Bill Wells
Bill Wells is a highly prolific Scottish musician and composer who has collaborated with numerous jazz, indie pop, and experimental musicians on projects ranging from free improvisation to electro-acoustic folk. A self-taught bassist, pianist, and guitarist who came up through the Scottish jazz scene of the late '80s, he formed the Bill Wells Octet during the early '90s before branching out to experimental rock and electronic music later in the decade. The 2000s saw a wealth of collaborations with the likes of Isobel Campbell, Jad Fair, and To Rococo Rot's Stefan Schneider, as well as the formation of the somewhat deceivingly named National Jazz Trio of Scotland, a sort of minimalist pop group. With 2011's acclaimed Everything's Getting Older, Wells began a fruitful collaboration with Arab Strap's Aidan Moffat. Other works during the decade included the same year's Tokyo-recorded Lemondale and 2015's self-explanatory Nursery Rhymes.
A native of Falkirk, Scotland, he gained recognition leading his eclectic big band the Bill Wells Octet in the mid-'90s, taking as much influence from Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach as from jazz artists like Count Basie and Carla Bley. Wells has been quoted as identifying more with the rock and indie scenes than with jazz, and by the end of the '90s, he had worked with the Pastels in addition to forming Phantom Engineer with members of BMX Bandits and Telstar Ponies. In 1998, the Bill Wells Octet released a self-titled collaboration with Glasgow-based electronic musician Future Pilot A.K.A., merging jazz arrangements with trip-hop breakbeats and samples.
Wells debuted the Bill Wells Trio with 2000's mini-album Incorrect Practice, followed by 2002 full-length Also in White. The same year saw the release of Ghost of Yesterday, an EP with former Belle and Sebastian vocalist Isobel Campbell (Wells also worked with her group Gentle Waves). In 2004, Wells released the electro-jazz album Pick Up Sticks in collaboration with Stefan Schneider, Annie Whitehead, and Barbara Morgenstern. He also worked with Half Japanese's Jad Fair on an album titled Whale. Wells released Osaka Bridge, the first of two collaborations with Japanese experimental group Maher Shalal Hash Baz, in 2006 (GOK followed in 2009). The cast of Pick Up Sticks produced 2009's Paper of Pins; 2010's Pianotapes was created by just Wells and Schneider. Also in 2010, Wells released Fugue, a collaboration with Tape.
Wells' full-length Lemondale, recorded with members of Tenniscoats and several prominent Japanese jazz musicians, appeared in 2011. During the same year, Wells and Aidan Moffat released Everything's Getting Older, which was awarded the inaugural Scottish Album of the Year Award. The National Jazz Trio of Scotland's Christmas Album, the first widely released recording by Wells' ambient pop ensemble, was issued in 2012. Wells' mini-album Summer Dreams was released by Japanese imprint 7 e.p. in 2014, with Autumn Dreams following in 2015. A second album with Moffat, The Most Important Place in the World, also appeared that year, as did Nursery Rhymes, recorded in New York City with Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake under a commission from the arts organization Creative Scotland. The project included contributions from a large cast of guest artists like Syd Straw, Yo La Tengo, and Karen Mantler. Bill Wells Presents Lorna Gilfedder, a short album with Wells' collaborator in the National Jazz Trio, appeared in 2016. Remixes for Seksound, a collection of Wells' remixes for Pia Fraus, Imandra Lake, and Bad Apples, was released in 2018.
© Timothy Monger & Paul Simpson /TiVo
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Everything's Getting Older
Alternative & Indie - Released by Chemikal Underground Records on 9 May 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Remixes for Seksound (Remix)
Jazz - Released by Seksound Record Label on 1 Oct 2018
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The Most Important Place in the World
Alternative & Indie - Released by Chemikal Underground Records on 16 Mar 2015
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Lemondale
Alternative & Indie - Released by Double Six Records on 5 Dec 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gok
Bill Wells, Maher Shalal Hash Baz
Jazz - Released by geographic on 29 Apr 2009
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Split
The Twilight Sad, Bill Wells, Aidan Moffat
Rock - Released by Fatcat Records on 20 May 2013
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Cruel Summer EP
Alternative & Indie - Released by Chemikal Underground Records on 16 Oct 2011
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(If You) Keep Me in Your Heart
Alternative & Indie - Released by Chemikal Underground Records on 13 Feb 2011
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How's Your Bassoon, Turquoirs?
Alternative & Indie - Released by geographic on 16 Apr 2006
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The Viaduct Tuba Trio Plays The Music of Bill Wells
Jazz - Released by Bison Records on 4 Sep 2020
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All That Matters
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Christian Armor Records on 16 Oct 2019
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More than Conquerors
Rock - Released by Christian Armor Records on 16 Oct 1994
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I Will Rejoice
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Christian Armor Records on 3 Nov 1989
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Dilf_77 Would Like to Chat
Alternative & Indie - Released by Chemikal Underground Records on 16 Oct 2015
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The Powers and the Glory of Love
Alternative & Indie - Released by Chemikal Underground Records on 25 Mar 2012
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Fugue
Experimental - Released by Immune Recordings on 26 Jan 2010
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Bernie's Song
Rock - Released by Christian Armor Records on 2 Feb 2024
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Ship of Faith
Rock - Released by Christian Armor Records on 16 Aug 1996
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Leaving It All Behind (Version 2)
Rock - Released by Christian Armor Records on 17 Oct 2019
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Leaving It All Behind
Rock - Released by Christian Armor Records on 7 Oct 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo