JAMES BUCKHAM 

PIANIST o ORGANIST o EDUCATOR

ABOUT ME

Pianist, organist and educator James Buckham grew up in Worthing, West Sussex and initially received a classical training, studying under Hilary Coates at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. This culminated in the award of a Bmus degree with First Class Honours in classical piano.

A strong, ever-present love of Jazz and improvisation eventually led James to follow this path. He has recently completed a Masters program at Trinity Laban, for which he held a scholarship, taking lessons with Simon Purcell, Liam Noble, Andrea Vicari and Nick Weldon, among others.

Being brought up in a tradition of English sacred choral music, James was brought into contact with the pipe organ from a young age and studied the instrument during his childhood. More recently he has transferred these skills to the Hammond organ for the formation of a new project, the Giorgos Pafitis Organ Trio. This ensemble is currently performing original music around London.

As an educator, James has worked for a range of projects including SoundWaves, Mbawalu and Voices in Meantime. HIs keen interest in the promotion of jazz education led him to lead his own projects concerned with teaching improvisation in schools. He is currently writing a teaching manual designed to teach Jazz to non-improvising musicians, structured in line with the ABRSM Jazz Grades syllabus.

James continues to perform in his other guise as a classical musician, giving concerts around London and his hometown of Worthing.