Jim Molyneux is a drummer/percussionist,
pianist and accordionist from Littleborough, near
Manchester.
He studied at Chethams School
of Music for five years before moving on to the Royal
Northern College of Music, which he has attended since
2009.
In 2008 Jim made it to the highly acclaimed Grand Final of
the BBC Young Musician of the Year, after
beating off national competition to triumph in the
percussion section. The Grand Final was televised on BBC2
to 1.1 million viewers. From this experience Jim also
gained the opportunity to perform a solo recital at
London's Wigmore Hall.
Jim is also the co-founder of
folk fusion band 4Square, for whom he plays
keyboards and piano accordion, as well as vocals. The
band made a big impact on the British festival circuit,
releasing two albums, and playing at many festivals in
their four year history, including Shrewsbury
Folk Festival, Fairport's Cropredy
Convention (to 25,000 people), as well as
Skagen Festival in Denmark, and
Agiotfest in Corfu.
He is also the newest member of "genre-busting cinematic
folk septet" The Old Dance School; a band
who have been greatly received by critics and audiences
alike. They have played many British festivals over the
past five years, and can be expected to play many more.
Jim has been known to play drums with The 2010 European
Young Artists Jazz Award WINNERS Beats 'n' Pieces Big
Band, and more
recently, Mercury; a jazz quartet founded by
Tom Thorp.
He also plays regularly with fantastic young jazz singer
Alexander Stewart, in a
quartet with bassist Stewart Wilson and pianist Richard
Jones.
He plays in several jazz ensembles within his college, most
notably the function band Groove Street
West, and the RNCM
Big Band.
Jim is also the drum tutor at Loreto
College, Manchester, and Loreto Girl's Grammar School,
Altrincham.
Jim Molyneux is a proud endorsee of Jalapeno Drums!