About Me

 

John Marley is a freelance bass player, guitarist and journalist based in Yorkshire. He began playing the bass guitar whilst at secondary school alongside his studies on the violin and the viola. As time progressed, the bass guitar became his primary instrument and following school, he went on to study for five years at Leeds College Of Music (now called Leeds Conservatoire) where he achieved National Diploma & Degree qualifications. 

Alongside his studies, John began his career as a freelance musician. He has since performed thousands of gigs and concerts in a variety of styles including musical theatre, classical, jazz, Brazilian, Cuban and pop. As well as performing live, John has appeared on television several times including multiple appearances on the long running ITV show Emmerdale. He has recorded in a wide array of genres including a session at Abbey Road. 

A great deal of John's time is spent teaching. A job which he is very passionate about. He teaches privately, at several schools in York and at the University Of Hull. He has completed many teaching qualifications on bass and guitar and is always looking to progress his teaching skills for the benefit of his students. 

John completed a Masters Degree qualification at The University Of York where he focused on composition. Upon completion of this degree, he progressed on to PhD studies which are nearing completion. The focus of his research is the jazz bassist Monk Montgomery and the early history of the Fender Bass in jazz music. 

Outside of performing and teaching, John is also a qualified journalist and has written articles for Jazz Journal, York Press, Smart Bass Guitar and others. He currently presents a weekly two-hour jazz radio show. 


Qualifications -

  • BTECH National Diploma in Popular Music
  • BA (Hons) Degree in Jazz Studies
  • MA in Music 
  • Dip LCM in Bass Guitar Tuition
  • ALCM in Bass Guitar Tuition 
  • LLCM in Bass Guitar Tuition 
  • Dip LCM in Electric Guitar Tuition
  • Dip LCM in Jazz Guitar 
  • ALCM in Jazz Guitar
  • LLCM in Jazz Guitar
  • FLCM in Jazz Guitar 
  • Diploma in Freelance Journalism