Mick Hutton


Mick Hutton is a British jazz bassist and composer.

Career

Classically trained on the piano, Hutton taught himself to play the bass, developing his own technique using three basic positions with the left hand coupled with three fingers on the right hand. He has been well known on the British jazz scene since 1980 and has toured extensively in Europe, Scandinavia, USA and Japan. He has recorded more than 100 jazz CDs and also worked in film and television, recording several hundred radio broadcasts in Europe and the USA.
He has recorded with Julian Argüelles, Iain Ballamy, Django Bates and Ken Stubbs, the Chris Biscoe Sextet and Bill Bruford's Band Earthworks. In addition, Hutton worked throughout his career with Alan Barnes, Peter Erskine, Tina May, Jim Mullen, John Scofield, Alan Skidmore, Tommy Smith, John Taylor, Stan Tracey, and Kenny Wheeler. In 2002, he played on Robin Williamson's album Skirting the River Road, and the same year he played in a trio with Martin Speake and Paul Motian.
In the 1990s, in addition to leading his own band, Hutton started working with Steve Argüelles, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, John Surman, Gary Husband and numerous American artists, including John Scofield, Bob Berg and Randy Brecker.
Hutton had a thirty-year association with Trinidadian pianist and steel pannist Russ Henderson MBE, one of the founders of the Notting Hill Carnival; Hutton wrote Henderson's obituary for The Independent newspaper on 8 September 2015. Hutton was a member of the Humphrey Lyttelton band for several years, during the course of which he also played with Acker Bilk, George Melly and Kenny Ball.
Hutton has studied and recorded with various other instruments, such as steel pan and cuatro. Since 2004, he has had his own band, The Boat Rockers, featuring Paul Robinson, Gary Hammond and Andy Panayi.
Most recently, Hutton recorded a film with Emeli Sande about Nina Simone for Sky Arts.
Hutton is currently recuperating after a head injury that occurred at Christmas 2024.

Selected discography

With Harry Beckett
  • 1985: Pictures of You
With The Gordon Beck Quintet
  • 1985: Celebration
With First House
With The Chris Biscoe Sextet
  • 1986: Eréndira
With Bill Bruford's Earthworks
With John Taylor Trio
  • 1991: Blue Glass
With Tommy Smith
  • 1991: Standards
With Steve Argüelles
  • 1991: Steve Argüelles
With Nick Purnell
  • 1991: Onetwothree
With Lysis
With Stan Sulzman
  • 1991: Feudal Rabbits
With Estelle Kokot
  • 1999: Alternative Therapy
With Ken Stubbs
With Robin Williamson
  • 2002: Skirting the River Road
With Elkie Brooks & Humphrey Lyttelton
  • 2002: Trouble in Mind
With Gary Husband
  • 2004: Aspire
With Liam Noble Group
  • 2004: In the Meantime
With Martin Speake
  • 2006: Change of Heart
With Joanna Eden
With The Boat-Rockers
  • 2007: Live at Appleby 2004
With Tim Garland
  • 2015: ''Return to the Fire''

Literature