British guitarist James Girling is a versatile performer, recording artist, improviser and collaborator who, after a decade based in Manchester, now lives in Oslo and splits his work between Norway and the UK.
Raised on a soffritto of jazz, Brazilian and classical music, James is immersed in a diversity of musical traditions. Alongside other bands, as co-founder of Afrobeat-/Ethiojazz-inspired 12-piece Agbeko he tours across the UK and has headlined festivals in Europe since 2016. Meanwhile he has performed and recorded in ensembles with internationally sought-after artists both in jazz and classical worlds, with orchestras including The Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic, and as concerto soloist.
In summer 2024, James makes his BBC Proms debut with Paraorchestra, and is touring a new album alongside Lotte Betts-Dean (voice), Ligeti Quartet and Arthur Keegan (composer/producer), released on Delphian Records. He is an Associate Artist of the Royal Northern College of Music.