Geoff Eales

Geoff Eales (born 13 March 1951) is a Welsh jazz pianist, improviser and composer.

Music education

Eales was born in Aberbargoed, Wales. When he was eight years old, he learned 12-bar blues from his father, a pianist in a local dance band. In school he studied classical piano and French Horn, becoming a member of the Glamorgan Youth Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. He attended Cardiff University, receiving bachelor's, masters, and doctoral degrees.[1] In 1980 he was awarded a Ph.D for his large scale orchestral work "An American Symphony" and a setting of Dylan Thomas' poem "In the Beginning" for tenor, French horn, and piano.

His thesis was entitled "Structure in the Symphonic Works of Aaron Copland".[2]

Career

After leaving school, Eales played piano on a Greek cruise ship and traveled around the world. For a few months he lived in New Orleans where he worked with Major Holley, Jimmy McPartland, Buddy Tate, and Earl Warren. He moved to London in 1977 and became a member of the Joe Loss band, then spent four years as pianist for the BBC Big Band.

Eales has worked with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andy Williams, Dame Shirley Bassey, Jose Carreras, Kiri Te Kanawa, Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini, Elmer Bernstein, Bob Farnon, Billy May, Adelaide Hall, Michael Ball and many others and has played on film soundtracks, records, TV shows and jingles.

He released his debut album, Mountains of Fire in 1999.[1]

Discography
Year recorded Title Label Personnel/Notes
1999 Mountains of Fire Black Box Trio with Roy Babbington (bass), Mark Fletcher (drums); Quartet with Nigel Hitchcock (saxophone), Laurence Cottle (bass guitar), Ian Thomas (drums)
2001 Red Letter Days Black Box Quartet, with Jim Mullen (guitar), Roy Babbington (bass), Mark Fletcher (drums)
2002 Facing the Muse Mainstem Trio with Roy Babbington (bass), Mark Fletcher (drums)
2004 Synergy Basho Solo Piano
2006 The Homecoming 33 Jazz Trio with Roy Babbington (bass), Mark Fletcher (drums)
2007 Jazz Piano Legends Jaz2 Trio with Roy Babbington (bass), Mark Fletcher (drums)
2007 Epicentre 33 Jazz Solo piano
2009 Master of the Game Edition Trio with Chris Laurence (bass), Martin France (percussion)
2011 Shifting Sands 33 Jazz Isorhythm with Christian Garrick (violin), Ben Waghorn (saxes, bass clarinet), Carl Orr (guitar), Fred T Baker (bass guitar), Asaf Sirkis (drums)
2013 The Dancing Flute Nimbus Alliance Duo with Andy Findon (flutes, piccolo)
2013 Free Flow 33Xtreme Trio with Ben Waghorn (saxes, bass clarinet), Ashley John Long (bass)
2014 Invocation Nimbus Alliance Solo Piano
2016 Transience Fuzzy Moon Quintet with Brigitte Beraha (voice), Noel Langley (trumpet, flugel), Chris Laurence (bass), Martin France (drums)

References
  1. "BBC Wales – Music – Geoff Eales". BBC. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  2. "DDM Twentieth Century". chmtl.ucs.indiana.edu. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
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