Malcolm Edmonstone

Malcolm Edmonstone is a jazz pianist, arranger and educator, born in Perth, Scotland in 1980. In 1998 he moved to London to study at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he gained Bachelors and Masters degrees. Today, Malcolm is a key professor in the Guildhall jazz faculty and Artistic Director of Jazz for the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland. He has forged a career as a modern jazz musician, working as a pianist, educator, arranger and musical director in many high profile situations.

Early professional life
Whilst studying at GSMD, he was called on by Laurie Holloway to cover the piano chair on an international tour with his wife, the late jazz legend Marion Montgomery. Since then Malcolm has continued to work with Laurie on various projects, including the first three series of the BBC1 show Strictly Come Dancing, where he played piano and arranged a significant portion of the music. During this time Malcolm was writing prolifically and having his arrangements performed live on television to audiences upwards of 10 million.

Dankworth family
At 21, he met Jacqui Dankworth and soon became her Musical Director. Together they have toured the world and been involved in numerous recording projects, including albums Detour Ahead and Back to you. In 2009, Malcolm had the honour of working alongside the late Sir John Dankworth on Jacqui's 2011 album It Happens Quietly. They worked together on the arrangements on what proved to be the last of many occasions in which Sir John mentored Malcolm’s development as a writer.

Jazz musician
Malcolm works with some of the most original musicians in the UK. He is a member of Mike Walker (jazz guitarist)’s Madhouse band, and has played with many of the UK’s leading jazz musicians, including Mark Lockheart, Stan Sulzmann and Iain Dixon. At the 19th meeting of the International Association of Schools of Jazz, Dave Liebman invited Malcolm to play in his only appearance during that conference. In 2011 he appeared at the Royal Opera House in a Masterclass with legendary jazz drummer Peter Erskine and later the same year at the Royal College of Music, as part of their Festival of Percussion.

Recording musician
In 2011 Malcolm appeared on live TV with Liza Minnelli. His extensive work ranges from recording for BBC Radio 3 with conductor Lorin Maazel to playing on live television with Tony Bennett. He has recorded extensively as a sideman in the jazz and commercial music worlds. He has twice been commissioned by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland, the second of which is featured on the disc Scotland Suite. His first album as a leader, featuring Mark Lockheart and Mike Walker, will be released in 2011. As a session musician he has performed with Tony Bennett, Liza Minnelli, Michael Bolton, Cliff Richard, Robin Gibb, David McAlmont, David Arnold, Donny Osmond, Bruce Forsyth, Madeline Bell, Vernon Kaye, Denise Van Outen, Tony Christie and Kenny Lynch.

Professor
Education has always been a large part of Malcolm’s life – as well permanent positions at the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland (NYJOS) as a Professor at the Guildhall, he has held many visiting teaching positions, including stints at the Royal Academy of Music, Trinity College of Music, Middlesex University and Birmingham Conservatoire. He is often employed by ABRSM to work with classical peripatetic teachers exploring jazz music.

Guildhall School of Music and Drama
in 2010 Malcolm was appointed senior professor and is one of three salaried members of the jazz department. The school is regarded as one of Europer's leading conservatoires and has a jazz department of considerable repute. As well as teaching piano and ensembles, Malcolm delivers the department's Harmony curriculum, an in depth course broken down into three parts - functional, modal and beyond - a book on the subject has been commissioned and is expected in 2012.

National Youth Orchestras of Scotland
Since 2006 Malcolm has developed the jazz provision of this long standing organisation. With fellow NYJOS alum Andrew Bain (drummer) the offering has progressed from a 5 day summer school with a small tour to five distinct yet integrated strands - the NYOS Jazz Summer School, open to young improvisers from 12-21; NYJOS Access, a training ensemble for improvisation; NYJOS itself, a flagship jazz orchestra who in recent years have toured with Jacqui Dankworth, Mark Lockheart, Mike Walker, Chris Batchelor and Iain Dixon; and NYJOS Collective, a smaller, advanced and flexible ensemble which is open to conservatoire and university aged alumni of the program. In 2010 the Collective toured with Julian Arguelles. The fifth strand is a series of ongoing workshops in schools across Scotland, led by the directors and other prominent Scottish jazz musicians to encourage improvisation at grass-roots level, both as a support to students and teachers.

Press
“truly an astonishing musician” The Daily Telegraph

“combines a mathematical Bach-like precision with a sensuous touch" The Guardian

"masterful skill as [an] accompanist" Bruce Lindsay, All About Jazz

'the Malcolm Edmonstone trio is so effortlessly good" Robert Sutton, All About Jazz

"Edmonstone again excellent throughout" Ian Mann, The Jazzmann

Broadcast
with Liza Minnelli
 * Loose Women - MD, piano, arranger - ITV (2011)

with Laurie Holloway
 * Strictly Come Dancing - piano, synths, arranger - Series 1, 2 & 3 - BBC TV (2004-6)

with Jacqui Dankworth
 * RTE New Year Concert, with orchestra - piano, arranger - RTE (2011)
 * Jazz Line-up - Cleo Laine and Friends - MD, piano, arranger - BBC Radio 3 (2011)
 * The Paul O'Grady Show - MD, piano, arranger - ITV (2009)

with Michael Bolton
 * The Dame Edna Treatment - arranger - ITV (2007)

Recordings
with Jacqui Dankworth
 * Detour Ahead - MD, piano, fender rhodes, arranger - Candid Records (2004)
 * Back to You - MD, piano, synth, hammond, arranger - Audacious Records (2009)
 * It Happens Quietly - piano - Proper Records (2011)

with Laurie Holloway
 * Strictly Come Dancing - piano - Sony Music / BBC TV (2005)

'''with Frank Holder
 * I Love being here with you - piano - Mainstem Records (2007)
 * Ballads, Blues and Bop - MD, arranger, piano - Mainstem Records (2009)

with Tom Rust
 * Saints and Singers - MD, piano, arranger - Feelerhead Records (2004)
 * Are we there yet? - MD, piano, arranger - Feelerhead Records (2010)

with Kate Dimbleby
 * Things as they are - MD, piano, arranger (2007)

TV Themes
with Laurie Holloway
 * Strictly Come Dancing - piano - BBC (2004)
 * The Dame Edna Treatment - synth - ITV (2007)