Huw Warren
Huw Warren is a Welsh jazz pianist and composer whose work crosses several genres.
Biography
Huw Warren was born in Swansea, West Glamorgan and grew up on the Gower peninsula. He attended Gowerton Comprehensive School from 1973 until 1980. Warren's early musical experiences were as a cellist in the West Glamorgan Youth Orchestra and then as an organist in the working men's clubs of South Wales. He left Wales in 1980 to study at Goldsmiths, University of London, where he studied piano with experimental pianist John Tilbury and became involved in both the jazz and avant-garde scenes. Warren studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1983 until 1984 before starting a freelance career. In 1993, Warren relocated to Snowdonia, North Wales, where he lives to this day.Career
Huw Warren was the co-leader and founder of the jazz quartet Perfect Houseplants, with Mark Lockheart, Dudley Phillips, and Martin France. Perfect Houseplants have recorded five albums for various labels and produced collaborative projects with early music artists such as Andrew Manze, Pamela Thorby, and the Orlando Consort. Warren has had a long and continuing collaboration with English singer June Tabor as her arranger and musical director. To date, they have recorded 10 albums, have toured worldwide, and produced large scale projects with the Creative Jazz orchestra and the LPO Renga ensemble. Warren and Tabor were featured in Phillip King's Freedom Highway film and the Daughter's of Albion project recorded in 2009 by BBC Four.Between 1997 and 2005, Warren worked closely with UK jazz label Babel, who released 5 albums of his music.
Warren arranged and produced a Welsh Hymn Project in 2004, Duw A Wyr with singer Lleuwen Steffan, which received media exposure on radio and TV in Wales, including a S4C documentary about the making of the album. He has also worked extensively with partner Maria Lamburn, co-producing 3 albums with her and setting up Maizeh Music.
As the trio Quercus and collaborations/performances with musicians such as Gabriele Mirabassi, Ralph Towner, and RA Ramamani.
In 2019, Warren released 2 albums for the Italian label CAM Jazzincluding a new trio album "Everything in Between" with Dudley Phillips and Zoot Warren, and a live duo "New Day" with saxophonist Mark Lockheart
Warren has performed and recorded with many of the UK's finest jazz musicians, including Kenny Wheeler, Loose Tubes, Steve Arguelles, Julian Arguelles, Billy Jenkins, John Parricelli, John Etheridge, Christine Tobin, Tim Garland, Scott Stroman, Antonio Forcione, and Brian Abrahams' District Six.
Warren has also worked with Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello, Eddi Reader, Echobelly, Christine Collister, and the Audio Bullys.
Warren has also recorded film scores for Colin Towns, Stephen Warbeck and Mike Gibbs.
Recent projects have also seen Warren working with artists from a number of different fields including:
- Brace with Choreographer Chloe Loftus
- Coloured Gloves with artist Catrin Williams
- ACES Residency, Aberdeen with sculptor Helen Dennerly, writer Esther Woolfson, and artists Dalziel and Scullion
- Closure documenting a rural Welsh community with photographer David Woodfall and video artist Greg Byatt
Education
Commissions
1997: Swing Fun/Yokate commissioned by the ABRSM for their Jazz Piano exam syllabus.1997: Caterpillar commissioned by Curiad, for the school's songbook Cantabile – contemporary songs by living Welsh composers.
1998: Riot commissioned by Piano Circus with funds from the Arts Council of England.
1998: A Quiet Eye new arrangements and compositions for June Tabor and a large ensemble commissioned by the Creative Jazz Orchestra with funds from the National Lottery.
1998, Nov: Steamboat Bill Jnr new score for classic Buster Keaton movie commissioned by Birmingham Jazz for performance at Birmingham International Film and TV Festival
1999, Mar: Take the Fire score for new adaptation of Jean Cocteau monologues at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. Performed by actress Amanda Harris and commissioned by TOYE productions.
1999, Nov: New Folk Songs suite of pieces for contemporary Jazz ensemble, based on traditional music from East Anglia, commissioned by Andrew Milne award/Eastern Arts for performances by Perfect Houseplants.
1999: Left a Bit new music for piano and two percussionists/electronics commissioned by Eccentric Management with funds from the Arts Council of England for performance in Berlin and England.
2000: Lullaby, Exit, Bear for 13 piece ensemble commissioned by RSC millennium project.
2001: Shout/Greens commissioned by the ABRSM for the Jazz Horns syllabus
2001: Still Hearing You arrangement for the Palladium ensemble as an encore piece
2002: I am the Song commissioned by Tauntons Sixth form college choir, and performed at the National Festival of Music for Youth at the Royal Festival Hall.
2003: Railway Mania commissioned by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, for performance in October 2004.
2004: Tangled. New piece for Tango Siempre, commissioned by Corsham Music Festival, Wiltshire.
2005: Soldier, Shepherd, Sailor. June Tabor and The LPO Renga Ensemble.
2005: New Welsh Stories. Big Band suite, commissioned by Cerdd William Mathias, with funds made available from the PRS Foundation.
2006: This is Now!. Multi-media work for Orchestra Helclecs, featuring John Parricelli, Lleuwen Steffan and Nobsta Nuts. Funded by the Arts Council of Wales 'Creative Wales' Award.
2006: Strung Out. Double violin concerto, Welsh Chamber Orchestra and Beaumaris Festival/PRSF.
2006: In the Beginning/Slippery. Welsh Jazz Composers Orchestra/ACW.
2006: Gower Boy
Vortex Jazz/Babel label
2007: Solo piano pieces
KPM/Galapogos
2007: Open. Piano piece for Elena Riu and Boosey & Hawkes. This piece was included in the 2013/2014 ABRSM Grade 6 syllabus.
2008: Brace. Dance collaboration with Choreographer Chloe Loftus
2009: Hermeto... Jazz/Art Project. Collaboration with artist Catrin Williams at Galeri Caernarfon.
2010: The Brecon Project. Collaboration with Erik Truffaz, Sura Susso, Paula Gardiner. and Simon Thorne. Performed at Brecon Jazz, 2010.
2010: Tilt. Commissioned by classical jazz mixed ensemble "New Perspectives". First performance at Leasowes Bank Arts Festival, July 2011
2011: Gladrags. Big band/large jazz ensemble, commissioned by Farnham Festival 2011.
Discography
Nocturnes and Visions Maizeh Music 2018 Solo Piano'Nightfall Quercus 2017
Core/coracao Maria Pia de Vito with special guest Chico Buarque
Quercus Quercus 2013
O Pata Pata 2011
Ashore 2011
Hermeto + 2009
Dialektos – Maria Pia de Vito and Huw Warren 2008
Everything We Love and More – Huw Warren and Peter Herbert 2006
Brillanza – Waltraud Koettler, Huw Warren, Peter Herbert 2007
Duw a Wyr – Huw Warren and Lleuwen Steffan – 2005
100's of Things a Boy Can Make – with Mark Feldman 2003
Infinite Riches in a Little Room – solo piano 2001
A Barrel Organ Far from Home – mixed ensemble1997
Perfect Houseplants – Perfect Houseplants AH UM
Clec – Perfect Houseplants −1994
Snap Clatter – Perfect Houseplants 1997
New Folk Songs – Perfect Houseplants 2000
Extempore – Perfect Houseplants+The Orlando Consort 1999
Extempore 2 – Perfect Houseplants+The Orlando Consort 2002
Pulse -Huw Warren/Peter Whyman/Peter Fairclough 2004
Murmur – Madalena 2005
A Quiet Eye – June Tabor 2000
An Echo of Hooves – June Tabor 2004
Busy Listening -Steve Arguelles Quintet– 1998
East Meets West'' – Billy Jenkins' Voice of God Collective+Fun Horns of Berlin 1998