David Lyttle

Background

Born in Waringstown, he began his professional career under the direction of his parents as a child performer with the Lyttle Family. In his teens he was active as a drummer, DJ and also studied classical cello. Since the age of eighteen, Lyttle has been active mostly as a drummer, songwriter and producer. He earned a PhD in musicology from the University of Ulster in 2009.

2007–2011: Career beginnings

Lyttle began performing professionally at age four, playing percussion with the Lyttle Family in Ireland and, when he was a teenager, the United States. In 2007, following studies at the University of Ulster, Skidmore Jazz Institute, New York, and the Banff Centre, Canada, he reached a national audience as an Irish jazz performer with Louis Stewart. He released his debut solo album True Story later in 2007 and began featuring prominent international jazz artists in his touring groups, including Greg Osby, Jean Toussaint, Terell Stafford and Soweto Kinch, whose band he occasionally appears in.

From 2008 to 2010 Lyttle composed a series of literary-inspired suites. A Christmas Carol, inspired by the Charles Dickens novel, premiered in 2008 and toured Ireland in 2009. Dark Tales, which was inspired by the works of Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Louis Stevenson, premiered at Belfast's Ulster Hall also in 2009, and subsequently toured Ireland and Great Britain in 2010. In 2011 he was commissioned by Peace Three and Jews Schmooze to write The Chronicles Suite, which was inspired primarily by CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia.

2012–present: Interlude and Faces

Lyttle's second studio album Interlude was released on 2 January 2012 and was influenced by hip hop, soul and jazz. Its guests included Mercury-nominated rapper Soweto Kinch, his sister Rhea Lyttle and mother Anne Lyttle, bassist Pino Palladino and pianist Jason Rebello. First heard on BBC Introducing on BBC Radio 1, the album received positive reviews in Ireland and Britain. MOBO described it as "an exceptional album" and Hot Press said it was "a rare sort of treat to come out of Ireland".

On 26 June 2013 Lyttle released the single "Celebrate" with Belfast arts organisation Beat Carnival and Irish recording artist Duke Special.

Lyttle's third studio album Faces was released on 16 March 2015 and featured collaborations with Talib Kweli, Duke Special, Joe Lovano and several of his guests from Interlude. It has been well received by critics with Dave DiMartino of Rolling Stone calling it "one of the best, robust listening experiences you’re likely to have all year" and Colm O'Hare of Hot Press describing it as "one of the most inventive Irish releases of the year."

Lyttle was nominated in the 2015 MOBO Awards for Best Jazz Act. He is the first Irish musician to have been nominated for a MOBO. He was also nominated for an Urban Music Award in October 2015.

On 20 November 2015 Lyttle released Say & Do, a collaborative album with Northern Irish singer/songwriter VerseChorusVerse. It reached No. 1 in the Amazon UK blues chart.

Artist residencies

Lyttle has carried out a number of artist residencies, mostly recently in 2015 in Derry at the Nerve Centre (organisation) as part of the city's legacy program following its designation as UK City of Culture and in 2016 in Belfast at the Metropolitan Arts Centre, where he mentored up-and-coming jazz musicians from Northern Ireland. In December 2016 he announced a U.S. residency scheduled for April 2017 and funded by an Arts Council of Northern Ireland Major Individual Award worth £15,000. Lyttle is also one of three British Council and PRS for Music's Musicians In Residence in China for 2017.

Lyte Records

As owner and founder of Lyte Records, Lyttle has released albums by notable jazz, blues and roots artists, including Ari Hoenig, Jason Rebello, Nigel Mooney and Jean Toussaint. He has also produced debut albums for young talents such as Israeli classical pianist Ariel Lanyi and Slovakian jazz guitarist Andreas Varady, who is managed by American producer Quincy Jones and was discovered by Lyttle in 2010.

Solo Discography