Neil Yates & Tarnished Silver
Sketches of a Northern Town

Neil Yates trumpet
Percy Pursglove flugelhorn
Richard Iles flugelhorn
Rob Flemming tenor horn
Lee Hallam trombone
Katrina Marzella baritone horn
Les Neish tuba
Jo Hinchcliffe visuals

www.neilyates.co.uk

For his first visit to Cheltenham as bandleader, trumpeter, composer and Stockport lad Neil Yates presented his acclaimed brass band-influenced jazz suite.  Tracing the story of the mills and factories of northern England, through industrial prosperity, decline and regeneration, he paints a lucid and emotional picture of urban history and the very human triumphs and tragedies which accompanied it.  The music was brought to life further with evocative visuals and special programme notes.

Neil also joined us before the Festival for a series of schools' workshops as part of our Jazz It Up! platform for young jazz bands and budding musicians.

Press quotes and comments

"Like Robert Johnson returning from the crossroads, Yates' new sound almost beggars belief... a Miles-ish mid-register tone and buttery trills that evoke a Celtic vibe, yet are a unique sound all their own."

Jazzwise

“Stylish and beautiful trumpet playing.”

Humphrey Lyttelton, BBC Radio 2

Press reviews from Neil's 2007 Cheltenham Jazz Festival concert

"Thanks to Yates' skilful composition and arrangements synchronised with Hinchcliffe's visuals, it worked brilliantly and was a genuinely memorable piece of work.  Yates was at the heart of things throughout and his technical ability was superb."

24dash.com

What makes Neil Yates part of our Jerwood Jazz Generation

“The Jerwood Rising Stars and now Jerwood Jazz Generation is strongly linked to the Take Five programme supported by Jerwood and PRSF and run by Serious.  Neil Yates has emerged from this Take 5 programme.  I have always thought that a mix of brass band music and jazz would work well and when I heard this project at the Manchester Jazz Festival in summer 2006, I knew I had found what I was looking for.”

Tony Dudley-Evans

Where you’ve seen him before

This is Neil’s first performance as bandleader, but he performed in Arnie Somogyi’s Improvokation in the Jerwood series, 2004.

Latest news

Neil is on tour this summer with various projects including his 'New Origins' band and as a sideman with fellow Jerwood Jazz Generation artist, Arnie Somogyi.

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