ALTO AND TENOR SAXOPHONE

Biography of Nigel Hitchcock

[Performing on Tracks:  3 - 14 & 16]

Born in Rustington, England on 4th January 1971, Nigel Hitchcock first began to play the recorder at age 6 to complete the recorder quartet comprised of his elder brother and sisters.  At age 8, he naturally progressed to the alto saxophone.

Following in the footsteps of his brother Clive, he took lessons from a local saxophone tutor, Victor Yates, and played in all of the area's big bands, where he was schooled in everything from Glen Miller to Rob McDonald.

At the age of 11, both Nigel and Clive joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, a splendid training ground for musicians, who rehearsed every Saturday and performed constantly across the country.  After only a year he took the lead alto chair where he remained for 5 years, during which time the band toured with stars such as Vic Damone, Buddy Greco and Al Martino.

Through his newfound NYJO buddies, Nigel began to play with various other big bands, function bands and jazz combos, as well as studying for his exams at his local comprehensive school.

After leaving school at sixteen and already a seasoned professional, Nigel walked straight into the London session scene, recording TV jingles, movie soundtracks, Pop solos and various other library albums, as he still does today.

In 1989 Nigel joined the contemporary saxophone quartet Itchy Fingers.  This outfit, with their incredibly taxing compositions, gave him the perfect opportunity to use his photographic memory and display an awesome technical facility, which can be heard on the album Itchy Fingers Live.

He toured Europe and South-East Asia with the foursome over an 18 month period, leaving to continue his Pop / session career just after receiving 3 Jazz awards: the Schlitz Award for Rising Star, the Cleo Laine Personal Award for Best Young Musician, and the Pat Smythe Trust Award (voted for by musicians).

Throughout the '90s Nigel's reputation grew and he was in constant demand well into the noughties (as his discog shows), not only in the studios and as a Jazz musician, but also touring extensively with artists like Tom Jones and Wet, Wet, Wet.  He also appeared on TV many times backing artists like James Brown, Robbie Williams and The Spice Girls.

In early 2004 Nigel made a quite astounding change in his life.  After going to see his dear friend Rick Taylor in the Isle of Skye, he decided to move there.  After a year of recharging the batteries, surrounded by nature and some of the best views on the planet, he started to play again with a local band, the Peatbog Faeries.

Once again he was travelling, but now it was across Scotland, playing with bagpipes and fiddles in a rock context, and he had his dog, Sally, to go home to.  Playing with other highland bands and doing online sessions kept him in socks, but then in 2006, Nigel received a commission to compose some classical music for an orchestra in Kazakhstan.

This led to a huge deal with Sony BMG Masterworks, but alas the deal was terminated shortly before the release due to the economy and restructuring at Sony.  So In 2009, Nigel moved from Skye to Strathdon in Aberdeenshire.  Living on the grounds of an old castle on the river gave him the inspiration to continue writing and recording.  He now has much library music available, and is also an excellent cook!

Since arriving back in the south in late 2011, Nigel has performed on The Voice with the winner Leanne Mitchell, toured with the late George Michael, recorded and gigged with Mark Knopfler, and recorded a classical alto sax concerto for Brian Byrne's Tales From The Walled City.