Music

Here are a few tracks from my last solo album, 2005’s Breathing Underwater. These performances feature

• Johnny Thirkell — Trumpet

• Martin Williams — Tenor Saxophone

• Simon King, Ray Russell and Richard Niles — Guitars

• Steve Hamilton — Piano and Keyboards

• Laurence Cottle — Electric Bass

Here are a couple of tracks from my first solo album, 2024’s About Time. I returned to my jazz roots for this project, my first solo record, and these two pieces highlight the sound I wanted to capture. This album features:

• Matt Winch — Trumpet

• Martin Williams — Tenor Saxophone

• Steve Hamilton — Piano

• Laurence Cottle — Electric Bass

Here is a track from Richard Niles’ Bandzilla featuring Randy Brecker unusually as lead vocalist and, of course, on trumpet. Also featured on this track is my long time friend Paul Turner of Jamiroquai on bass.

• Richard Niles - Composition & Guitar

• Randy Brecker — Vocals & Trumpet

• Kim Chandler - Back Vocals

• Johnny Thirkell — Trumpet

• Mark Nightingale — Trombones

• Nigel Hitchcock - Alto Saxophone

• Ed Barker - Tenor Saxophone

• Tini Thomsen - Baritone Saxophone

• Simon King - Guitar

• Steve Hamilton - Piano/Keyboards

• Paul Turner - Electric Bass

• Ian Palmer - Drums

• Kurt Hammernik - Percussion

Here are four tracks from Richard Niles’ 2022 release Niles Smiles. You can hear the whole album on all the usual streaming sites. This album features some wonderful musicians including:

• Mark Egan - Electric Bass

• Johnny Thirkell — Trumpet

• Snake Davis — saxophone.

Here is a track recorded in April 2023 at RAK Studios in St John’s Wood, London for a documentary called Musicmakers — a History of the London Session Scene shown on TV early in 2024. This sadly became the final recording of the legendary electric bassist Mo Foster. Also featured are:

• Johnny Thirkell - Trumpet

• Simon Willescroft - Tenor Saxophone

• Ray Russell - Electric Guitar

• Jim Watson - Electric Piano

Here is a selection of music from the Tomb Raider – Dark Angel soundtrack, recorded in 2019. The sessions featured an 85-piece orchestra captured at Angel Studios and Masterchord Studios in London. Outstanding soloists on these recordings include

• Tina Guo - Cello

• Nigel Hitchcock - Alto saxophone

• Johnny Thirkell - Trumpet

• Laurence Cottle - Electric Bass

The music was composed by Peter Connelly and arranged by Richard Niles.

The selection below is from the acclaimed recording by Richard Niles' LA-based Pop Big Band project Bandzilla from the bands latest album Bandzilla Rises. The album features a diverse selection of musicians including Randy Brecker, Lamont Dozier JR, Baskerville Jones and even vocalist Leo Sayer.

This next track is the lead single from Norwegian singer songwriter Thomas Dybdahl’s hit album What's Left Is Forever, featuring producer and bassist Larry Klein and former Steely Dan guitarist Dean Parks. The album was produced by Tim Bran.

The Ghosts band enjoyed chart success a couple of years ago with the single "Enough Time." A couple of their tracks were licensed for TV commercials, and the intro of "Forgetting What We Know" was used as a teaser for Sky Sports football coverage.

This is from tenor saxophonist Alan Skidmore, recorded at Berlin’s Philharmonic Hall. The quartet features Mike Gorman on piano and Aidan O’Donnell on bass. It’s some of the most intense jazz quartet music I’ve ever recorded.

The release was issued as a double CD, the alternate disc features the late, great Tony Levin on drums, his final recorded performance.

This album features the legendary British vocalist Georgie Fame. The recording includes outstanding contributions from great British jazz musicians:

• Alan Skidmore - Tenor Saxophone

• Steve Melling - Piano

• Geoff Gascoyne - Bass

This is a library music track from a few years ago that I co-wrote. It captured the dark ambient vibe we were aiming for. We wrote it with a TV drama in mind, its structure and pacing were designed to support visual storytelling, building atmosphere without overwhelming dialogue or action. It never made it into the show, but it still stands as a strong example of that aesthetic and of the creative risks we took on the arrangement and sound design.

Another album featuring the acclaimed British vocalist Georgie Fame, joined on this recording by distinguished musicians Alan Skidmore, Dave Liebman and the String Trio of New York.

My first recording. This track was recorded in 1992 at Ronnie Scott’s, London, when I was 16. The band included:

• Guy Barker - Trumpet

• Dave O’Higgins - Tenor saxophone

• David Newton - Piano

• Alec Dankworth - Bass