Nikki Anne Iles (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Burnham; born 16 May 1963) is a British

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

composer, pianist and educator.

Early life

Iles was born in

Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north. Dunstable is the fou ...

, Bedfordshire, on 16 May 1963. She started her musical education at primary school, where she learnt to play the harmonica and the clarinet, and at eleven years old she won a junior exhibition at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

, where she studied clarinet and piano from 1974 to 1981. She became a member of the Bedfordshire Youth Jazz Orchestra. She went on to the

Leeds College of Music Leeds Conservatoire (formerly known as The Leeds Music Centre, the City of Leeds College of Music, and Leeds College of Music) is a higher education music conservatoire based in the Quarry Hill district of Leeds, England. It was founded in 19 ...

(1981–1984).

Later life and career

After graduating from the Leeds College of Music, she decided to settle in Yorkshire. After marrying trumpeter Richard Iles, she changed her surname from Burnham. She joined his band Emanon, with which she played some of her compositions. Iles also began playing with several London-based bands, such as those led by Steve Argüelles, Mick Hutton and Stan Sulzmann. Iles won the 1996 John Dankworth Special Award at the BT Jazz Festival. Following a serious car crash after a gig, Iles opted to settle in London. Iles was a senior lecturer at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...

, and has taught at the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

, the

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a music and drama school located in the City of London, England. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz along with dram ...

, and in Bulgaria, Holland, France, and Finland. Iles was awarded the

British Empire Medal The British Empire Medal (BEM; formerly British Empire Medal for Meritorious Service) is a British and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth award for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

(BEM) in the

2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to music. In 2025 Iles was announced as the new principal conductor of Hamburg's NDR Bigband.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sidewoman

With

Anthony Braxton Anthony Braxton (born June 4, 1945) is an American experimental composer, educator, music theorist, improviser and multi-instrumentalist who is best known for playing saxophones, particularly the alto. Braxton grew up on the South Side of Chi ...

*'' Composition No. 175 / Composition No. 126: Trillium Dialogues M'' (Leo, 1994) With Mike Gibbs *''By the Way'' (Ah Um, 1993) With Ingrid Laubrock *''Some Times'' (Candid, 1998) With Tina May *''One Fine Day'' (33Jazz, 1999) *''I'll Take Romance'' (Linn, 2002) *''More Than You Know'' (33Jazz, 2004) *''A Wing and a Prayer'' (33Jazz, 2005–06) With

Sylvan Richardson Sylvan Richardson is a British guitarist, composer, and massage, masseur. Music Best known for being the one-time guitarist of Simply Red, after the second album ''Men and Women (album), Men and Women'' and a successful world tour, Richardson ...

*''Pyrotechnics'' (Blue Note, 1992) With Geoff Simkins *''Don't Ask'' (Symbol, 1999) With Martin Speake *''Secret'' (Basho, 2000) With Stan Sulzmann *''Treasure Trove'' (ASC, 1995) With Dick Walter/Jazz Craft Ensemble *''Secret Moves'' (ASC, 1999)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iles, Nikki 21st-century British accordionists 21st-century British pianists 1963 births Academics of Middlesex University Academics of the University of York Alumni of Leeds College of Music Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Basho Records artists British women accordionists British jazz pianists British women jazz pianists FMR Records artists Living people People from Dunstable Recipients of the British Empire Medal