Teaching Posts:
Tameside College Of Technology (Perf. Arts)1986-1996
Leeds College Of Music (Jazz Trumpet Tutor) 1990- 1996
Bretton Hall (Jazz Lecturer) 1997-98
Wakefield College(External Jazz Dip Tutor – Guildhall)1989-95
Salford University (Jazz Trumpet Tutor) 1997- 1999
Birmingham Conservatoire (Jazz Studies) 1999-2000
Bolton Music Service (Instrumental Tutor, Jazz Coordinator) 2000- present day.
Chetham’s School Of Music (Jazz Studies, Musical Director of Jazz Orchestra) 2005 – present day.

Musical Experience:
As a member of the Creative Jazz Orchestra Richard Isles has toured with the following musicians.
John Taylor, Bill Frisell, Peter Erskine, Anthony Braxton, Mike Gibbs, Vince Mendoza, Marty Erlich, Bobby Previte, Kenny Wheeler, Evan Parker, Julian Arguelles, Steve Arguelles (we were at school together!)

Recorded with:
From Here to There – Richard Iles
By The Way – Mike Gibbs
Big Sky – Roy Powell
Anthony Braxton with The Creative Jazz Orchestra
Forthcoming CD with Tim Garlands Northern Underground Orchestra (Feb 2006)

Radio Broadcasts:
Mike Gibbs Band at Cheltenham Jazz Festival (BBC Radio 3)
John Taylor Big Band at Cheltenham Jazz Festival (BBC Radio 3)
Peter Erskine Brass Project at Leeds Wardrobe (BBC Radio 3)
Marty Erlich and Creative Jazz Orchestra at Purcell Rooms London (BBC Radio 3)
Emanon (BBC Radio 2 Peter Clayton 1989)
Emanon (BBC Radio Hull 1990)
Steve Berry Quintet (BBC Radio Hull 1996)

Commissions:
Northern Arts Commission for my group Emanon 1990- a 4 part piece for jazz sextet to celebrate the combining of 2 arts regions.
Manchester Jazz Festival – New Futures 2000 – an 8 part piece to celebrate the new young jazz players in the Manchester region alongside more established players.
Wigan Youth Jazz and three South African bands Culture Shock– a six part piece combining south African, European and North American musical influences performed by musicians from diverse cultures, hence culture shock! (part of the Manchester Commonwealth Games celebrations)

Current Projects:
Richard Iles Miniature Brass Emporium
Richard Iles Group (quintet)
Tim Garlands Northern Underground Orchestra
Andy Schofield Band
Mike Walker Sextet.
Dave Tomkins Bowline Ensemble

He has performed with BBC Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Ensemble 10:10, Manchester Camerata, Opera North, Northern Sinfonia, the Michael Nyman band and is a member of the acclaimed Apollo Saxophone Quartet. He is also a member of ‘House of Bedlam’.

Carl currently is a saxophone and improvisation tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester and at Manchester University.

Carl is a Vandoren performing artist.

As a freelance musician he has played, recorded and broadcast with many leading orchestras including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic and Hallé Orchestras, big bands, theatre orchestras and a variety of Jazz ensembles. He has recorded numerous times for television and radio including many jingles and adverts and has performed many concertos including the first performance of a Concerto written for him for Alto Saxophone and Recorder Orchestra and has given numerous recitals throughout the British Isles.

Andrew enjoys composing and arranging and currently has 12 publications to his name including many pieces that have been selected by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and Trinity exams. He has also written pieces commissioned by the Associated Board and published in their ‘Music Medals’ series.

As a former member of the Adelphi Saxophone Quartet he performed both nationally and internationally at many well known venues such as Purcell Room, Barbican Centre, St James’s Church Piccadilly, St Martin-in-the Fields, the Bridgewater Hall, the British and World Saxophone Congresses and as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Series. The Quartet received many major awards and were finalists in the Royal Overseas League Competition. They have broadcast live on Radio 3, Classic FM, Granada Television and the Quartet’s debut CD, “Simply Four Saxophones”, which was released in 1998 with EMI, has sold almost 10,000 copies and also contains many of Andrew’s arrangements.

Andrew has an extensive teaching practice and has taught at Chetham’s School of Music since 1994. He directs the saxophone choir, saxophone quartets and is also coaches other chamber music ensembles. He also teaches at Cheadle Hulme School where he also directs the big band.  He is a tutor for the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, has been an assessor for the Royal Northern College of Music as well as tutoring on their Saxophone Days. He has also tutored for the Leeds College of Music Saxophone Summer School.

After studying composition and guitar at Dartington College of Arts, Jim moved to Manchester, where he studied with jazz guitarist Mike Walker and immersed himself in the local jazz scene. He soon moved into session work, recording and appearing on BBC television and on albums including Jeffrey Lewis’ The Silence of the Night.

Jim continues to tour the UK and Europe, performing and recording with artists from such diverse genres as progressive rock, jazz and fusion. In 2010, he joined the world music band Unfurl, with whom he has recorded several albums and performed at many UK festivals.

Jim also teaches guitar and improvisation at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. As an educator, Jim believes in giving the students versatility, knowledge and confidence to explore and grow.

(Photo credit: Lawrence Ghorra)

Steve’s degree-level study was in Fine Art, a degree he never completed, taking a gap year midway through. He is now in his 48th gap year…

Apart from individual lessons with Chris Laurence, Daryl Runswick and Dave Holland, he also completed a year studying on a Guildhall School of Music and Drama  Postgraduate course, in 1983.

His work as bassist and composer with Loose Tubes catapulted Steve into prominence in 1985. The band was very active both in Europe and North America over the following years.

On a Contemporary Music Network tour of the UK with Loose Tubes in 1986, he took part in workshops at various locations, alongside the band’s more experienced band members. This whet his appetite for teaching and learning, seeing him become increasingly called upon for workshops and masterclasses in the following years.

He assumed posts at the RNCM and Chetham’s at the start of the 1990s, continuing at both to the present day. In 2019 he became Head of Jazz & Improvisation at the RNCM.

Steve’s work at Chetham’s is primarily concerned with leading eight small ensemble jazz classes each week, helping students to develop their improvisational skills and knowledge of the key elements involved in playing jazz.

He also gives one-to-one instrumental lessons, usually on double bass, but he has also taught bass guitar and cello too in recent years.

Photo credit: Derren Lee Poole

Les started to improvise as soon as he started to play the organ aged 11. He played Free piano duets with his friend David Cunliffe, some of which where recorded and will be available to listen to in the near future. Some these recordings are over 20 years old.

Throughout his career composition has been central to his musical life especially in the contemporary classical field. He studied composition with Paul Mitchell-Davidson and Bill Connor. Les has written music for orchestra, piano, organ and particularly for choir which has always been a natural medium for him since his days as a chorister. Improvisation still features strongly in a number of these works, as in a commission for Manchester youth string orchestra two pieces to commemorate 9/11; Without Justice there can be no Peace and Prayer (2005).

Parallel to his career as a Jazz pianist and composer Les has been an active teacher for the past 17 years. His current posts are Professor of Jazz piano and improvisation at Chetham’s School of Music (1996-) and Professor of Jazz piano at Leeds College of Music (1998-) in addition to this has given masterclasses and lectures on Jazz at LIPA (Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts) and the RNCM as well as for EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association) and various summer schools. He is on the faculty of the Chetham’s International Piano Summer School and the Music Place Jazz summer school in Altrincham.