​                      James Penny 

 

 

James Penny BA (Hons) is a Kent based freelance musician.

He was educated at Leeds College of Music where he graduated with a first class honours in Jazz. James is inspired by many genres of music. Although Jazz is his main field of expertise, having studied the greats such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Joe Henderson and John Coltrane, he also enjoys listening to and performing many other styles. He is highly regarded as a performer by both musicians and students alike. 

 

Before completing his degree James played with the Kent and subsequently the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. During his time at LCM he performed with the College Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, one of the highlights being a solo with Russell van den Berg. Recently he has performed with the US based Ray Brown Jr Jazz Quartet.

James is also a versatile composer. He has a portfolio which includes writing and arranging for Big Band and small groups encompassing Jazz, Rock and Pop.

 

James is a passionate teacher. He strongly believes that music education has not yet reached its full potential and is constantly working to perfect this art. He has been taught by some of the top musicians and jazz educators in the UK, such as Joel Purnell, Simon Kaylor, Jiannis Pavildis, Rob Mitchell and Jamil Sheriff. This experience and knowledge enables him to teach effectively and to get the best out of every lesson and pupil. In this area of his work he feels strongly about adopting a unique approach which equips the pupil to readily understand and apply the kind of techniques which will make them a competent performer and someone who really enjoys their playing.