Quotes "..."
"Richard Niles is one of the best composer/arrangers around and a truly exciting musical force." Pat Metheny
"Your production work is of the highest caliber." Richard Carpenter - The Carpenters
"Richard Niles is one of those people whose projects can be recommended without hesitation. He pushes the ear and imagination to encompass the workings of other peoples minds." Gillian Reynolds (MBE), The Sunday Telegraph
"Great arrangements! Great production! It's always a pleasure to do something with you, and I hope we can continue to find new ways." Bob James
"FRANK SINATRA HAD NELSON RIDDLE. I HAVE RICHARD NILES .......love, marti pellow"
"Thanks for all your help. I remember being really inspired." ex-student Marina of Marina and the Diamonds
"You are a true gem amongst a myriad of fool's gold." composer Dann Glenn
" Produced by Richard Niles, there’s craftsman kind of work in putting something like this together. And then there’s master craftsman quality, painstakingly assembled by hand, and that’s where this one resides. Very highly recommended. Girlsingers.com on Tanja Martisa's CD "Fragile"
“England's jazz crusader.” Berklee Today
"What makes his approach to an arrangement unique is that he's interested in a fusion of genres." LA Music Connection
"His prodigious talent as composer/arranger/performer have served him well in his multi-faceted pursuits." Composer Michael Gibbs
“You bad, Niles! This show is gonna be a phenomenon with the combination of your orchestra and my thing!” Mister James Brown
“His long and impressive experience informs his teaching and leadership. His enthusiasm for the creative process and working together as a team helps to galvanize students and serve the overall needs of the programme. His wealth of knowledge and experience coupled with his love for both jazz and popular musics is clearly embedded in his teaching methods."
Professor Frank Griffith, Director of Performance, Head of Jazz, Brunel University
“In the '80s, Trevor Horn wanted a big sound, and Richard Niles knew all about 'big'."
Finn Johannsen - Writer/DJ
“That's some funny shit! I can't believe you wrote that, Man!” Ray Charles
“Clever smooth jazz.” Time Out
“One of pop's top arrangers… not only does Niles know what he's talking about, he imparts his knowledge with clarity and certainty.” The Times
“Niles explains the mechanics of music better than anyone else on radio.” Chris Campling - The Times Radio Choice
"New Jazz Standards on Radio 2 on Saturday nights is a peach of a programme, with presenter Richard Niles being funny, wild and opinionated, and the music is a glorious mix of the unexpected - jazz, funk, salsa. It's the kind of programme that breaks new ground and ought to be allowed time to build. Its tone is all its own, maverick yet authoritative, with an enthusiasm that's catchy. It takes a minute or two to get used to Niles's high-pitched, silvery salvos of introduction, but his verbal riffs precisely fit the sessions and tracks that follow. A jazz landmark."
Gillian Reynolds On Radio - The Daily Telegraph
“For guaranteed satisfaction, do not miss Radio 2's The Arrangers. Richard Niles shows it is perfectly possible to have a scholarly appreciation of what makes music sound good allied to a wicked sense of humour.”
Gillian Reynolds (MBE), The Daily Telegraph
"Richard Niles has changed the tenor of jazz broadcasting. Niles's style is uninhibitedly American upfront, a sort of Ruby Wax with musical taste, although also swathed in self-parody. If we don't agree with his assessment of Chick Corea, we're invited to sue him. He also extols stadium jazz - "very entertaining if you're in the mood or on medication". Niles presumes little musical knowledge - he explains acid jazz, for instance - though he clearly has plenty himself. He eschews purism, is unembarrassed by crossover, and runs with his enthusiasms. His show is delicious." Anne Karpf - The Guardian
"When you are talking musical pedagogy, Richard Niles is the daddy." The Times
“Richard Niles, the informed and energetic presenter, delves into how an arrangement can make a hit and which instruments change the colours in music to play most effectively on listeners' emotions.” Gillian Reynolds (MBE) - Daily Telegraph
“Just when you thought it was safe to walk into the studio, Richard Niles hands you a chart!”
Nathan East - bassist Fourplay, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins
"Jazz and pop - A lot of Richard’s charts helped me to match all these things up and I thank him a lot for that. The Bandzilla charts made me play double time bebop over G# minor or a funk track and then something really bluesy and simple over a fast swinger! Gigs and sessions with Richard really helped develop my style.
Richard Niles gives it the garlic!" Nigel Hitchcock - British alto sax virtuoso
"...the most attractive and original music I've heard... defies convenient labels. Marvellous melodies, exotic keyboard colourings, disarming tempo changes and surprising solos." Derek Jewell - Sunday Times review of Niles' "Hi-Tek"
"...clever, original music. In its textures and slinky beats, much of the writing aspires to be mistaken for 'smooth jazz' bit is actually much too intelligent for that!" Jazzwise review of Club Deranged
"...attractively unusual hyper-melodic compositions..." Pizza Express Jazz Club review
