Huw Warren

Huw Warren – Biography “one of the UK's truly independent spirits” - The Guardian “where the indescribable meets the unclassifiable” - Colin Irwin, Mojo Pianist and Composer Huw Warren has achieved a reputation for innovative and eclectic music making over a twenty year career. Equally at home crossing the often exclusive worlds of Jazz, World and Folk and Contemporary music, he has a distinctive and personal voice. Known equally for a lyrical beauty and a ferocious rhythmic energy, his own compositions have a gentle ironic wit underpinning them. Recent collaborations with musicians such as Mark Feldman, Maria Pia de Vito, Peter Herbert, Joanna Macgreggor, Theo Bleckmann , Pamela Thorby and Erik Truffaz have brought his music to a wider audience. International concerts include Rochester (USA) Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, Venice Bienale, Kalisz International Piano Festival (Poland),The Auditorium Rome, Punkt 07 in Norway, European tour (with Mark Feldman, Drew Gress and Tom Rainey), Jazz Ahead ,Bremen, and Umbria Jazz 2010. In the UK he is best known from his work with the award winning quartet Perfect Houseplants and his collaboration with English singer June Tabor. Huw was awarded the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation in 2005 and also has received the prestigious Creative Wales Award His latest recording project is Hermeto+, a celebration of the music of Brazilian maverick Hermeto Pascoal, released on Basho Records in 2009 Main projects: Co-leader and founder of the award winning ensemble Perfect Houseplants, with Mark Lockheart, Dudley Phillips and Martin France. 5 CDs for various labels included Linn and collaborative projects with Andrew Manse, Pamela Thorby and the Orlando Consort 20 year collaboration with English singer June Tabor- to date has included recording 10 CDs, worldwide touring and projects with Creative Jazz orchestra and LPO Renga ensemble, and participation in Phillip King's Freedom Highway film and the recent Daughter's of Albion project recorded by BBC4. Welsh Hymn Project in 2004 – Duw Y Wyr,(God only Knows) with singer Lleuwen Steffan, received rave reviews and much media exposure on radio and TV in Wales, including a S4C documentary about the making of the album. Ongoing collaboration with abstract artist Catrin Williams -including workshops and performances of live music/art. Performances and recordings with many of the UK's finest Jazz musicians including: Kenny Wheeler, Loose Tubes, Steve Arguelles, Julian Arguelles, Iain Ballamy, Billy Jenkins, John Parricelli, John Etheridge, Christine Tobin, Tim Garland, Scott Stroman, Antonio Forcione and Brian Abrahams' District Six, Studio and live projects with Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello, Eddi Reader, Echobelly, Christine Collister and The Audio Bullys Film scores for Colin Towns, Stephen Warbeck and Mike Gibbs Select Discography Hermeto + Huw Warren/Peter Herbert/Martin France 2009 (Basho) Dialektos - Maria Pia de Vito and Huw Warren 2008 (Parco Della Musica) Everything We Love and More – Huw Warren and Peter Herbert 2006 (Babel) Brillanza – Waltraud Koettler, Huw Warren, Peter Herbert 2007 (Extraplatte) Duw a Wyr – Huw Warren and Lleuwen Steffan - 2005 (Sain/Babel) 100's of Things a Boy can Make – with Mark Feldman 2003 (Babel) Infinite Riches in a little Room – solo piano 2001 (Babel) A Barrel Organ far from Home - mixed ensemble1997 (Babel) Perfect Houseplants – Perfect Houseplants AH UM (1992) Clec – Perfect Houseplants -1994 (EFZ) Snap Clatter – Perfect Houseplants 1997 (Linn) New Folk Songs – Perfect Houseplants 2000 (Linn) Extempore – Perfect Houseplants+The Orlando Consort 1999 (Linn) Extempore 2 - Perfect Houseplants+The Orlando Consort 2002 (Harmonia Mundi USA) Pulse -Huw Warren/Peter Whyman/Peter Fairclough 2004 (FMR) Murmur – Madalena 2005 Babel) A Quiet Eye – June Tabor 2000 (topic) An Echo of Hooves – June Tabor 2004 (topic) Busy Listening -Steve Arguelles Quintet– 1998 (Babel) East meets West - Billy Jenkins' Voice of God Collective+Fun Horns of Berlin 1998(Babel) Media Radio: Numerous live broadcasts for Radio 3 including Huw Warren John Parricelli duo, Huw Warren Peter Herbert duo, Late junction live special with June Tabor, Radio 3 60th anniversary concert with Perfect Houseplants. Radio Wales Arts Show special with Nichola Heywood Thomas. TV: BBC4 Sessions with June Tabor, later with Jools Holland, S4C Documentary (Sioe Celf) about the making of Duw y Wyr with Lleuwen Steffan, BBC4 documentary “Jazz Pianists” recorded at Brecon Festival 2006 As a composer Huw has witten for many ensembles including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Welsh Chamber Orchestra, RSC, LPO Renga ensemble, The Orlando Consort, Ensmble Plus, Koch Ensemble and Tango Siempre; and also is involved with Jazz education through his new pieces for the ABRSM syllabus and as a visiting tutor of Jazz Piano at RWCMD in Cardiff . He is the piano tutor at Europe's most progressive Jazz Summer course - JIMS in Salzburg, Austria . “a slow piece...still hearing you, possibly the most ravishing melody I have ever heard in my life” Miles Kington, The Independent Genre defying pianist composer,has worked in many areas of music including co founder of perfect houseplants, collaborations with june tabor mark feldman maria pia de vito and many others. Records with Quercus on ECM and new solo CD Nocturnes and Visions