Drummer Tim Giles is an award-winning musician. Living in London, he is known for his collaborations with saxophonist James Allsopp, composer Riaan Vosloo, producer Ben Lamdin and other leading lights of the UK jazz and improvised music scene.
A musical prodigy, (winning a Telegraph Jazz Award for his childhood prowess), Tim started out backing jazz musicians that visited his home county of Suffolk. Whilst still in his teens, Tim was performing internationally with saxophonists Iain Ballamy and Stan Sulzmann at events such as the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, and St Louis Jazz Festival and Senegal (providing support for the late Joe Zawinul). He left school at sixteen, and moved to London to be a full-time musician.
His working musician’s experience replacing an undergraduate degree, he enrolled directly onto the postgraduate jazz course at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Whilst at the Academy, Tim met saxophonist James Allsopp and formed the jazz ensemble, Fraud. The band received the award for Best New Act at the 2007 Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Awards. In July 2008, Fraud won the BBC Jazz Award for Innovation. Further collaborations would include The Golden Age of Steam and standards quartet, Allsopp Vosloo Stanley Giles.
Tim is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM), awarded in 2016 for his extensive work in the art of jazz drumming. He has played with an eclectic list of jazz musicians such as Jamie Cullum, Art Farmer, Charles McPherson, Peter Brötzmann, Ingrid Jensen, Myra Melford, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone and Bobby Wellins. He is a key member of ensembles such as Ben Lamdin’s Nostalgia 77, Stan Sulzmann’s Neon Orchestra, Ed Jones Quartet, and Tori Freestone Trio. He also co-leads the experimental electronics trio Leverton Fox. As a jazz educator, Tim has worked at music institutions and jazz courses across the UK including Middlesex University, Royal Welsh Music College, and Birmingham Conservatoire. He is currently a Principal Lecturer on the jazz undergraduate course at Leeds Conservatoire. He lives in London with his wife and three children.
“Cutting edge jazz drummer” – The Daily Telegraph
“Fraud is, frankly, brilliant, your album is scary and thrilling and it swings.” – The Wire
“High energy and powerful… In fact, across the album as a whole it’s Giles who impresses most—he’s always empathic, never overwhelming and plays with obvious enthusiasm.” – All About Jazz
“Giles’s remorseless groove” – The Guardian
“Giles slipped from softly dreamlike dynamics to a lightning crack with pace to boot”– London Jazz News