Instruments
Guitar
Description
Salford born guitar player Mike Walker has played and recorded with the legendary George Russell, Peter Erskine, Steve Swallow, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor and performed with Dave Holland, Tal Farlow, Vince Mendoza, Anthony Braxton, Bill Frisell, Adam Nussbaum and many others.
Mike plays regularly in the UK, Europe and around the world as well as teaching at the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts (LIPA) and is the co-director for a number of jazz workshops held at the The Music Place. Mike also teaches privately from his home in Lancashire.
Bands
Andy Schofield Ensemble ft. John Taylor
Richard Iles Group
Steve Berry Group
Reviews
"Guitarist Mike Walker, of course, is a master of consummately controlled ecstasy." City Life 2005
"Guitarist Mike Walker is a sweetly melodic presence much of the time, though his occasional use of distortion brings out a distinctly feral, rockist edge to his playing" - Peter Marsh, BBC Jazz Review, September 2004
"A guitar genius from England" - Scottish Arts Council
"... Skull View ranks as one of internationally renowned tenor saxophonist Julian Arguelles' finest moments ... Django Bates' opening solo on wah wah peck horn is enhanced by the wailing of Mike Walker's guitar" - Jazz CD of the year 1997, Independent on Sunday
"Pianist Steve Plews's ASC Records does a crucial job in disseminating British jazz, and his own quartet album is well up to standard. What elevates it a notch higher is the playing of guitarist Mike Walker, voted best musician at the Glasgow Jazz Festival in 1995, but still heard too infrequently on disc. His touch and originality shine out in an already impressive group, playing the pianist's evocative compositions." - Kenny Mathieson, The Scotsman
Discography
Nick Purnell 1 ,2, 3 (with Peter Erskine, John Taylor) 1991
Tommy Smith / Sylvan Richardson Pyrotechnics (with Jason Rebello) 1993
Roy Powell Big Sky 1994
julian Arguelles Home Truths (with Steve Swallow) 1995
Mike Gibbs By the Way (with Steve Swallow, Bob Moses, John Taylor, Kenny Wheeler) 1996
George Russell It's About Time 1996
London Trombone Quartet Some Of Our Best Friends 1996
Julian Arguelles Skull View 1997
Steve Plews Ensemble Anywhere 1997
Peter Fairclough Permission 1997
Julian Arguelles Escapade 1999
Steve Williams Skyward Bound 1999
Richard Iles From Here to There 1999
Steve Williams Lo-Fi 2001
Roy Powell North by Northwest 2001
Julian Arguelles As Above, So Below 2004
Phil Bancroft Headlong 2004
Steve Berry In An Ideal World : live at Manchester Jazz Festival 2004
Steve Plews Ensemble Extracts From Infinity 2004
George Russell 80th Birthday Concert 2005
Steve Williams 4 am 2006
John Helliwell Creme Anglaise 2006
Anthony Braxton and the Creative Jazz Orchestra Composition No. 175 / No. 126 2006
Tony Faulkner Jazz Orchestra Thad Jones and the Ellington Effect 2006
Mike Walker Madhouse and the Whole Thing There To be released
Contact Details
info@mike-walker.co.uk
Website
http://www.mike-walker.co.uk/
Audio
A Suite for Manchester, Pt 4. Live at Manchester Jazz Festival 05. (A Schofield) from an unreleased album
All Good Things (R Iles) from From Here to There
