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Recorded/Performed with:
B.J.Cole, Peter Lang, Nizlopi, bbc Radio 4, bbc cwr, Harjinder Matharu, Sampad, CVOne, Jazz Coventry, FrontlineAV, Johnny Mac, Rootz2004, Liquid Note Records, Ray Craig Records, Silvery Records, Jam Central Records, 91db, FTC, Michael Berk, Budapest, attenshun, Yamaha Guitars, Eardrum, Phoenix knights, Lament, Anna & Louise Davis(With Music we Move), Dont Move, Wayne Matthews, Sir Richard Bishop, Natasha Blanco Dominguez, Rob Halligan, Al Britten, Matt Hernandez, Garfield mayor, Johnny Nicholds, al britten, mattl akey, ben wainwright, jamsons nook, Vici Lowrence, Suzy Indygo, DON'T MOVE!, mason lelong, Jon Morley, Justine, Grace Jones, Robert Logan, Donna Summer, Love, Jaco Pastorius, black carrot, Jenna Jones, wayne matthews, danny greene, paul whitehead, derron hardwick, willy pickin, danny payne, akeel, the dials, soundsounds, heaventree press, Combat Breakers, Frontline Audio Visual, TMC, total music control, Mike Sanchez, plus many others...

VENUES OF NOTE:
(birmingham)The Mac Theatre, Hexagon Theatre, Alexandra Theatre, BBC Pebble Mill Clubhouse, Boiler Room, Actress & Bishop, Lasan, The Cross, (leicester)Y Yheatre, (aylesbury)Limelight Theatre, Friars Square, Kings Head, (sheffield)Music in the Sun Festival, (london)Cobden Club, AcousticLounge, Goodness Bar, RSA, (sutton coldfield)Halfway House, (leamington spa)Jug'n'Jester, The Lounge, Moo Bar, Robbins Well, Bath Place, Nursery Tavern, Old Leamingtonions, Copper Pot, (hinkley)Toyk, (burbage)Cross Keys, (warwick)Royal Ballroom, Great Western, (nottingham)Blueprint Club, (kilmstone) the Creamery, (coventry)St.Mary's Guild Hall, Coventry Jazz Festival, Belgrade Theatre, The Ricoh Arena, Charterhouse Festival, BBC CWR Studio, BBC Priory Place open centre, Priory Place 'World on your street' stage, Coventry Students Union, Warwick Students Union, Taylor Johns House, Tin Angel, Way of the Goose, Liquid Bar, Earsdon Cottage, Dogma, Escape Bar, Thee Old Firestation, Golden Cross, Upper Precinct black history month/peace month Stage, Here Bar, 1450, Hope & Anchor, Phoenix Club, Glasshouse, Browns, Cathedral Ruins, Collesium, CWU, Central Hall, Beer Engine, Inspire, Whitefriers Beer Festival, Scholars, Jailhouse, Hereward College, (kenilworth)The Lion, plus many others…

GUITAR SHOPS OF NOTE: NoiseWorks, Coventry/TMC, Coventry/Regent Guitars, Leamington.

BIO / guitar album review / ALBUM REVIEWS:
Self-taught musician Si Hayden, born in Coventry, England was raised into a non-musical family, but all with support for his love and intrigue of musical instruments. At an early age around the mid 80’s Si first picked up a guitar and began to teach himself to play. On course to begin guitar lessons during his time at Our Lady of the Assumption R.C. Primary School he cut off the tip of his right index finger with the help of a sliding patio door, it was over a year before he’d pick up the guitar again but decided against lessons and continued his self-taught quest with preference to write original music along the way to develop a personal more unique style, “people are quick to pigeon hole a technique but I generally take a sound that catches my ear and throw it in the pot to hopefully create something fresh...”
During the 90's, along with starting various rock, pop ('Cuba' ‘Don Valley Grass Bowl 99' Music in the Sun festival) & metal bands, Si experimented with many different made-up alternate tunings for solo guitar, playing the odd instrumental gig here and there, to which he recalls the first originating from his cousin who asked if he would play guitar at her wedding party in a vicarage in Kent. A few gigs, compositions and recordings later resulted in 'Steel Happenings' (1998).. (short run - 50copies/later manufactured and released on a larger scale through SilveryRecords). Only one song 'Walking the dog' from the album was standard! Not until his second solo guitar release 'NYLON... FOR NOW' (2006) with all songs written & recorded in standard tuning did he prefer to tag himself as a... 'Guitar player, no particular style, just self taught semi-improvised instrumental standard tuned acoustic kinda thing'.
In 2003 with fresh inspiration from a commission to compose a guitar piece for a BBC Radio 4 play 'tonight I write' by Manjinder Virk about a woman who fell for a Spanish guitarist in Barcelona, Si decided to follow his musical intuition and carry on writing and playing using guitars of the nylon kind, teamed up with Garry Hodge on double bass and created 'LIQUIFI' a two piece flamenco, jazz, funk instrumental duo, gigged solid for a year until its split in summer 2004 when they were booked to play the Belgrade Theatre Summer Sessions but with Gary in Spain Si was left to play the gig solo which brought back how much he enjoyed the freedom of improvising live the with the self-contained side of guitar playing, only this time using the solo sound of a nylon strung guitar.
Immediately that summer Si went on to record ‘Nylon… for Now’(©2006 SilveryRecords). An instrumental solo guitar blend of classical, flamenco, jazz and funk infused songs using only a flamenco guitar, 20thCentury Guitar Magazine remarked'"...solo guitar mastery of U.K. based Si Hayden. Hayden's specialty is daredevil solo flamenco guitar tracks that he composes himself. The music may sound vintage but on his CD Hayden puts a new spin on a timeless art form. As he points out in his liner notes, all tracks were recorded with one guitar and no overdubs and all percussion is from the right hand on the guitar body while playing. A modern flamenco master, Hayden makes excellent use of his Ivor Maraints and Jose Ramirez guitars."(20thCG/NYC)
..and Minor7th added' This album is refreshingly honest - UK-based composer/guitarist Hayden plays the entire program solo and with no overdubs. His nylon string guitar is recorded with a hint of echo, thereby enhancing the drama of his flamenco-based style. Hayden flawlessly executes the genre's characteristic strums, descending single-string runs and soundboard taps, as in the opening track, "Like Fire." Yet he typically makes things more interesting by weaving more complex harmonies and smooth jazz elements into each of the tunes. "One Weekend" is a good example of this, exhibiting an original compositional sense while incorporating the flamenco devices to add energy and variety. He also fuses these elements on the uptempo "Are You Going to Eat All That?," which fades out too soon, and the closer, "Sounds Better in Red." He builds on Cuban rhythms in "Black Magic Nylon" as a springboard for a lively and multifaceted improvisation. Si Hayden's appeal comes from successfully melding flamenco with more modern sounds, and doing so without gimmicks or artifice - I'd love to see him perform. Both guitarists and general listeners will enjoy this CD; turn it up and enjoy." © Patrick Ragains(minor7th.com)
...and finally musesmuse commented' I feel somewhat out of my element reviewing this disc, but I’m going to do it because Si Hayden is such an impressive guitar player and Nylon ... for Now is full of interesting music.
I love the acoustic guitar, and I perform with one myself, but I prefer playing that’s considerably rawer than Hayden’s. I’d be much more at home reviewing a CD by someone who plays like John Lee Hooker or Jack Johnson.
Hayden’s dizzying flamenco-style runs are often cool, but sometimes over the top. I prefer to hear him playing pretty, ringing arpeggios. He’s even better when he leans into some meaty rhythmic chording.
Then there’s his unique percussion, which is him tapping on the guitar’s wood body. I wish he’d do it more often on this album, but these tracks were recorded in single takes, and providing all that rhythm on top of breakneck picking is, I’m sure, hard work.
I gained more appreciation for the first cut, “Like Fire,” when I very coincidentally cued it up as I was reading a short story about bullfighting. Flamenco undertones pop up throughout the album; “Like Fire” and “Symphony Solo” are the most notably Spanish-flavored numbers.
“One Weekend” is atmospheric, sad and Mark Knopfler-esque (it reminds me of a movie soundtrack Knopfler did many years ago). It also has a hopeful interlude, kind of like the things-will-get-better scene of a tearjerker movie.
“Are You Going To Eat All That?” gets really interesting when Hayden fires off slap bass-style riffs.
“Black Magic Nylon” is the strongest cut. It’s the most like a cohesive pop song – a full band could play along here. Hayden alone does a good job tearing this one up. It mines more of the jazz/funkiness that “Eat All That?” hints at.
“Armitage” boasts some triumphant strumming that is darn close to Pete Townshend style, a reminder that great guitar work can be simple. Hayden’s percussion technique is most noticeable here and on the propulsive opening and closing of the last song, “Sounds Better In Red.”
Fans of guitar virtuosity should check out Si Hayden, and I’m glad I did, too. I almost passed on reviewing Nylon ... for Now, but a few listens made me appreciate it on a heart-and-soul level as well as a technical one. © Chip Withrow(musesmuse.com)
Originally recorded in 2004 it was not released until 2006, "I was unsure of my new nylon sound, technique and genre until a seemingly well received slot at last summers Coventry Jazz Festival... just had to convince myself it had translated well to tape before releasing it!"
Also in 2004 Si managed to squeeze in another group ‘91db’ formed from studio session work and late night jams at j10studios in Coventry with Studio owner and long time friend Paul Johnson. The original 7piece line-up consisted of Angie(vocals) P.Nology(MC/Vocals) Emmanuel(Vocals) Gary Hodge(double bass) Si Hayden(guitars) Paul Johnson(drums/percussion/programming) Nick Greene(keyboards/programming) played their first gig at Attenshun’s Eardrum/Belgrade Theatre Grand Café in September 2004. 91db are still together as a stripped down 4piece currently working on their debut album.
91db: - adj: [nine·tee-one-dee-bee] ~ a remarkable movement or dynamic force, esp. one that motivates a higher plane of audio conscious, affects ones mental stability, the ability to collate the repetative power and energy of drum and bass with the added proficiency to fire it out as live musicians with dynamically charged harmonic ambience and force. Si-Hayden's Dictionary of Audio, © 2007 Hayden-Si, Inc. ;)
2005 saw the arrival of ‘With Music We Move’ a flamenco dance & music show conceived by Anna & Louise Davis, two flamenco dancers who checked out one of Si’s gigs aware that this was not flamenco in its original pure form but a rather different variation with essence of flamenco, they immediately related to in a way which would compliment their own original look on dance fusion. “ “ Within four months the three along with Lucy Tanner an Arabic dancer and Phil a percussionist from Leamington rehearsed and played an hour long sold out show at Central Hall in Coventry, UK.
In 2006 Si was approached by Sampad, a dynamic development agency for South Asian Arts based in Birmingham to collaborate with Harjinder Matharu, one of the UK’s best known tabla players with a special flamenco style indo-Mediterranean improvised duel of music. They met and jammed for an hour after one of Harjinders tabla workshops then played the intimate Hexagon Theatre in Birmingham which sold out a week prior to the gig. They continue to play together for Sampad at various Theatres.
Also in 2006 Si was approached by Liquid Note Records and asked to compose and record an instrumental guitar piece for their follow up to ‘The Alchemist’(©2002 LiquidNoteRecords) ‘Featuring a diverse collection of extraordinary talent, including Bumblefoot, Brett Garsed, Mario Parga, Cyril Achard, Richard Hallebeek, Guthrie Govan, Stephan Forte and many others, this 140 min double CD introduced emotional soundscapes as well as nearly every conceivable style of guitar playing from every corner of the globe. The Alchemists II is the sequel to LNR's highly popular The Alchemists (double) compilation CD, with an unorthodox decision to feature 2 guitar players per tune. With this brief Si went away and wrote ‘Tango Schizophrenia’ recorded it using his beloved Ivor Mairants R.E.Spain FL guitar and immediately thought of Michael Berk, a great acoustic player Si had met a year before with two brilliant albums and a powefull technique to feature a guest solo using his signature model LA acoustic. “..Mike arrived at 2pm and by 7pm we were both in Browns having a drink reflecting on the take! Took him no time to come up with something...”
Jan2007: Composed the music for 'Live Like Us' a Belgrade Theatre production on tour from February 20th and in between working on his third solo guitar album 'Steel Roots' due for release in june 2007.
May2007: (taken from bukechi.co.uk) "One of the Bukechi tracks for WTS is “Feel Heat” which is a song all about stopping smoking. It has a bit of a Spanish feel and we were delighted and honoured that Coventry guitar virtuoso Si Hayden has agreed to guest on this track." June2007: Another commision from the belgrade theatre to compose the music for ' ' a four part one off play held at an outdoor stage at Sheldon Square, Coventry city centre in July. The pieces include solo piano compositions for ambient underscore and a drum and bass track with the lyrics "can you spare some change please?" in many different languages!