Mike Walker (jazz guitarist)

Mike Walker
Born	10 July 1962 in Salford, Lancashire, England, UK
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1981–present
Associated acts	George Russell Peter Erskine Steve Swallow Dave Holland John Taylor Tal Farlow Anthony Braxton Bill Frisell
Website	www.mike-walker.co.uk
Notable instruments
Gibson ES-335

Mike Walker (born 12 July 1962), is a jazz guitar player from Salford, England. Walker has played and recorded with George Russell, Peter Erskine, Steve Swallow, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor and performed with Dave Holland, Tal Farlow, Anthony Braxton, Bill Frisell and many others.

Mike Walker was initially influenced by his father's piano playing, his mother's singing, and his brother's guitar playing. Mike went on to discover a passion for the great jazz guitarists Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Larry Coryell, Tal Farlow and others. After many months of hard practice (woodshedding), Mike entered the Manchester music scene with River People, a fusion band comprising Mike playing a Gibson ES-335 guitar; Paul Allen on fretless bass; Tim Franks on drums, and Paul 'Bob Session' Kilvington on keyboards.

Mike's playing drew the attention of Alan Butler, a vibraphone player of considerable repute, who in the 1980s had a long running residency at the Malt Shovels, a well-known 'jazz' pub in Altrincham. Mike joined Alan's quartet in the mid-'80s, where he needed to rapidly grasp the new vocabulary of bebop oriented standards, and more contemporary jazz compositions.

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