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:: UK Jazz Services Promoters' Choice Award Nominee 2008
:: Tour of Finland 2008
:: New Jazz Festival 2008
:: London Bossanova Festival 2008
:: Manchester Summer in the Park 2008
:: Voted no.1 in June 2006 by visitors to Jazzworldquest.com
:: Shortlisted for International songwriting competition 2006
:: Artist at the 2006 Zihuatanejo International Guitar Festival
:: Honourable Mention, Canary Islands International Songwriting Competiton 2006
:: Tours of US in Spring and Summer 2007
:: VIP reference from Carlos Juan amplification

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

:: Neil C Young is an extremely gifted guitarist who is beginning to establish his unique talent as a performer and composer both in Britain, and more recently in North America. In a contemporary musical climate which is often overcrowded with an eclectic range of guitar styles, Neil not only acknowledges these various influences, which includes bossa nova, bebop and blues, but also displays an in-depth knowledge of performance and composition, which were key to his studies at Birmingham Conservatoire. His performance and playing delights in playful, fresh and beautiful harmonic interpretations of both standards, and original compositions. Neil continues to teach and perform and is an active participant and frequently invited performer at guitar festivals throughout the world.

:: Studied guitar with Gary Boyle between 1990-92 and then went on to study with Fred T.
Baker between 1992-96 at the Birmingham Conservatoire (UK). These studies led into
the fields of composition and arranging especially with regard to Jazz and Classical music. After leaving the Conservatoire, Neil formed the Ofay Jazz Quintet, playing original
arrangements of jazz standards and leading the Ofay Big Band, which performed Neil's
original compositions alongside the arrangements now embedded into the repertoire.

:: In 1999, joined forces with Sam Dale (The Big Mojito, Deep Cabaret) and Richard
Young (The Earlies, John Mayer's Indo-Jazz Fusions) to form Rokasayers, a Hard Jazz-
Rock Fusion power trio. Over a 5 year period they repeatedly wrote and performed to
high critical acclaim (see reviews on Rokasayers page). Regularly performing with The Latin Committee as well as performing with other artists such as Gary Boyle (Isotope, Mike Westbrook), Barnaby Dickinson (trombonist for Tim Garland, Jamie Cullum) and Steve Tromans (formerly John Mayer's Indo-Jazz Fusions and Birmingham's finest!).

:: Combine this educational and performance background with the attention to detail
in composition and practice and you have music that is produced by using a real
combination of expression and technique.

TRAVELOGUE

:: "Back from the Newark Jazz Festival after a very good weekend. Played at Stray's Coffee and Bookstore which was a highly enjoyable show, met Mat Short the proprietor and his very cool and friendly staff who helped us and made us very welcome indeed. To hear 'You rock, you're not leaving!' was very encouraging, especially as the drink and cake available were far too good to be turned off by that prospect! "Then a quick turn around for myself as a solo show was to be given in Salt Cafe, a fish restaurant. A completely different affair. Nice and quiet and a very, very intimate audience but must be said a very appreciative and attentive audience which in turn was very much appreciated indeed. "Then off to hotel, eat, and drink the night away. Saw a load of acts from the blues side of jazz, cajun jazz, standard and then finally a bit of trad to finish the night off. "A highly enjoyable time was had, wandering around the town of Newark which has a lot to look at what with its heritage and that. Thanks to all the organisors of the Festival and to all at Strays for having us come and play and thanks to all those who came and listened to us play. Hope it was good for you too!"

:: "I have returned once again from the States after yet another great trip. It started in Dallas Texas staying with my good friend Brandon Carr and he showed my round his 'hood'. Great pleasure to meet his wife Christine, his mum and his dad, Isaiah, Tim, Robert and the good people at The Double Wide, top bar, get to it people!

"Then on to Houston and to a promo show at the Artery where PBS came down and filmed the show in absolutely drenching humidity, I have never played in anything quite like those conditions before but it was a good show and met some more great people. I would like to say 'thank you' to Kyle and Amanda for letting me stay at their house whilst there and of course to my good friend Ricardo Sweatt Rodriguez for also having me at his place and for arranging the show, Thanking you all! (also took in a Deep Purple show too while there, rock? Oh yes!)

"Then headed up North to Lake Geneva in Wisconsin where I met with Will Phalen and the Stereo Addicts and there was another great night at Hogs and Kisses. What a nice place, beautiful lake, sunny weather and such a relaxed atmosphere. Perfect as I needed a bit of respite in between driving from Chicago up and then back again. Them trucks are really mean up close when you're stranded in the 3rd lane of what seems to be 8!

"Down in Chicago, went up the John Hancock tower and did some wandering about the Jazz Festival taking place in Grant Park right on the lake side, very inspirational, you find new aims as you travel, no?! Chicago is cool. Soldier Field is cool. A hoying great lake is cool and finally The Funky Java is cool! This is where I met and played for Larry and friends. Another highly enjoyable night with some great people.

"Another visit to the states has been another success, thanks to everyone who helped me and hope to see you all soon."

:: "Landed in Houston TX, after being in Chicago airport for 10 hours, including a 4 hour delay and then promptly fell asleep, tripped over in a dream and woke up to many a smiling face on the plane. Still boarding we were. Oh well, the thought of warm weather got me through that potential situation!

"Arrived at Houston to be greeted by my good friend Ricardo Sweatt Rodriguez, whom I hadn't seen since Mexico the previous year. Then off to find my bag. Not there. Lost in Chicago. I had a funny feeling when I dropped it off that I may not see it for a while!

"Then, whammo! It may have been half 1 in the morning but the heat! Wow! Instant sweat dripping down the arms and brow, England was miles away!

"Found my bed for the night and crashed out completely. What a good sleep! Then it was off to the first gig of the 3 in Houston. To the Herbage Warehouse. What a place, fior everywhere that the good lady proprietor had been to, there was a momento, from a pig with shades to a 6 foot Chinese dragon hanging from the ceiling, loads and loads to have a good look at plus a collection of 4 very old cars, the ones with the handbrake on the outside, that kind of age.

"Gig was very cool, Ricardo followed by myself was the show, great to hear him play after a year. Great soundscapes he paints and the stories he tells, very hip!!

"Still the bag had not turned up. by this time it was 24 hours and waiting. I had been given a number to ring to find out what was going on. A fully automated machine at the other end. This was a completely novel experience for a country boy this! Speaking to a computer that replied? Wierd, but it couldn't quite get my accent, 'My Surname is not Brown, it is Young!' machines, tut tut!

"Still no bag before heading off to the 2nd show at the Oxford Hall. Very cool venue with paintings by the owner all around the place. It was here that I met Kelly Lancaster. The phenomenon that is. He is a guitarist and former teen champion mandolin player. So funny, always on the go, checking his OCD, charming the ladies of the audience with tales of, well pretty much everything, but a great show with the 3 of us getting together for a coming together to finish it off. Then off for a mexican feast and then tequila. Roll on tomorrow!

"Meanwhile inbetween the show and the mexican, my bag turned up! I had a new title for a new tune written which surprisingly enough came to me while waiting outside for it, the very inciteful, 'Where's my Bag?' Finally got changed into something that hadn't been my very close travel partner for thousands of miles and felt pretty, pretty good! Also at this waiting period, met 'Fish', a travelling music journalist from South Korea, who was travelling from LA to New York, via all inbetween, documenting the music on the way, he looked shattered and he was 2 weeks in to a 6 month trip, good luck pal and safe travelling!

"The next day was spent visiting the museum of fine art in the museum district of Houston, very good indeed. They had a visiting exhibition of The French Impressionists from the MOMA, New York and it was very inspiring indeed, the hours flew by before then being taken on a bit of drive round downtown Houston and the surrounding areas. It is just like the Rockford Files!

"The final show was part of the Houston Guitar Society's regular meetings at Borders Bookstore. Where the we played was in a cylindrical area that went up above us and led to an amazing acoustic, sounded great! Listened to some ggod music being played, met some very nice people and almost spent up on CD's!

"Then it was back to the airport and onward travel. Houston treated me to whacking great thunderstorm that apparently was nothing, but to me it was completely huge, windows rattling and rain the size of tennis balls, and harder! I enjoyed my time there immensely, hope to return. Big thanks to Ricardo Sweatt Rodriguez for all he did for me while there. Cheers buddy it was a great time!"

:: NEIL C. YOUNG has returned from a very succesful trip to the Zihuatanejo Guitar Fest in Mexico giving 3 highly acclaimed performances...
"We have returned, eventually (forgetting the Heathrow experience), from a fantastic 12 days in Mexico. We met and heard some fantastic music and Guitar players and saw and were lucky enough to play in some amazing settings/venues. A real range and variety of music with all the musicians being just great performers."
"I was very lucky to play for such a breadth and quality of musician and even luckier that they said some very cool things about my music."...