Neil Ardley

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Neil Richard Ardley (born May 26, 1937 in Wallington ; † February 23, 2004 ) was an English jazz pianist and composer who also made a name for himself as an author of popular science books and a lecturer.

Live and act

Ardley learned piano at the age of 13 and later saxophone. During his chemistry studies at Bristol University ( B.Sc. 1959) he played both piano and saxophone in jazz bands. In parallel, he pursued both a musical career and one as a non-fiction author.

Career as a musician

Ardley then moved to London , where he studied composition and arrangement with Raymond Premru in 1960 and 1961 . He became a pianist in the John Williams Big Band and wrote both arrangements and new compositions for this band. Between 1964 and 1970 he directed the newly founded New Jazz Orchestra , with which he recorded two records. During the 1970s he built a studio and wrote mainly for television. Encouraged by music producer and impresario Denis Preston , Ardley began to combine classical composing methods with those of jazz. His work A Symphony of Amaranths (1971) for a 25-piece band plus strings was the first jazz album to win the Arts Council of Great Britain award . His voluminous orchestrations were also recorded with the help of synthesizers in the 1970s . In 1980, however, when he was working on a purely electronic album , his recording contract was terminated, so that he now concentrated on his work as a writer and publicist. In addition, however, he continued to play, especially with the electro jazz group cycle , which he formed with the composer John L. Walters , Warren Greveson and Ian Carr or Nick Robinson . Its aim was to explore the connection between composition and improvisation through the development of semi-improvised electronic soundscapes with an acoustically improvising soloist. In 1994 he wrote the composition "On the Four Winds" for New Perspectives , an ensemble of jazz and classical musicians. He also began writing choral music in the late 1990s .

Career as a publicist and author

In 1962 Ardely became a member of the London editorial team of the World Book Encyclopedia . Over the next four years he developed techniques for both editing and writing introductions for young audiences. After working for the Hamlyn publishing house for a while, he started his own business as a lecturer in 1968 (also in order to better pursue his parallel career). Since the 1970s he has concentrated on writing popular science presentations and dictionaries for children about the bird world, science and technology, but also music. His book The Way Things Work has sold more than three million copies worldwide and has won several awards. He wrote a total of 101 books that sold over 10 million copies.

Discography (selection)

literature

  • Ardley, Neil, David Lambert and Mark Lambert. What is it? Question and Answer Encyclopedia . London: Kingfisher Books. ISBN 0-671-68467-1

Evidence / web links

personal data
SURNAME Ardley, Neil
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ardley, Neil Richard
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British author and musician
DATE OF BIRTH May 26, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH Wallington
DATE OF DEATH February 23, 2004