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Hello. Mike Outram here. I’m a guitarist, composer and teacher from the UK. That’s me below. I guess it would be kind of odd if I’d posted a picture of Bert Weedon or something. Think I might actually be asleep in this pic. Anyhow, below is a sort of attempt at a biography. Utterly painful these things are to write, but I had a go…
Here are some of the things I’ve done that I’ve enjoyed a lot: Recording for Steven Wilson on his Insurgentes album alongside Jordan Rudess, Tony Levin and Gavin Harrison; playing on this [click here] with Danish drummer and composer Sebastiaan Cornellisen and John McLaughlin bassist Hadrian Feraud; playing classical guitar with string quartet to a film at the Sao Paulo Film Festival, Brazil; recording Laura Rossi’s soundtrack to ‘The Firm’; playing swanee whistle in a tribute to Clangers creator Oliver Postgate; playing on Theo Travis’s proggy/rock/jazz/ambient album with Robert Fripp and great UK tour with that group; a European tour with soul-funk legend Carleen Anderson; gigs in South Africa with Herbie Mann; sessions with Photek and the Cinematic Orchestra, recording math-geek-metallers The Banzai Buddy Band and writing and recording my own music.
I’ve also had the good fortune to develop within long-term group projects such as: Martin Speake’s various projects which explore contemporary jazz, Indian carnatic influenced music, free improvised music, be-bop, and so on [listen here]; Asaf Sirkis’ Messiaen-meets-Prog group; Issie Barratt’s insanely challenging Big Band; Pop/country singer-songwriter Rebecca Hollweg; The Tony Woods Project, Gareth Lockrane, Dylan Howe, Harvey Brough, Tim Whitehead, Karen Street, Jacqui Dankworth, Jamie O’Donnell, Dave O’Higgins.
I’m a professor at Trinity College of Music and The Royal Academy of Music. I teach Harmony and Theory at Guitar-X, and I’m on the faculty for the Jamey Aebersold Summer School in the UK. I’ve also taught for the Live Music Now scheme, The Purcell School, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London College of Music, Middlesex University and most other UK conservatoires. I’ve directed group workshops on improvisation, performance and composition, and have given many guitar-specific workshops as well. I’ve written a monthly tuition column in Guitarist Magazine for the past 3 years.
Right now, I’m writing and recording an album of my original music and writing a book on guitar playing. I have three ambitions for 2010: 1, finish album; 2, write book; 3, run 10k race. There’s a massive bottle of Champagne waiting if I manage to do those and I need all the help I can get.
Thanks for checking out this site. I hope there’s something of interest here :)
Hi mike
Just want to say, I’m very impressed and inspired by what you have achieved and hope to one day play at the level you do.
You actually taught me my first altered scale lick on the Jamey Aebersold Summer school 2 summers ago which i still use now, possibly too much.
So I hope I’ve ‘justified your existence’ .
Michael
Hi Michael,
Thanks for that; you’re very kind :) Glad you got some use out of my class too! Are you playing/studying?? Fill me in!
Yeah, I’m in my first year studying the jazz degree now at Leeds college of music. I’m really getting into it now and I’m thinking I might apply to do a masters at Trinity or Royal Academy when I’m finished here.
Also, what were you doing up at 4:12 am?
Great you’re studying at Leeds, it’s a great city and tons of music going on up there. 4:12 = feeding time at the zoo :)
yeah there’s a great scene up here, with loads of great gigs! Quite a lot of London based groups gig up here regularly, are you planning to do any work up here in the near future?
Would love to play in Leeds. Am working on an album at the moment and really want to start gigging with that but I might just do some trio gigs in the meantime. What gigs are there now in Leeds.