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 European musicians. His music combines British contemporary jazz infused with Spanish rhythms, South African grooves, brass band and classical influences. He was awarded a fellowship from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for his services to jazz in 2017 and received a Parliamentary Jazz Award (2016) for his album ''Let It Be Told''.

Life and career

Born in

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, Argüelles was raised in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. He is the younger brother of the jazz drummer Steve Argüelles. Argüelles started playing with big bands, including the European Community Big Band that toured throughout Europe. In 1984 he moved to London. He studied briefly at Trinity College of Music before joining Loose Tubes, staying with them for four years and recording two albums. In 1986 he received the Pat Smythe Award for young musicians. His first album, ''Phaedrus'', included pianist John Taylor. The second, ''Home Truths'', was a quartet which included Steve Swallow. ''As Above So Below'' was a large scale work for jazz and classical musicians with the 20 piece

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music, dance, and musical theatre conservatoire based in South East London. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. Trini ...

String Ensemble. The album evolved from a commission that was performed in Saint Wendreda's Church in

March, Cambridgeshire March is a The Fens, Fenland market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. It was the county town of the Isle of Ely which was a separate administrative county from 1889 to 1965. Th ...

in the Fens. He was commissioned by

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

to write 60 minutes of music for an octet. It was performed and recorded at Bath International Music Festival in May 1996. The group toured and recorded the album ''Skull View'', released in 1997 by Babel Label. His second octet album, ''Escapade'', was released by Provocateur. Argüelles has been commissioned to write and arrange for HR Frankfurt, Phronesis, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, Apollo Saxophone Quartet, his octet (by Birmingham Jazz), Berkshire Youth Jazz Orchestra, Walsall Youth Jazz Orchestra, Fenland Youth Symphony Orchestra, North German Radio Big Band (NDR), and

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 1999 he received the Jazz Composers Alliance Composition Award from the U.S. He has worked with

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

, Tim Berne, Hermeto Pascoal, John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, Peter Erskine,

Chris McGregor Christopher McGregor (24 December 1936 – 26 May 1990) was a South African jazz pianist, bandleader and composer born in Somerset West, South Africa. Early influences McGregor grew up in the then Transkei (now part of the Eastern Cape Prov ...

, Evan Parker, Mike Gibbs,

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951) is an American guitarist and composer. His music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention as part of the band of Miles Davis; he ...

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936 – October 17, 2023) was an American jazz composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she gained acclaim for her jazz opera ''Escalator ...

, Dudu Pukwana, Arturo Sandoval, and Giorgio Gaslini. He was also a member of several big bands including The HR in Frankfurt,

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

Big Band, Django Bates' Delightful Precipice, and Colin Towns' Mask Orchestra. He has taught at the KUG Jazz Institute in Graz, Austria, York University, Royal Academy of Music, and

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music school, music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz al ...

Discography

As leader

* ''Phaedrus'' (Ah Um, 1990) * ''Home Truths'' (Babel, 1995) * ''Scapes'' (Babel, 1996) * ''Skull View'' (Babel, 1997) * ''Escapade'' (Provocateur, 1999) * ''As Above So Below'' (Provocateur, 2003) * ''Partita'' (Basho, 2006) * ''Momenta'' (Basho, 2009) * ''Inner Voices'' (Tone of a Pitch, 2009) * ''Circularity'' (CAM Jazz, 2014) * ''Let It Be Told'' (Basho, 2015) * ''Tetra'' (Whirlwind, 2015) * ''The Behemoth'' (Edition, 2017) * ''Setembro'' (Edition, 2017) * ''Tonadas'' (Edition, 2018)

As sideman

With Django Bates * '' Summer Fruits (and Unrest)'' (JMT, 1993) * '' Winter Truce (and Homes Blaze)'' (JMT, 1995) With

* '' Big Band Theory'' (1993) * '' The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church'' (1996) With Andy Sheppard * '' Rhythm Method'' (Blue Note International, 1993) With Loose Tubes * ''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) With

* ''The Long Waiting'' (2012) With Samo Salamon * ''Nano'' (Goga, 2006) * ''Unity'' (Samo Records, 2016) * ''The Colours Suite'' (Clean Feed Records, 2017)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arguelles, Julian 1966 births Living people 21st-century English male musicians 21st-century English saxophonists Basho Records artists British male jazz composers English male saxophonists English jazz composers English jazz saxophonists English jazz tenor saxophonists English male composers Delightful Precipice members Edition Records artists Human Chain members Jazz baritone saxophonists Jazz soprano saxophonists Loose Tubes members Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands Musicians from Staffordshire National Youth Jazz Orchestra members People from Lichfield Whirlwind Recordings artists