(c’80 to date) – Iain Ballamy (saxophone)
Jazz musician Ballamy was born in Guildford and educated at George Abbot. His piano playing father Mark was probably who drove his piano lessons from age of 6 to 14. He found the saxophone in ’78 playing his first gig age 16 in 1980, appearing in his father’s band at the likes of the Guildford Jazz Club at The Stoke Hotel, Guildford (his father’s band being the house band there).
In ’84, as the Iain Ballamy Quartet he played Ronnie Scotts, London. Then in October he joined The Guildford Jazz Club’s house band of Martin Drew, John Critchinson, Dick Morrisey, Jim Mullen, and Ron Mathewson; on 14 and 28 October ’84. That same year he was also a founding member of Loose Tubes, releasing three albums with them between ’85 and ’88. In ’85 he won the John Dankworth Cup, Best Soloist and toured Romania on a British Council tour. From ’85 he also started working with Billy Jenkins, appearing on “Greenwich” that year and a further seven albums through to ’06.
By ’87 he had team up with Bill Bruford and Django Bates to form Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, supposedly first meeting at the Guildford Jazz Club, with whom he recorded five albums, including “Dig?” in ’89. Also in ’87 he appeared on Ray Russell’s “Childscape” and another two album recorded over proceeding years. On 3 March ’88 he returned to the Guildford Jazz Club, now in the bar at the Civic Hall, Guildford backed by his father again in the Geoff Rideout/Mark Ballamy Quartet.
His solo album, “Balloon Man” was released in ’89; which was awarded the BT British Jazz Award, Best Ensemble in ’95. Continuing his connection to Django Bates, he appeared on ’93’s “Summer Fruits (and Unrest)” on the JMT label and a further five collaborations that finished with “You Live and Learn…(Apparently)” in ’04. Six years after “Balloon Man”; “All Men Amen” and “Acme” came out, with Bellamy taking on the ‘Leader’ role. It was also in ’95 that he found himself on another British Council tour, this time of Morocco, and starting to take on commissions; the first entitled “Estuary English” for the Apollo Saxophone Quartet. They commissioned him again in ’96 for “Mirror Signal Manouvre” as did Birmingham Jazz for “Acme” and the British Council had him touring India
China and Senegal were on the British Council’s itinerary for ’97 as was a commission for “Oblique” from SAMPAD/Birmingham Jazz. Another two commissions in ’98: “Four and a Half Minutes Late” for Jane Chapman (solo harpsichord) and “Walpurgs Night” for Joanne MacGregor (duet for piano and tenor sax); and British Council tours of India, Lithuania, and Colombia. In ’99, he founded the record label Feral Records with Dave McKean.
In ’01 “Pepper Street Interludes” (with Stian Carstensen, Norma Winstone, Martin France and Matthew Sharpe) and “Signal To Noise” (a BBC Radio 3 play adaptation of the graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean) were recorded. That same year he was presented the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation. “Veggie” followed in 2002 (with Thomas Strønen, Arve Henriksen and Mats Eilertsen). Teaming up with Stian Carstensen again he lead “The Little Radio”, released in ’04.
The following year the “MirrorMask” original motion picture soundtrack came out, which Ballamy had composed; and later Luna. “Molecular Gastronomy” (with Thomas Strønen) and “Aware” were released in ’07. Somewhere in all the gigging and recording he also managed four albums with Ian Shaw, another 17 albums with various jazz greats, and three compilations. Over the years there were also numerous TV, radio, and film sessions and theatre work; as well as teaching at the Royal Academy of Music, Birmingham Conservatoire, Trinity College of Music, Rhythmic Music Conservatory Copenhagen, and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
He is also an agony uncle for Jazz UK Magazine with his column “In the Saxophonists Chair”
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