MICHAEL BARDON

Michael is a Northern Irish bassist/cellist/composer/improviser born in 1986 and based in Leeds, UK. He first came to Leeds in 2007 to study Jazz (BA Hons) at Leeds College of Music graduating in June 2010. Since then he has worked with a variety of musicians from different disciplines and backgrounds including Shatner's Bassoon, Keeley Forsyth, Matthew Bourne, Dave Kane, Tipping Point, James Mainwaring, Sean Noonan’s Pavees Dance, Hiby/Bardon/Hession trio, Jaktar, Hassan Erraji, Craig Scott’s Lobotomy and Nat Birchall Quintet.

Michael has had the privilege of playing at some of the top venues and festivals throughout the UK and Europe including Sant'anna Arresi Jazz Festival (Sardinia), Haldern Pop Festival (Germany), Experimenta Festival, (Bari, Italy) Locomotive Jazz Fest (Italy), Jazz Od Nowa Fest (Poland), Manchester Jazz Festival, The Vortex, Club Integral (London).

Michael is a founding member and joint composer of Shatner's Bassoon; a group of five composers/improvisers who have gained considerable reputation around the UK for their unorthodox approach to making music together. In their time as a group they have had three UK tours, been featured twice on BBC Jazz on 3, had reviews in major publications, been granted awards from the PRS, ACE, Jazz Services and Jazz North to create new work and support a national tour.

Michael's performance interests lie in pairing both the electronic sonorities of electric bass, DIY effects pedals and synthesizers; with a more traditional acoustic set-up of double bass and cello.

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