Julian Arguelles

Born Julian Argüelles Clarke on 28 January 1966 in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, the saxophonist and composer spent his teenage years performing with multiple big bands throughout the Birmingham area. He also appeared in both the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and the European Community Big Band before relocating to London in 1984 to enroll at Trinity College of Music. Shortly afterward he became a member of Loose Tubes, traveling across Europe with the ensemble. Additional associations included work alongside Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood Of Breath—where he encountered touring American musicians such as Archie Shepp—and sessions with his brother Steve Argüelles. He simultaneously led his own small ensembles, most often trios and quartets, presenting club dates and concerts across the United Kingdom.

By the early 1990s he had joined tours with Kenny Wheeler’s big band, the Mike Gibbs orchestra, John Scofield, Steve Swallow, Carla Bley, Tommy Smith, Henry Lowther, John Taylor, and numerous others. Throughout those years he recorded with many of the same artists while issuing his own debut album, Phaedrus. Later recordings extended the musical directions first outlined on that release, culminating in a high point with Escapade, his initial project for Colin Towns’ Provocateur imprint. Equally comfortable on several saxophones, the versatile musician maintains a personal voice that engages current jazz currents while remaining grounded in the idiom’s traditions, characteristics likewise evident in his writing.