Liam Dunachie is a pianist, jazz organist, composer and arranger based in London.
Originally from Shropshire, he began his musical training as a treble chorister in Hereford Cathedral Choir and later studied music at Trinity College, Cambridge where he was a choral scholar in its world renowned choir under Stephen Layton. At Cambridge he studied composition with Robin Holloway and Richard Marlow and co-directed the Cambridge University Jazz Orchestra. After graduating from Cambridge, Liam won a scholarship to study jazz piano and arranging at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama where he studied with Malcolm Edmonstone, Nikki Iles and Scott Stroman among others. He has since gone on to play piano and Hammond organ in groups led by Jim Mullen, Dennis Rollins, Derek Nash, Nigel Price and Postmodern Jukebox's vocalist Aubrey Logan among others. He has performed at all of London's major jazz and commercial venues and many others across the UK, including Ronnie Scott's, Pizza Express Dean St, Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury Festival's Pyramid Stage, Wembley Arena, The Royal Festival Hall, The Palladium and many more. Liam also works in musical theatre, and has worked widely as both a Musical Director and keyboard player on a wide range of shows in both the West End and on UK Tours, including "Hairspray", "Phantom of The Opera", "Gypsy" and many others. For a full CV click here. As an accompanist and session pianist he has worked in a wide variety of contexts, including BBC2’s series “The Choir” with Gareth Malone and is featured as both a pianist and arranger on the 2015 UK Official Charts Christmas No.1 Single with the NHS Choir. He has played keyboards for Radio 2's "Friday Night Is Music Night", toured with Beverley Knight on her 2019 UK Tour and is currently on tour with veteran DJ Tony Blackburn's "Sounds of the 60's Live". As a composer and arranger he has also written pieces and arrangements in for the City of London Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, violinist Charlie Siem, London Chamber Orchestra and Trinity College Choir, Cambridge. Reviews and quotations: "much of the robust strength of this little band is due to its impeccable and sensitive rhythm section which, as well as the leader, features Liam Dunachie on melodic and highly empathetic piano" - Eastern Daily Press "...and how cleverly and unobtrusively pianist Liam Dunachie picked up on his phrases" - The Telegraph (Ivan Hewett) "...his place was brilliantly and flawlessly filled by Liam Dunachie whose advanced sight reading skills allowed him to tackle Rollins’ often complex music without a single glitch. Some commentators remarked that his performance was probably the most remarkable one of the entire Festival" - thejazzmann.com "Dunachie contributed twisting lines and Simcock-like harmonic exploration" - Jazzwise magazine "there is some fine trumpet playing from former Loose Tubes man John Eacott, supported well by trombonist Paul Taylor and Liam Dunachie" - The Telegraph ("Best Jazz albums of 2016") "Robb and Dunachie stay in the background to let Bush show off her phrasing... Brandon Allen’s doleful sax and Dunachie’s hushed piano cushion her ironic vocal..." Downbeat magazine "This was a hugely impressive performance from a state of the art young band" Ian Mann "What's even more to the point, she has in Dunachie a pianist of exceptional versatility, responsive to her every move and able to switch from rumbustious New Orleans style r&b to solid blues and rock ’n’ roll before calming down for something quietly lyrical, all with consummate ease" - London Jazz News ...masterful accompaniment, by pianist Liam Dunachie, along with a core trio of bassist Andrew Robb and drummer David Ingamells, keeps the sound crisp and tight, with some marvelous arrangements, fleshed out with horns on several tunes" - All About Jazz.com (Dan McClenaghan) "Dunachie, is the kind of piano player that, at one time, seemed to have been washed away with the tide. Not so, he comps and solos - he swings for today" - Bebop spoken here "Bush...is joined by an excellent trio, of pianist and arranger Liam Dunachie...and Dunachie's refreshingly original arrangement gives it a knowing humour. - All About Jazz.com (Bruce Lindsay) "Next up is Dunachie with another sparkling solo. It’s particularly gratifying to hear Dunachie in such good form on this album... a gently swinging piece with a walking bass line that sees Dunachie lead off the solos with an elegant, subtly bluesy excursion on the piano" - the jazzmann.com ...Special mention should be made of Liam Dunachie's arrangements...Dunachie's creative and complementary arrangements provide the thread that draws the tunes into a cohesive whole... Some great solos from Dunachie, Kieran McLeod and especially Brandon Allen..." - jazzviews.net |