Kit Downes

Downes was an organ scholar at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich, before he left to study piano, organ and composition at the Purcell School of Music and later the Royal Academy of Music (where he later became an Associate and Fellow). Whilst at the RAM he studied with Milton Mermikides. He began performing with and composing for the UK band 'Empirical' – with whom he toured North America and Europe (playing at 'Newport Jazz Festival'), whilst also performing with Acoustic Ladyland, Micachu, Lee Konitz and Django Bates.{{fact|date=November 2023}}

He received a Mercury Music Award nomination (in 2010),{{Cite web|url=https://www.jazzwise.com/other/article/jazz-breaking-news-kit-downes-trio-nominated-for-the-mercury|title=Jazz breaking news: Kit Downes Trio Nominated For The Mercury|website=Jazzwise.com|access-date=7 August 2020}} BBC Jazz Award, and a British Jazz Award for his own albums, and later toured with his own group ‘ENEMY’, Troyka, Julian Arguelles' Quartet, Thomas Stronen and Sylvain Darrifourcq – playing all over the world. In 2013 and 2015 he was nominated in the Rising Star category in Downbeat Magazine (US), and in 2014 won the 'Best Album Award' at the Parliamentary Jazz Awards.{{Cite web|url=https://completemusicupdate.com/article/parliamentary-jazz-awards-winners-announced/|title=Parliamentary Jazz Awards winners announced |website=Completemusicupdate.com|access-date=7 August 2020}} In 2015, Downes recorded his first album for ECM with Thomas Strønen's ‘Time is a Blind Guide’.

In 2013, he was asked by Django Bates to join his new ensemble ’The TDEs’ to play a new commission for both BBC Radio 3 and Cheltenham Jazz Festival (alongside his Troyka band mates). In 2014 he began touring with world famous clinic drummer Benny Greb – after playing the Meinl Drum Festival and he later went onto co-produce Benny's album ‘Moving Parts’. Also in 2014 he was asked by the Southbank Centre to write a new work for the opening festival of the recently refurbished Royal Festival Hall Organ.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/worldfolkandjazz/10690995/Celebrating-the-organ-jazzs-most-unlikely-instrument.html|title=Celebrating the organ: jazz's most unlikely instrument?|first=Ivan|last=Hewett|date=13 March 2014|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph}}

In 2015, he worked with Aldeburgh Music and Tom Challenger on a project called ‘Vyamanikal’ – a series of recordings documenting extended techniques on various local church organs – the project was later performed live at the Aldeburgh Festival.{{Cite web|url=https://snapemaltings.co.uk/music/residencies/open-space/kit-downes-tom-challenger/|title=Kit Downes & Tom Challenger|website=Snapemaltings.co.uk}} He was asked by the Cologne Philharmonie to write a new work for their organ in 2016, and has performed original commissions by Shiva Feshareki for the Union Chapel Organ. He was also commissioned by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Wellcome Trust, Darmstadt Organ Festival 2015 (with drummer Jonas Burgwinkel), BBC Radio 2, BBC Jazz on 3, Jazzwise Magazine, Cheltenham Jazz Festival, London Contemporary Music Festival and the London Jazz Festival.

Also in 2015, Downes was asked to join Squarepusher’s live band ‘Shobaleader One’ – interpreting works from Squarepusher's back catalogue for a live band.

Downes also collaborated (on a range of acoustic and electronic instruments) with composers Matt Rogers and Mica Levi, electronic musician Leafcutter John, drummer Seb Rochford, filmmaker Ashley Pegg, artist Dave McKean, animator Lesley Barnes and geneticist Adam Rutherford (for the Wellcome Trust).

In 2016, Downes was commissioned to compose a work for organ and four cellos for ‘Tre Voci’{{Cite web|url=http://trevocicelloensemble.com/recordings/|title=Recordings|website=Trevocicelloensemble.com|access-date=7 August 2020}} to be performed in Oslo in 2016, as well as a new work for ‘Stavanger Organ Day 2016’. He later adapted ‘Vyamanikal’ for Manchester Jazz Festival 2016 and co-curated a music technology instillation at Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2016.

52 Studies for Right Hand

Downes wrote 52 piano pieces for right-hand only in 2017 (having injured his left hand). He wrote one piece for every day of his recovery.{{cite web|url=https://www.kitdownes.com/dyn/1498133689884/52-One-Hand-Peices-for-Piano-PDFs-Kit-Downes.pdf|title=Kit Downes : 52 One Hand Pieces for Piano|website=Kitdownes.com|access-date=7 August 2020}}

Between November 2017 and March 2018, Downes was part of the musical ensemble that composed music and appeared on stage for the Royal National Theatre's production of 'Network' starring Bryan Cranston.

In January 2018, Downes released his first solo record with ECM.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecmrecords.com/catalogue/1508746001/obsidian-kit-downes|title=ECM Records|first=E. C. M.|last=Records|website=Ecmrecords.com}} 'Obsidian' is a collection of solo organ works and is a musical response to volcanicity, slow processes that cause extreme reactions. A mixture of written and semi-scored/semi-improvised pieces, it focuses on the nuances and unique features of both smaller chamber organs local to rural Suffolk as well as larger grander instruments from bigger cities around the UK. It is both a study of extended techniques from instruments sometimes in states of disrepair, and a connection and adaptation of the improvised tradition of the instrument, exploring themes of duration, vibration and mechanics.

Also in 2018, Downes worked with Aidan O'Rourke on his latest project – the mammoth tune-cycle '365'. O'Rourke wrote a tune every day for a year in response to a short story collection by James Robertson. The result is a major new body of 365 tunes which O'Rourke is recording solo and in duos with Downes, guitarist Sorren Maclean and harpist Esther Swift. 365: Vol 1 was released in May 2018. 365: Volume 2 was released in August 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://www.aidanorourke.net/general-2 |title=Aidan O'Rourke: About |website=Aidanorourke.net |access-date=May 23, 2023}}

• Winner of BBC Jazz Award 2008: Rising Star{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/jazzawards2008/winners/|title=BBC – Music – Jazz Awards 2008|publisher=BBC}}
• Yamaha Jazz Scholarship Award 2009
• Mercury Prize 2010 – shortlisted{{Cite web|url=https://www.mercuryprize.com/previous+shortlists|title=Mercury Prize|website=Mercuryprize.com|access-date=7 August 2020}}
• Fellow of Royal Academy of Music 2019
• Downbeat Critics Award 2019 – Rising Star – Organ & Rising Star – Keyboard{{Cite web|url=http://downbeat.com/news/detail/downbeat-announces-winners-of-2019-critics-poll|title=Salvant Tops 2019 DownBeat Critics Poll|date=24 June 2019|website=Downbeat.com}}
• Downbeat Critics Award 2023 – Rising Star – Organ{{cite magazine |date=August 2023 |title=71st Annual Critics Poll: Complete Results |magazine=DownBeat |volume=90 |issue=8 |page=47 }}

An asterisk (*) after the year indicates that it is the year of release.

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.kitdownes.com Official website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091206051345/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/sebastianscotney/100003499/kit-downes-a-young-jazz-pianist-to-watch/ Kit Downes: A Young Jazz Pianist To Watch], profile article in The Daily Telegraph newspaper by Sebastian Scotney, dated 24 September 2009
• [https://www.bashorecords.com/kit.htm Kit Downes] at Basho Records
• {{Discogs artist}}

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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:British jazz pianists

Category:21st-century British organists

Category:ECM Records artists

Category:Edition Records artists

Category:Basho Records artists

Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music

Category:People educated at Norwich School

Category:21st-century British pianists