Composer, arranger, producer, musical director and saxophonist Yarde casts a wide musical net having worked with Alton Ellis to Akala, the Blind Boys of Alabama to Bembe Segue, Dennis Brown to Da Lata, Orlando Julius to 4hero, Plan B to Britten Sinfonia, Keziah Jones to Kronos Quartet, Tony Allen to TY, Wretch 32 to Wonderbrass and Jonzi-D to Jack Dejohnette.
Since appearing with the JAZZ WARRIORS as a teenager he went on to lead Tomorrow Warriors’ then j-life. He’s played in the big bands of Andrew Hill, McCoy Tyner, Hermeto Pascoal, Sam Rivers, Guy Barker, Julian Siegel and Mike Gibbs and been a member of various bands led by Louis Moholo Moholo for over 25 years.
His own projects range from the fx’d solo loopisms of the BlueBox Diaries, the McCormack & Yarde Duo (MY DUO) with Andrew McCormack, TRiO WAH! featuring Larry Bartley and Mike Pickering, OMMMY4 with Louis Moholo, Oren Marshall and Elaine Mitchener through to the larger 10 piece (and the rest!) ACOUTASTiC BOMBASTiC.
He also appears in Hastings based band HEXAGONAL, Matt Ridley’s Quartet and BANSANGU Orchestra.

Awards include a Civitella Ranieri Fellowship, a Paul Hamlyn Award and the first BASCA for Contemporary Jazz Composition for his BBC Proms compositional début (2009). He’s written for Hugh Masekela and the LSO and produced award winning albums for Soweto Kinch, Gwilym Simcock, Denys Baptiste and Empirical.
2018 sees him rapping production on Cassie Kinoshi’s SEED Ensemble and Anthony Joseph’s follow up to ‘Caribbean Roots’ most of which he has co-written. He is also writing for and leading an ensemble in celebration of 15 years of Jazz re:freshed and Breakin’ Convention for a very special collaborative show at Sadler’s Wells in May.

Generally he remains optimistic and is still looking forward to the family holiday he can’t yet afford to take.