Neil Yates, born in 1970 in Stockport, Cheshire, England, is a British jazz and folk musician. He studied at Salford University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In London, Yates played with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and artists such as Peter King and Denys Baptiste. Yates spent a year traveling through Britain and Ireland, immersing himself in traditional Celtic music, which led to collaborations with folk musicians like Michael McGoldrick and Kate Rusby. In 2005, he debuted his project New Origins at the Manchester Jazz Festival, later released on Carnyx Records. He later formed the band e2K, securing a two-album deal with Topic Records. Notable compositions include "Sketches of a Northern Town" for the 2006 Manchester Jazz Festival and "Surroundings", premiered in 2010. In 2011, Edition Records released Yates' second album, Five Countries.
