Orchestral Zone

Professor of Saxophone for the Royal Marines, Simon Bates is known and respected for his stylistic versatility and instrumental prowess. Musical Director for Rick Astley’s re-launch tour in September, Simon is in great demand on the London jazz and session scene – his playing features on countless adverts, film scores, TV theme tunes and pop records. Simon has appeared live and recorded with a wide variety of bands and musicians including Elvis Costello, Lulu, Billy Ocean, Rick Wakeman, D:Ream, Chaka Khan, Emma Bunton, Seal and Peter Erskine. He has performed around the world in a wide variety of settings from the Q.E.2. and Eiffel Tower to Ronnie Scotts and the Jazz Cafe.

Simon appears frequently on television in programmes such as ‘Johnny Vaughan Tonight’ for which he was Musical Director and was featured on Channel 4’s Big Breakfast every Friday. Some of Simon’s compositions have appeared on the ITV show ‘This Morning’ and on the Discovery Channel. He has also written many advertising jingles, a multitude of library music, commissions from other bands and musicians and cues for all television networks.

Simon’s extraordinary ability to play virtually any instrument in the woodwind family plus windsynth and percussion in any style has led to regular appearances in West-End shows such as Starlight Express, Follies, Chicago and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Simon started to learn the violin at school but the draw of his father’s old clarinet was too much, and so he started to have lessons. With the intense competition of his twin brother, (now a freelance French Horn player), Simon progressed quickly and achieved Grade 8 on the clarinet at the tender age of 12 and viola at only 13. He started to play sax at the age of 14 and got his first paid gig in the same year. At the Colchester Institute, whilst studying for a classical music degree, he turned to jazz and improvised music and went on to the Guildhall School of Music where he gained a Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Jazz and Studio Music and a L.G.S.M. Performance Diploma.

Simon Bates is an official endorsee of Yamaha Custom Saxophones, BG Ligatures and Vandoren Reeds.

A CELEBRATION OF JAZZ SAXOPHONE FEATURING NIGEL HITCHCOCK, AARON LIDDARD, DAVE BISHOP, SIMON BATES, NIK CARTER ∧ THE GARETH WILLIAMS TRIO.

As part of Yamaha UK’s ongoing commitment to the UK Jazz scene and the 606 Club in particular we are tonight presenting a show featuring five of the finest saxophonists around. All the players are Yamaha endorsees and the Club would like to extend their gratitude to Yamaha UK for enabling this great gig. NIGEL HITCHCOCK is unquestionably one of the finest saxophonists of his generation. This multi-award winning musician was lead alto with the NYJO at the age 12, graduating to busy session musician by the time he was 16. He has been a featured player with some of the finest musicians in the World, including work with the likes of Ray Charles, Tom Jones and Robbie Williams. In more recent years he has also added composing and arranging to his accomplishments, including works for full-scale orchestra. AARON LIDDARD is one of the UK music scene’s rising stars. In the last 5 years he has worked with the likes of Prince, Maceo Parker, Beverley Knight and Amy Whinehouse and in the process earned an impressive reputation as a fluent and incisive player. He includes live work and sessions world wide as well numerous TV and Video appearances and has become first call for a variety of A-list recording artists. DAVE BISHOP The doyen of studio players Dave is admired and respected throughout the business. His powerful but sophisticated playing has been heard on more successful albums, film sound tracks and tours than almost any other player. It’s probably easier to list the people he hasn’t played with but his 25+ years in the business includes work with the likes of Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Tom Jones, and Robbie Williams on a glittering cv. SIMON BATES is a muscular and powerful sax player who includes the likes of Chaka Khan, Seal and Jamie Cullum on an impressive cv. An enormously experienced player Simon has performed in a wide variety of settings from classical and jazz to funk and pop and from international tours and festivals to Ronnie Scott’s. A well established educator he includes teaching posts at Thames Valley University and Morley College as well as being the author of a beginners’ saxophone course for Digital Music World (on-line worldwide tuition sponsored by Yamaha and Music Sales). NIK CARTER is another of the rising stars featured this evening. A recent alumnus of NYJO Nik’s impressive talent was soon rewarded by two World Tours with Lily Allen. He is currently working with a variety of pop, gospel and indie artists plus numerous sessions and TV work as well as continuing to perform with Lily. The supporting trio will be led by GARETH WILLIAMS, one of the country’s finest piano players.