Nikki Iles
British jazz composer, pianist and educator
title: "Nikki Iles" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["21st-century-british-accordionists", "21st-century-british-pianists", "1963-births", "academics-of-middlesex-university", "academics-of-the-university-of-york", "alumni-of-leeds-conservatoire", "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"] description: "British jazz composer, pianist and educator" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Iles" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary British jazz composer, pianist and educator ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Nikki Iles |
| | image | Nicki Iles.JPG | | background | non_vocal_instrumentalist | | birth_name | Nikki Anne Burnham | | birth_place | Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK | | birth_date | | | instrument | Piano | | genre | Jazz | | occupation | Musician, composer, educator | | years_active | Mid-1980s–present | | label | 33Jazz, Basho | | associated_acts | Tina May | | website | | ::
| name = Nikki Iles
| image = Nicki Iles.JPG | caption = | image_size = | background = non_vocal_instrumentalist | birth_name = Nikki Anne Burnham | alias = | birth_place = Dunstable, Bedfordshire, UK | birth_date = | death_place = | death_date = | instrument = Piano | genre = Jazz | occupation = Musician, composer, educator | years_active = Mid-1980s–present | label = 33Jazz, Basho | associated_acts = Tina May | website = | current_members = | past_members =
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Nikki-Iles_DSC05295.jpg" caption="Aarhus (Denmark 2022)
Photo Hreinn Gudlaugsson"]
::
Nikki Anne Iles (née Burnham; born 16 May 1963) is a British jazz composer, pianist and educator.
Early life
Iles was born in Dunstable, 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, 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 (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, and has taught at the University of York, Leeds College of Music, the Guildhall School of Music, and in Bulgaria, Holland, France, and Finland. In 2021 Iles was awarded the Ivor Novello Jazz Composition Award for her work 'The Caged Bird'.
Iles was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to music.
In 2025 Iles was announced as the new principal conductor of Hamburg's NDR Bigband.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
::data[format=table]
| Year recorded | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Face to Face | Edition Records | With :de:NDR Bigband |
| 2015 | Westerly | Basho | As The Printmakers; with Mike Walker (electric guitar), Mark Lockheart (saxes), Steve Watts (bass), James Maddren (drums), Norma Winstone (vocals) |
| 2012 | Hush | Basho | Trio, with Rufus Reid (bass), Jeff Williams (drums) |
| 2002 | Everything I Love | Basho | Trio, with Duncan Hopkins (bass), Anthony Michelli (drums) |
| 2002 | Veils | Symbol | last1=Cook |
| 1998? | Snap | RFM | As Foolish Hearts (Iles, Steve Berry, Paul Clarvis, and Anthony Kerr) |
| 1997? | Change of Sky | 33Jazz | Duo, co-led with Tina May (vocals) |
| 1997 | The Tan Tien | FMR | with Martin Speake |
| :: |
As sidewoman
With Anthony Braxton
- 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
- 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
References
- "Nikki Iles". [[AllMusic]].
- Chilton, John. (2004). "Who's Who of British Jazz". Continuum.
- "Ivors Academy Awards 2021".
- {{London Gazette. (1 January 2022)
- (8 April 2025). "NDR Bigband Begins 2025–'26 Season with Nikki Iles as Principal Conductor".
- "Face to Face Album".
- Fordham, John. (7 May 2015). "The Printmakers: Westerly Review – American Cool to Rural England". [[The Guardian]].
- (5 November 2015). "Westerly: The Printmakers".
- Lindsay, Bruce. (2 April 2012). "Nikki Iles: Hush".
- (2008). "[[The Penguin Guide to Jazz". [[Penguin Books.
- Nathan, Dave. "Nikki Iles / Tina May: Change of Sky". [[AllMusic]].
- Eyles, John. (18 March 2006). "Anthony Braxton with the Creative Jazz Orchestra: Composition No. 175 & Composition No. 126: Trillium-Dialogues M".
- (1996). "[[The Penguin Guide to Jazz". [[Penguin Books.
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