Wheeler, Elt ...

– ''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 Christy Doran (born 1949) is a jazz guitarist born in Dublin, Ireland, and raised in Lucerne, Switzerland. Doran founded OM with Fredy Studer, Urs Leimgruber, and Bobby Burri in the 1970s; this ensemble recorded for ECM. He and Studer also work ...

– ''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 – ''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 English jazz pianists English jazz composers Male jazz composers English male composers English multi-instrumentalists English jazz horn players Crossover (music) Postmodern composers Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music People from Beckenham Musicians from Kent 20th-century English musicians British male pianists 21st-century pianists 20th-century British male musicians 21st-century British male musicians Loose Tubes members Earthworks (band) members Delightful Precipice members Human Chain members The Dedication Orchestra members Voice of God Collective members