Django Bates

Django Bates is a pianist, Eb horn player, and composer, who credits the variety of musical influences in his work to his father who was a collector of Jazz, South African and Romanian folk music. He is currently a professor of jazz at Bern University of the Arts.

A founder member of Loose Tubes, Django was a leading light in the 1980s European jazz renaissance. He has appeared alongside Michael Brecker, Bill Bruford, Jack Dejohnette, Sidsel Endresen, Wynton Marsalis, Josefine Lindstrand, Marius Neset, Kate Rusby, Evan Parker, Dudu Pukwana, Ronnie Scott, Cleveland Watkiss. In 1997 Django was awarded the prestigious Danish Jazzpar prize, dubbed the ‘Nobel Prize of Jazz’.

In 2010 Django released Belovèd Bird; a celebration of his childhood hero Charlie Parker, for which he used the classic acoustic piano trio constellation. When Django was commissioned to write The Study Of Touch for a BBC Proms concert, the work inspired Manfred Eicher to produce a new Belovèd album, this time focusing on Django’s own compositions. This rekindling of Django’s relationship with the ECM label led to the recording of Blue Maqams where he first encountered Anouar Brahem.

During the pandemic, Django chose to simplify his work; a process of distillation which resulted in a completely new suite of solo piano music – Distilled – which he is currently performing.

“About as perfect as anything could be.” Richard Williams, The Blue Moment, 5th January 2024.

In 2019 The IVORS Academy honoured Django with The IVORS Jazz Award. Describing him as “A musical polymath and prodigiously gifted composer, at the heart of Britain’s jazz scene for the last 40 years”, the Academy acknowledged his “Unique and exceptional talent and his relentless drive to collaborate and seek out new possibilities to explore where jazz can go.”

Django is currently touring internationally with Anouar Brahem in support of the ECM album After The Last Sky where he appears alongside Anja Lechner and Dave Holland.