Ronnie Scott spotted his talent at the age of 23 and since then, he has emerged as one of the country's leading jazz musicians and composers. Lindsay Jennings talks to Tim Garland.

WITH a family like Tim Garland's it's hardly surprising he ended up with a successful career in music. His father was very musical and still plays the cello today at the age of 93. His composer uncle used to be friends with the Lloyd Webbers, who would turn up at the Garland family home in Kent with their two young sons in tow, Andrew and Julian.

Garland grew up with a wide range of musical inspirations - from his father's preference for classical to progressive rock. He can remember tinkering on the piano from the age of about six, making up tunes.

"I think the first one was about a flight of birds," he laughs. "Something like that."

He went on to study composition at the Guildhall School of Music in London but had had enough of academia and, having fallen in love with the saxophone, was keen to play after his course. Working with bass player Alec Dankworth, he started playing at the legendary jazz club, Ronnie Scott's.

"I can remember the first time I played there and Ronnie came up to me and said 'where did you come from then?' I was nervous in the early days but there's no way round it."

Tim went on to play with some jazz greats. He plays regularly with the legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea, with whom he's just recorded some new material, and is touring across Europe with him this summer.

When he first got the call to play with Chick, his son was only four days old. But when legends call...

"I seem to remember going on about 150 flights in a year," says Garland. "But he's very inspirational because there are few people in the world who've that kind of experience, 40 years of playing with the likes of Miles Davis and Chaka Khan.

"There are a lot of musicians like me. They love the tradition of jazz but added to that, they have this desire to push the music forward."

Garland's produced about 16 albums, contributing to many more, but there are still others he would love to play alongside, such as the contemporary composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. He says with a smile: "I'd also love to play alongside Aretha Franklin." Those two examples are typical of his eclectic tastes. During his career, Garland has become well known for both his compositional skills (he recently composed a piece for the London Symphony Orchestra) and his saxophone playing. He may have eclectic tastes, but how does he find switching between genres, composing classical pieces one minute, playing with his jazz orchestra the next?

"Increasingly, as I get older, it's not so much a case of changing my head but you do have to have a certain amount of peace around you," he admits. "And I like to have my piano."

Garland has two studios, one at his home in Whitley Bay and one in London. He insists there's still much to learn. Garland is Composer in Residence and Fellow of Newcastle University and says some of his students are coming in with amazingly progressive ideas, particularly using computers.

He also has two young students at home. His children, six-year-old Joseph and nine-year-old Rosa are already showing promising signs of being budding composers. They may also have gained their creative talents from Garland's wife Amanda, who's a drama workshop leader.

But his latest project involves working with The Northern Underground Jazz Orchestra, which Garland founded after being commissioned as part of the NewcastleGateshead Initiative's world-class cultural programme.

The 13-piece big band comprises the best of northern jazz talent - including one of the UK's best loved big band drummers, Clarke Tracey, and guitarist Stuart McCallum - with guest vocals from gospel-soul diva Hannah Jones, who's had two number one dance singles in the US.

In a series of concerts, including one at Darlington Arts Centre on Saturday, the orchestra will be playing new music penned by Garland celebrating the North-East, such as Angel Of The North, Cragside, Tynemouth Spray, and Flag March, which is dedicated to the Durham Miners' Gala.

"I wanted people who are listening to feel as though it has been written for them," he says. "With the Northern Underground Jazz Orchestra I'm able to tap into a lot of creativity that's not so London-centric."

But he insists it's not about creating an orchestra which lives in a North-East cocoon.

"It's about being able to pull in talent from around the globe," he insists.

He's working on an album with the Northern orchestra, which will have a few classic tracks as well as more contemporary pieces. Once the funding goes it will be up to them to keep the band going, he explains.

"I'm not just going to let it go," he says. "We want to keep this alive and get to the same standards as a lot of the bands in London so we can really put the North-East on the map."

With Garland at the helm, that's very likely.

* The Northern Underground Jazz Orchestra will be at Darlington Arts Centre on Saturday at 8pm. Tickets £10 or £8 for concessions. Contact (01325) 486555 for details.