b. Stephen Argüelles Clarke, 16 November 1963, Crowborough, Sussex, England. Raised in Birmingham, Argüelles began playing drums at school. He soon turned to jazz, playing in a rehearsal band with the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra and accompanying visiting jazzmen. After leaving school he moved to London where he played with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He then became deeply involved in the contemporary jazz scene and was a founder member of Loose Tubes. Continuously active, Argüelles has become one of the most accomplished and in-demand drummers in the UK. He has worked with jazzmen as diverse as George Coleman, Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Charlie Mariano, John Taylor, Hugh Masakela, Chris McGregor, Robert Dick, Dudu Pukwana, Billy Jenkins, and Django Bates. With Bates he formed Human Chain and with his brother, Julian Argüelles, he formed a band known as Argüelles. This last-named group features music that happily mixes folk, country, a touch of Cajun and other exotica with hard bop. Through his broad repertoire, which includes a great many of his own compositions, Argüelles has swiftly developed into one of the most original and inventive drummers in contemporary music.