Introduction
David Newton (born 2 February 1958) is a Scottish jazz pianist, composer, arranger and educator.
Early life
Newton was born in Glasgow on 2 February 1958. He "played clarinet, bassoon and piano before specializing on piano at the Leeds School of Music".
Later life and career
Newton had a trio in Bradford in 1978 and worked in a theatre in Scarborough. He returned to Scotland in the early 1980s. He "established a considerable reputation as an accompanist to visiting American musicians before he launched his own solo career". In 1986, he made his recording debut, with Buddy DeFranco. He moved to London the following year, "worked with Alan Barnes, then toured with Martin Taylor's Quartet (including [a] trip to India) from 1989 to 1991." He was vocalist Carol Kidd's musical director in the 1990s. He also accompanied several other singers.
Newton recorded three albums as a leader for Linn Records in the early 1990s: the trio records Eyewitness and Victim of Circumstance, and the solo piano Return Journey. He then moved to Candid Records and recorded another trio album, In Good Company, for them in 1994. He had a solo piano tour the following year and toured with Bud Shank. In addition to leading his own bands of various sizes, he has also done a lot of freelance playing. In the early to mid-2000s, he also recorded for Bright New Day, including one album with an orchestra.
Newton became a fellow of Leeds College of Music in 2003, where he is a principal lecturer in jazz piano. He was voted best Jazz Pianist in the British Jazz awards for the thirteenth time in 2014.
Discography
As leader
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Eyewitness | Linn | Trio, with Dave Green (bass), Allan Ganley (drums) |
| 1990 | Victim of Circumstance | Linn | Trio; most tracks with Alec Dankworth (bass), Clark Tracey (drums); one track with Dave Green (bass), Allan Ganley (drums) |
| 1992 | Return Journey | Linn | Solo piano |
| 1994 | In Good Company | Candid | Trio, with Dave Green (bass), Allan Ganley (drums) |
| 1995 | Twelfth of the Twelfth | Candid | Solo piano |
| 1996 | DNA | Candid | With Iain Dixon (tenor sax), Matt Miles (bass), Steve Brown (drums) |
| 1996 | Meets Brian Lemon to Play Hoagy Carmichael | Zephyr | Duo, with Brian Lemon (piano) |
| 2000? | Halfway to Dawn | Concord Jazz | Trio, with Matt Miles (bass), Steve Brown (drums) |
| 2002? | Bootleg Eric | ASC | |
| 2003 | Pacific Heights | Bright New Day | Trio, with Dave Chamberlain (bass), Colin Oxley (guitar) |
| 2004 | Inspired | Bright New Day | Trio, with Matt Miles (bass), Steve Brown (drums) |
| 2006 | Portrait of a Woman | Bright New Day | With Jim Mullen (guitar), Andrew Cleyndert (bass), Steve Brown (drums), orchestra |
| 2011? | Inside Out | Woodville | |
| 2013? | Out of This World | Trio, with Andrew Cleyndert (bass), Colin Oxley (guitar) |
As sideman
With Claire Martin and Ray Gelato
- We've Got a World That Swings (Linn)
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