Guitarist for
Joe O’Donnell(East of Eden,Woods Band,Rory Gallagher,Mushroom), also guitar player and founder member of live dnb band 91db, double bassist for The Verity Pabla Band, and recently applied his upright bass services to singer-songwriter Andrew Buckley.
Si picked up a guitar at age 10, gigged with numerous bands from age 15, solo guitar shows from age 22, recorded, performed, toured as musical director for plays, composed theatre scores, soundtracks and instrumentals for the likes of the Belgrade Theatre, bbc Radio 4, various compilations, featured on many albums, singles and along with 5 solo instrumental guitar albums, has been performing, recording, collaborating and composing ever since.
Si is currently composing the music for The Mystery Plays
"simply blew us away with his intricate finger skills..."(BBC C&W)
"one-man musical magician fusing funk, jazz and a splash of drum'n'bass in a single flamenco styled nylon-stringed guitar"(Warwick Core)
"Si’s fantastic technique and style on the guitar always goes down a storm at the festival and it was great to welcome him back!"(Chris Davis/CoventryJazzFestival)
"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)
"It's really nice to hear new music with real musicians, I do a lot of programmed music, but there is something organic about poetry and well tuned musicians. And Si's work is just great, the double bass playing is spot on... it really sounds like the musicians overstood the poetry. Nice one."(Performance Poet Benjamin Zephaniah
"Poet laureate in waiting goes all the way to fusion and back - Ra."
"They're a rare breed, great poets crossing over to music, and with only a couple of names springing to mind, Jonathan Morley, an Eric Gregory Award winner who researches T. S. Elliot's stamp over Carribean literature at the University of Warwick, stands closer to Gil Scott-Heron rather than Leonard Cohen. His lines chime with jive, so Morley teams up with guitarist and composer Si Hayden and drummer Ben Haines to deliver them in style. Cue this album, a companion piece to "Backra Man" the book (note the singular as opposed to the plural in the record's title), a jazzy experience which starts creepingly with Hayden's piano rippling over Haines' shadowy cymbals and Morley's gloomy voice reciting strange images.
It resonates on many levels when the "Da Da dada dada" sets alliteration apace in "For Lee Miller", spanky bass brings funk into the "Loki's song" Gothic texture, and baroque country picking paints the "grass glares white" picture of "Spon". The music feels as strange as the poems but one fits the other perfectly. "Backra" means the evil white man, and this fusion of poetry and sparse melodies seems sinister indeed, yet it's not aggressive at all, save for the Rasta talk of "Sistah" that sounds melodius even without ragged accompaniment, whereas the "Duskfall" lace is pure elegance and "Iberian Baroque" gently takes a listener on an Indiana Jone-like adventure to the Indian pyramids. That's where the whiter shade of face re-appears. Haunting!"
****(Dmitry M. Epstein, Let it Rock)
"‘Backra Man’ by Morley Hayden Haines has certainly came in from the left-field... no doubt there will be people who appreciate whats going on here..."(Andy Reilly - Is this music)
"..the freshest sound i've heard in years..."(bbc's John Butler)
"its a ripper cd... very, very good!"(Steve Passiouras, PBS FM)
"gives a fine display of Americana.. and there is some finger lickin’ pickin’ going on here.."(Is this music magazine)
"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)
"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)
"...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... 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. You'll never believe that all of these movements are coming out of one acoustic guitar. 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... 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)
All tracks produced, 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 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
"solo guitar mastery of U.K. based Si Hayden... 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)
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
Trust Again - Label: Silvery/INAMP - June 2009
Sabaca - Label: Silvery - May 2009
The apparent rules of thumb - Label: Silvery - April 2009
Backra Men - Label: Silvery/HeavenTree - April 2008
Scenes from the City - Label: Silvery - March 2008
Live Like Us - Label: Silvery - March 2007
Steel Roots - Label: Silvery - August 2007
The Alchemists vol II - Label: Liquid Note - Jan 2007
Nylon... For Now - Label: Silvery - April 2006
Steel Happenings - Label: RCR/Silvery - December 1998
Free global postage with all titles on Silvery Records! Pay with paypal, credit card or visa www.silveryrecords.com secure online site facility.
Film
Dockers Belgrade Theatre Production (2008) Composed Soundtrack
Radio
Tonight I Write
A BBC Radio 4 play written by Manjinder Virk '2003' (Composed track 'Barcelona')
Theatre
Live Like Us Belgrade Theatre Production (2007) Composed, performed and recorded soundtrack (5 nights) Scenes from the City Belgrade Theatre Production (2007) Composed, performed and recorded soundtrack (4 shows) The first time I saw snow Belgrade Theatre Production (2008) Acted, composed and performed live score (16 shows) Now you see me, now you dont Belgrade Theatre Production (2008) Acted, composed, performed live score (4 nights)
Booking Contacts:
UK & Ireland:. sihayden@live.co.uk, tel: 07989 414 259
Joe O'Donnell's Shkayla: SidNorrisRecords/Steve Ashwell/backroom@joe-odonnell. com
Mainland Europe:
Jason Weastell / licensing@kingcowmusic.com
sales@silveryrecords.com
www.silveryrecords.com