Self-taught instrumentalist Si Hayden, despite being left handed picked up an old right handed guitar at age 10, gigged with numerous bands from age 15, solo guitar shows from age 22, recorded, performed and composed theatre scores, soundtracks and instrumentals for the likes of the Belgrade Theatre, bbc Radio 4, various compilations, featured as 'guitar by' on many albums, singles and along with 3 solo instrumental guitar albums, has been performing, recording and composing ever since.
Live Reviews
"...amazing guitarist" (Peter Lang, fingerstyle pioneer)
"Coventrys Si Hayden simply blew us away with his intricate finger skills" (BBC C&W)
"a very cool and unique gift. I REALLY enjoy the playing and compositions." (Florida guitar legend Mike Pachelli)
"one-man musical magician fusing funk, jazz and a splash of drum'n'bass in a single flamenco styled nylon-stringed guitar" (The Warwick Core)
"His solo classical-Spanish style guitar playing, peppered with pepper, funk and drumnbass, takes your breath away like a sledgehammer to the chest" (The Shiznit Magazine)
"Si Hayden left members of the audience in wonder of how anyone could deliver such harmony and rhythms of complexity using a six string, steel strung acoustic guitar" (Alvin Leon, AquiredTaste)
"A classical Spanish style guitarist, who will blow you away with his jazz, latin and funk infused songs. How he manages it all on just a 6 string guitar still amazes us. You will have to see him to believe it! (AcousticLounge, Clapham)
Album Reviews
"its a ripper cd... very, very good!" (Steve Passiouras, PBS FM on 'Steel Roots')
"gives a fine display of Americana.. and there is some finger lickin’ pickin’ going on here.." ('Is this music magazine' on 'Steel Roots')
"fast killer chops on most tracks.. “Moondance”.. a true piece of art.. at times he reminds me of Tuck Andress in his jazzy approach with a lot of rhythm and bass runs going on" ('Bridge Guitar Reviews' on 'Steel Roots')
"Pascal Vigne goes in a swift swirl around Christophe Godin's country picking, while Si Hayden with Michael Berk deliver an acoustic pearl called "Tango Schizophrenia", the highlight of this set, pure Segovia." (Dmitry M. Epstein, 'Let it Rock' on 'The Alchemist Vol II')
"..the Spanish acoustic delights of “Tango Schizophrenia” from Si Hayden and Michael Berk is a great piece of 2 classical guitars with the right blend of mystical Mediterranean qualities and speedy fretwork.." (© 2007 VIRTUOSITYONE.COM on 'The Alchemist Vol II')
"Hayden’s trademark supersonic picking is present.. the six-string virtuosity shown on this album is irrefutable.. an album that stuns with its technical brilliance, then later endears you to the soul and depth behind the flashiness" (Peter Clayton, 'cdreviews.com' on 'Steel Roots')
"a lot of jazz influence... walking bass lines, tapping, ..blazing scale work... great bluesy... funky groove, jazz chording's, some Spanish guitar flourishes, and lots of quick arpeggios... Si does have some chops. It's hard to know where he's going with his music; each song seems to take a direction for a brief time, then a detour takes us on some other route.." (© Kirk Albrecht, 'minor7th' on 'Steel Roots')
".. the solo guitar mastery of U.K. based Si Hayden. Hayden’s speciality is daredevil solo flamenco guitar tracks that he composes himself. The music may sound vintage but on his CD Hayden puts a new spin on a timeless art form. As he points out in his liner notes, all tracks were recorded with one guitar and no overdubs and all percussion is from the right hand on the guitar body while playing. A modern flamenco master, Hayden makes excellent use of his Ivor Maraints and Jose Ramirez guitars." Robert Silverstein/20th Century Guitar/NYC) on 'Nylon... for Now' (01/06/2006)
"This album is refreshingly honest - UK-based composer/guitarist Hayden plays the entire program solo and with no overdubs... flawlessly executes the genre's characteristic strums, descending single-string runs and soundboard taps, as in the opening track, "Like Fire." Yet he typically makes things more interesting by weaving more complex harmonies and smooth jazz elements into each of the tunes. "One Weekend" is a good example of this, exhibiting an original compositional sense while incorporating the flamenco devices to add energy and variety. He also fuses these elements on the uptempo "Are You Going to Eat All That?," and the closer, "Sounds Better in Red." He builds on Cuban rhythms in "Black Magic Nylon" as a springboard for a lively and multifaceted improvisation. Si Hayden's appeal comes from successfully melding flamenco with more modern sounds, and doing so without gimmicks or artifice - I'd love to see him perform. Both guitarists and general listeners will enjoy this CD; turn it up and enjoy." (©Patrick Ragains/Minor7th) on 'Nylon... for Now' (01/01/2007)
"Si Hayden is such an impressive guitar player and Nylon ... for Now is full of interesting music... dizzying flamenco-style runs... pretty, ringing arpeggios. He’s even better when he leans into some meaty rhythmic chording. Then there’s his unique percussion, which is him tapping on the guitar’s wood body. I wish he’d do it more often on this album, but these tracks were recorded in single takes, and providing all that rhythm on top of breakneck picking is, I’m sure, hard work.I gained more appreciation for the first cut, “Like Fire,” when I very coincidentally cued it up as I was reading a short story about bullfighting. Flamenco undertones pop up throughout the album; “Like Fire” and “Symphony Solo” are the most notably Spanish-flavored numbers. One Weekend is atmospheric, sad and Mark Knopfler-esque (it reminds me of a movie soundtrack Knopfler did many years ago). It also has a hopeful interlude, kind of like the things-will-get-better scene of a tearjerker movie. Are You Going To Eat All That?” gets really interesting when Hayden fires off slap bass-style riffs. Black Magic Nylon is the strongest cut. It’s the most like a cohesive pop song – a full band could play along here. Hayden alone does a good job tearing this one up. It mines more of the jazz/funkiness that “Eat All That?” hints at. Armitage boasts some triumphant strumming that is darn close to Pete Townshend style, a reminder that great guitar work can be simple. Hayden’s percussion technique is most noticeable here and on the propulsive opening and closing of the last song, “Sounds Better In Red. Fans of guitar virtuosity should check out Si Hayden, and I’m glad I did, too. I almost passed on reviewing Nylon ... for Now, but a few listens made me appreciate it on a heart-and-soul level as well as a technical one." © Chip Withrow(musesmuse.com) on 'Nylon... for Now' (01/11/2007)
"Si Hayden is a one-man band, composing entire songs on an acoustic guitar playing both lead and rhythm parts. It never occurred to me that I would enjoy compositions with such a simple bare essential, but you never know what you'll like until somebody makes songs that way. His strumming is articulate like Luka Bloom and his melodies and improvisations are so well developed like Les Paul that they ring to the beating pulse of life. He puts in a few bars of artsy scaling and intricate fingering that make you go dizzy feeling beguiled by their entanglements like in "Jd 'n' Coffee" and "Just A Bit O' Fun," but for the most part, the melodies are very tuneful and the limberness in his fingers are absolutely fascinating. Si Hayden is a guitarist's guitar player. The only frills you'll hear are the ones he makes with his fingers and six strings. Steel Roots is Si Hayden's third instrumental solo guitar album. Produced by Hayden, most of the songs are original compositions written by Hayden with the exception of two, "Folsom Prison Blues" by Johnny Cash and "Moondance" by Van Morrison. Each tune stands out in a different way. You might find a methodology to Hayden's playing, but every composition is so tailored with its own voice that it negates everything you have ever learned about method playing. These are not finger moves that are taught in school. They are moves with such imagination and independent thinking that they make you feel honored to hear them. The music has a striking star quality that few artists can achieve. Hayden uses no special effects or overdubs. His playing is divinely pure, but you'll swear he must have used some form of trickery to have the effect that his music will make on you. Hayden's music falls between the lines that separate jazz from country, and his compositions certainly show that the two have more common factors than most music fans ever knew. There is a bluegrass vibe pulsing through the fretwork of the opening track "Eliya" with segments of lounging jazz joining along the line. There are bits of dazzling flamenco work on tracks like "Confessions Of A Tractor Thief" and the title track "Steel Roots" and tempo changes that intermingles a reposing flow with an upbeat tapping. Hayden's rendition of "Folsom Prison Blues" has a cool country tint, while the soft-pop hooks in "Golden Fictitious" and "Flat Spot" take the listener to another dimension of Hayden's playing. The improvisations which Hayden creates on the tribute "Hats Off To Pete Townsend" takes some of Townsend's most memorable riffs and decorates them with fabulous extensions. You'll never believe that all of these movements are coming out of one acoustic guitar. His reworking of Van Morrison's melody "Moondance" keeps some of the original lines while juxtaposing them with Hayden's own specialized chord concoctions. "Planet Of The Grapes" is like a starlight jazz suite played after dark with some meaningful country-influenced patterns and intricate fretwork that can only be imagined. There is a dreamy quality in Si Hayden's melodies that keeps your head floating up above the clouds while the country aspects in his music keeps everything feeling open and homey. I know that I make it sound like he is pulling you in two different directions, but really his music pulls you in one, towards experiencing fascinating sonic vistas. A native of Coventry, England, Hayden's sonic vistas seem to come natural as he plays to the beating pulse of life with total abandonment of conventional methodology. Speaking of unconventional, Si Hayden is left handed and plays right-handed guitars. (Susan Frances, jazzreview.com on 'Steel Roots')
Discography
'Scenes from the City'
(due for release) SilveryRecords
1. Orphan Child Lullaby (Hayden)
2. Beginning (Hayden)
3. Urban Wolves (Hayden)
4. The Suits (Hayden)
5. Bird Woman (Hayden)
6. The Cleaners (Hayden)
7. Homeless Girl (Hayden)
8. Wet Man (Hayden)
9. Orphan Child (Hayden)
Original Theatre Score produced, composed and performed by Si Hayden. A Belgrade Theatre Production 'Scenes from the City' (soundtrack) Cover Artwork: Barry Jobson, ©2007 SilveryRecords, Format: Compact Disk, Cat no: SR019, Packaging: Jewel Case (sealed), Release Date: TBC, Sound Format: Stereo, UPC: TBC /Length:
'Live Like Us'
(due for release) SilveryRecords
1. The Lift (Hayden)
2. Angels (Hayden)
3. The Car Park (Hayden)
4. But The Voices (Hayden)
5. Kelvin (Hayden)
6. Jess (Hayden)
7. A Leathal Toaster (Hayden)
8. Shrine (Hayden)
Original Theatre Score produced, composed and performed by Si Hayden. A Belgrade Theatre Production 'Live Like Us' (soundtrack) due for release this year. Cover shot: Paul blakemore, ©2007 SilveryRecords, Format: Compact Disk, Cat no: SR018, Packaging: Jewel Case (sealed), Release Date: TBC, Sound Format: Stereo, UPC: TBC /Length:
'Steel Roots'
©2007 SilveryRecords
1. Ellya (Hayden)
2. Confessions of a tractor thief (Hayden)
3. Folsom prison blues (J.Cash)
4. Golden fictitious (Hayden)
5. Flat spot (Hayden)
6. Hats off to Pete Townshend (Hayden)
7. Jd 'n' coffee (Hayden)
8. Just a bit o' fun (Hayden)
9. Moondance (V. Morrison)
10.Cowstalker (Hayden)
11.Planet of the grapes (Hayden)
12.Steel roots (Hayden)
All tracks composed and performed by S.Hayden exept 3 and 9. Recorded with no overdubs in standard tuning except title track 12 (drop-D tuning) /Produced by Si Hayden /Mastered by Andrew Tulloch, The Blue Room, London. Guitars used: Tracks 1,2,3,5,6,7,11 ~ Standard tuned Avalon AS acoustic, Tracks 4,8,10,12 ~ Cort CJ acoustic, track 9 - 1992 Gibson j-160e acoustic. All Photography: Paul Blakemore, Location 'Jacks Barber', Coventry, UK. /Format: Compact Disc /Genre(s): POP/Jazz Label: SilveryRecords /Cat.No: SR015 /Packaging: Jewel Case (Sealed) /Release Date: August 27th 2007 /Sound Format: Stereo /UPC:5050521006215/ AMG Album ID: R 1188066 /Length: 38.20
'The Alchemists vol II'
©2007 LiquidNoteRecords
1.Unruly Elements (Chris Brooks ft. Joe Chawki)
2.One Legged Chicken (Pascal Vigné ft.Christophe Godin)
3.Threehunderdpointtwentyone (Terry Syrek ft.Bumblefoot)
4.Under The Influence (Richard Hallebeek & Antti Kotikoski)
5.Space Antz (Carlos Creator ft.Robert Rodrigo)
6.Stratosphere (William Stravato ft.Brett Garsed)
7.At Last (Stefan Rosqvist ft.Bo Eriksson)
8.The Puffball That Ate My Village (Phi Yaan-Zek ft.Chanan Hanspal)
9.Last Minute Call/The Saviour (Milan Polak & Marco Sfogli)
10.Fumble Fingers (Dave Martone & Chris Buono)
11.Tango Schizophrenia (Si Hayden ft.Michael Berk)
12.Warp Drive (Gianluca Ferro ft.Scott McGill)
13.In The Beginning (Sven Stichter ft.Thorsten Koenhe)
14.Butterfly/Free Love/Fruit Frenzy (Geoff Tyson ft.Doug Doppler)
15.Georgia In My Heart (Dr Ika & Temur Kvitelashvili)
The Alchemists II is the sequel to LNR's highly popular "The Alchemists" (double) compilation CD, which was released in 2002. The primary difference between the two compilations is that The Alchemists II features 2 guitar players per tune. Some of the original Alchemists have returned for the new CD, including Bumblefoot, Terry Syrek, Brett Garsed and Richard Hallebeek. Over 75 mins of guitar bliss. All tracks are original to this compilation. Instrumental Guitar (Electric (Heavy) /Shred /Fusion), total running time, 79:47
'Nylon... For Now'
©2006 SilveryRecords
1. Like Fire (Hayden)
2. One Weekend (Hayden)
3. Are you going to eat all that? (Hayden)
4. Armitage (Hayden)
5. Black Magic Nylon (Hayden)
6. Symphony Solo (Hayden)
7. Sounds Better in Red (Hayden)
All tracks written & performed by S.Hayden, no overdub's. All percussion from the guitar soundboard whilst playing. Length: 44:40 /Produced by Si Hayden /Mastered by Donal Whelan, Hafod /MasteringWorld. Guitars used: Tracks 1,3,4,5,6~ Standard tuned 1981 Ivor Mairants R.E.Spain No. 188F Tracks 2,7~ Standard tuned 2004 Jose Ramirez FL2. Cover photo: Paul Blakemore (2005 Coventry Jazz Festival) Guitar in photo: Godin Grand Concert Nylon Duet (live use) SilveryRecords /Format: Compact Disc /Genre(s): POP/Jazz /Label: SilveryRecords /Cat.No: SR011 /Packaging: Jewel Case (Sealed) /Release Date: April 24, 2006 /Sound Format: Stereo /UPC: 5060080790388 /AMG Album ID: R 858573 /Length: 44:40
'Steel Happenings'
©1998 RayCra/Silvery
1. Its Happening (Hayden)
2. Walking the dog (Hayden)
3. Seventeen (Hayden)
4. Lil' Diddy (Hayden)
5. Inspired by the First (Hayden)
6. Something I Saw (Hayden)
7. Its Happening Again (Hayden)
Si's first solo guitar album recorded in 1998 at the age of 23 'Steel Happenings' . All tracks written and performed by S. Hayden recorded with no overdubs in various alternate tunings at RAYCRAIGSTUDIOS. Guitars used: Tracks: 1.2 & 7 Washburn jumbo (mic /magnetic neck pick-up) Tracks: 3,4,5 & 6 Takemine sante fe (mic /piezzo bridge pick-up) Cover shot: Wilson Pickin, guitar in photo: Washburn Jumbo. ©1998 RAYCRARECORDS /SilveryRecords /RC23, Format: Compact Disk, Genre(s): Pop/Jazz, Cat no: RC23, Packaging: Jewel Case (sealed), Release Date: 12/12/1998, Sound Format: Stereo, UPC: 5060080790456 /AMG Album ID: R 936690 /Length: 31:10
Booking Contact Info:
UK & Ireland: SiHaydenMusic (currently offering a full night of 'solo improv jazz guitar' for any type of venue/event, monthly residency prefered. For details and or to book, contact email: si.hayden@hotmail.com or phone: 07971589867
Mainland Europe: Jason Weastell / licensing@kingcowmusic.com |
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