Liam Noble (born 15 November 1968) is a British jazz pianist, composer, arranger and educator.
Liam Noble | |
|---|---|
 Noble with Ingrid Laubrock at Niederstetten, Germany in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 15 November 1968 London, UK |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger, educator |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Website | liamnoble.co.uk |
Early life edit
Noble was born in London on 15 November 1968.[1] He studied music at the University of Oxford and the postgraduate level at the Guildhall School of Music.[1]
Later life and career edit
After his studies, Noble played with saxophonist Stan Sulzmann in duo and quartet performances.[1] He then played in several bands, including those led by Harry Beckett, John Stevens and Anita Wardell.[1] In 1997, Noble joined Bobby Wellins' band.[1] In 2002, he received a commission from Birmingham Jazz to write a song cycle.[1]
Noble's 2004 recording Romance Among the Fishes was a quartet album, with Phil Robson (guitar), Drew Gress (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums).[2] Noble and Robson had often played together, but the four had been put together earlier the same year for an appearance at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.[2] Noble's 2009 trio album, Brubeck, was described by the dedicatee, Dave Brubeck, as "an inspiration and a challenge for me to carry on in the avenues that you [Noble] have opened".[3] In 2010, Noble accompanied vocalist Christine Tobin on the album Tapestry Unravelled, a reworking of Carole King's Tapestry from four decades earlier.[4] In 2015, Noble will release the solo piano album A Room Somewhere.[5]
Noble teaches at the Royal Academy of Music,[6] Trinity Laban,[7] the Birmingham Conservatoire[8] and the University of Kent.[9]
Compositions edit
Critic John Fordham, writing in 2005, commented that "Noble likes a mixture of staccato, drily witty themes that suggest a collision of Steve Coleman and Django Bates with Wayne Shorter – and with Canadian piano guru Paul Bley in the quieter episodes".[2]
Discography edit
An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
As leader/co-leader edit
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Close Your Eyes | FMR | Solo piano |
| 2001* | In the Meantime | Basho | Quintet, with Stan Sulzmann (tenor sax, soprano sax, flute), Chris Biscoe (alto sax, soprano sax, alto clarinet), Mick Hutton (bass), Paul Clarvis (drums) |
| 2004 | Romance Among the Fishes | Basho | Quartet, with Phil Robson (guitar), Drew Gress (bass), Tom Rainey (drums) |
| 2006* | Let's Call This... | Babel | Duo, with Ingrid Laubrock (sax) |
| 2009* | Brubeck | Basho | Trio, with Dave Whitford (bass), Dave Wickins (drums) |
| 2010* | Tapestry Unravelled | Trail Belle | Duo, with Christine Tobin (vocals) |
| 2015* | A Room Somewhere | Basho | Solo piano |
As sideman edit
| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Moondog | Sax Pax for a Sax | Atlantic |
| 1998 | Harrison Smith | Outside Inside | Slam |
| 1998–99 | Tim Whitehead | Personal Standards | Home Made |
| 1999 | Trevor Lines | The Cats Hide Under the Bed When I Play My Gary Windo Records | Wriggly Pig |
| 2000 | Arnie Somogyi | Cold Cherry Soup | Forged |
| 2000 | Bobby Wellins | The Best Is Yet to Come | Jazzizit |
| 2004* | Crass Agenda | Savage Utopia | Exitstencil Sound |
| 2007 | Tim Whitehead | Too Young to Go Steady | Home Made |
| 2007 | Ingrid Laubrock | Sleepthief | Intakt |
| 2008* | Christine Tobin | Secret Life of a Girl | Babel |
| 2010 | Julian Siegel | Urban Theme Park | Basho |
| 2010 | Ingrid Laubrock | The Madness of Crowds | Intakt |
| 2011 | Ingrid Laubrock | Zurich Concert | Intakt |
| 2011* | Zhenya Strigalev | Smiling Organizm | Whirlwind |
| 2012* | Rachel Musson | Tatterdemalion | Babel |
| 2013 | Alex Garnett | Andromeda | Whirlwind |
| 2014* | Jim Rattigan | Triplicity | Pavillon |
Main source:[10]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f Chilton, John (ed.) (2004) Who's Who of British Jazz (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-8264-7234-2.
- ^ a b c Fordham, John (14 October 2005) "Liam Noble, Romance Among the Fishes". The Guardian.
- ^ Fordham, John (3 April 2009) "Liam Noble Trio: Brubeck". The Guardian.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Will (24 June 2010) "Christine Tobin Weaves a New Tapestry". The Guardian.
- ^ "Liam Noble Solo Album Launch". Vortex. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ "Liam Noble". Royal Academy of Music. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ "Liam Noble". Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
- ^ "Liam Noble". Birmingham City University. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ "Liam Noble". University of Kent. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- ^ Cook, Richard and Morton, Brian (2008) The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.