Richard Naiff is a British

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, j ...

and

flautist The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

from London who has performed with the bands

Soulsec The British band Soulsec (formerly known as The Faithband or the 'Paul Roberts Band') is the solo project of the ex Stranglers frontman Paul Roberts. In 1999 Paul Roberts releases his first solo album ''Faith?'', the birth of the Faithband. ...

, The Catacoustics,

The Waterboys The Waterboys are a folk rock band formed in Edinburgh in 1983 by Scottish musician Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Mike Scott has remained ...

and The

Icicle Works The Icicle Works (also known as Icicle Works in the United States) are an English alternative rock band and were named after the 1960 short story "The Day the Icicle Works Closed" by science fiction author Frederik Pohl. They had a top 20 UK hi ...

. Naiff is a classically trained musician, having joined the

Guildhall School of Music The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and j ...

at age ten. The

Irish music Irish music is music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland. The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th and into the 21st century, despite globali ...

website Cluas.com describes Naiff as "phenomenally talented". Naiff was invited to participate on The Waterboys' album ''

A Rock in the Weary Land ''A Rock in the Weary Land'' is the seventh studio album by the Waterboys, released in 2000 by BMG International. It was their first album after a seven-year break, but mostly continues the hard rock vein of the previous album ''Dream Harder'' (1 ...

'' after the group's leader Mike Scott heard his piano work in a studio next to one where the recording sessions for ''A Rock in the Weary Land'' were taking place. Naiff joined the band officially in June 2000. Along with Mike Scott and

Steve Wickham Steve Wickham is an Irish musician. Originally from Marino, Dublin, but calling Sligo home,Ian McNabb Robert Ian McNabb (born 3 November 1960) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Previously the frontman of The Icicle Works, McNabb has since embarked on a solo career and performed with Ringo Starr, Neil Young/Crazy Horse, Mike Scott ...

described Naiff as Scott's "find of the century". Not coincidentally, while keeping his membership in the Waterboys, Naiff also joined McNabb's touring band in 2004, and became a member of a revived version of McNabb's old band The Icicle Works in 2006. Naiff's

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

influences include The Damned.

Notes

External links

Soulsec biography
English flautists English pianists English keyboardists The Waterboys members Living people The Icicle Works members Year of birth missing (living people) {{UK-pianist-stub