Music by Richard Niles

Richard Niles has released CDs as bandleader and composer. Some are available here at a remarkably small price through the BANDCAMP site. Click on the player to listen to each album, and clicking Buy you’ll may download them.
BANDZILLA – Blue Movies
 Acclaimed jazz composer/arranger Richard Niles used his background in jazz and pop to create BANDZILLA , a modern big band at the cutting edge of contemporary technology in 1987.
Niles formed the band after performing on Grace Jones’ “Slave To The Rhythm” and Swing Out Sister’s “Breakout”. They became the featured house band on the British Channel 4 series “Don’t Miss Wax”, a vehicle for popular American comedienne Ruby Wax. The band performed and recorded with many contemporary stars including Paul McCartney, Ray Charles, Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Swing Out Sister, Meat Loaf, Pee Wee Herman and Deneice Williams.
Their only studio album “BANDZILLA – Blue Movies” (1989) featured the cream of London’s young jazz and studio players including trumpeters Guy Barker and John Thirkell,  R&B singer Clive Griffin. A monster big band – BANDZILLA.
 
Credits:
Released 28 May 1989

Richard Niles (leader, composer/arranger/guitar)
Clive Griffin & Tessa Niles (vocals), Guy Barker, Stuart Brooks, JOHN THIRKELL, John Barclay (trumpets), Pete Beachill, Vince Sullivan, Neil Sidwell, Dave Stuart (trombones), Phill Todd, Jamie Talbot, Andy Macintosh, Chris White, Dave Bishop (saxes), Peter John Vetesse (keyboards), Andy Pask (bass), Neal Wilkinson (drums)
RICHARD NILES – Santa Rita
Composer/guitarist Richard Niles released his first album in 1998. Described by Jazzwise as “clever smooth jazz” it features Danny Gottlieb and Mark Egan (rhythm section of the original Pat Metheny Group), sax stars Chris Hunter and Nelson Rangell and singer Hamish Stuart (ex-Average White band). “Hyper-melodic, harmonically intriguing grooves.”
Credits:
Released 28 May 1998

Richard Niles, guitar/keyboards - Steve Hamilton, piano – Michael Ruff, organ - Danny Gottlieb, drums - Kid Creole, vocals - Nelson Rangell, alto sax – Nigel Hitchcock, alto sax – Sam Burgess, bass - Eliza Mishcon, vocals - Tony Walters, vocals – Carla Vallet, vocals – Martin Shaw, flugelhorn – Pete Wareham, tenor sax - Gary Husband, piano/drums
RICHARD NILES – Club Deranged
The eclectic second album from guitarist/composer Richard Niles combines introspective jazz with quirky pop grooves. Once again Niles enlists the talents of the cream of British and American musicians. The title track features wild vocals from 80s popstar Kid Creole (without Coconuts!) Also featured are sax stars Nelson Rangell and Nigel Hitchcock, drummer Danny Gottlieb and Gary Husband playing both keyboards and drums.
Credits:
Released 28 May 2000

Richard Niles, guitar/keyboards - Steve Hamilton, piano – Michael Ruff, organ - Danny Gottlieb, drums - Kid Creole, vocals - Nelson Rangell, alto sax – Nigel Hitchcock, alto sax – Sam Burgess, bass - Eliza Mishcon, vocals - Tony Walters, vocals – Carla Vallet, vocals – Martin Shaw, flugelhorn – Pete Wareham, tenor sax - Gary Husband, piano/drums
KATALIST – Real Songs For An Unreal World
In 2006, Boston born jazz singer KATHERINE GANG (www.katgang.net) approached songwriter, producer, composer, arranger, guitarist RICHARD NILES. This was the catalyst for them to work on a group project, KATALYST. It is a great pleasure to make this music available for the first time.
For the KATALYST project Niles brought in drummers DANNY GOTTLIEB (Metheny, McLaughlin), and the late, great CHRIS DAGLEY. Young ultra-hip virtuoso British bassist/composer JANEK GWIZDALA (Mike Stern, Randy Brecker) co-wrote a couple of songs and arrangements while STEVE HAMILTON (Bill Bruford, Tommy Smith) and the brilliant CLIVE DUNSTALL contributed keyboards. Also on board was bassist STEFAN REDTENBACHER known to his friends as “the Austrian Governor of Funk”. Guest sax solos were provided by young New York tenorist JOHN ELLIS and British phenomenon NIGEL HITCHCOCK on alto sax.
KATALYST defies categorization – unfalteringly unpredictable and unequivocally unexpected.. The sound is a dynamic fission of rock, pop, latin and jazz. Niles’ songs are insightful, ripe with social commentary, sarcasm and humour delivered with Gang’s razor-sharp diction, steely tone and killer phrasing.
Credits:
Released 28 May 2006

Kat Gang (vocals), Richard Niles (guitar, producer/arranger), Danny Gottlieb (drums), Chris Dagley (drums), Janek Gwizdala (bass, arranger), Steve Hamilton (piano), Clive Dunstal (piano), Stefan Redtenbacher (bass), John Ellis (tenor sax), Nigel Hitchcock (alto sax)

All songs by Richard Niles except "Watching You Fall" and "Boy Meets Dancing Princess" by Richard Niles & Kat Gang.

©2006 Niles Smiles Music(BMI)

1 thought on “Music by Richard Niles”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *