John Rae (musician)
Encyclopedia
John Rae is a jazz
drummer
, composer
and band leader.
and has subsequently recorded over 30 albums as a leader and side man, including two BBC
Jazz Albums of the Year (2004 and 2003).
As a leader Rae has recorded and toured internationally and recorded The Big If Smiles Again, Celtic Feet, Beware the Feet, Magic Feet and Miraculous Meetings.
From 2000-2003, Rae was the drummer for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and was awarded a prestigious Herald Angel Award at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Musical Director and composer for a specially commissioned and choreographed modern dance piece commissioned by the national school of dance in Scotland, Dance Base , this critically acclaimed production entitled Off Kilter
was performed at the Edinburgh Festival
Theatre and mixed Scottish traditional dancing with modern dance, hip-hop and traditional Indian dance. Part of this piece was performed at the opening ceremony of the Scottish National Parliament
and in New York
.
Rae has been involved with many groundbreaking Scottish groups including the:
Rae is also a key member of the Brian Kellock
trio and has performed with:
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and band leader.
Biography
Rae recorded his first album at the age of sixteen with the acclaimed Scottish saxophonist Tommy SmithTommy Smith
Tommy Smith or Tommie Smith may refer to:* Tommy Smith , American playwright* Tommy Smith , spent much of his career with Liverpool* Tommy Smith , plays for Queens Park Rangers...
and has subsequently recorded over 30 albums as a leader and side man, including two BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Jazz Albums of the Year (2004 and 2003).
As a leader Rae has recorded and toured internationally and recorded The Big If Smiles Again, Celtic Feet, Beware the Feet, Magic Feet and Miraculous Meetings.
From 2000-2003, Rae was the drummer for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and was awarded a prestigious Herald Angel Award at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Musical Director and composer for a specially commissioned and choreographed modern dance piece commissioned by the national school of dance in Scotland, Dance Base , this critically acclaimed production entitled Off Kilter
Off Kilter
Off Kilter is a Celtic-rock band. Off Kilter was formed in 1997, and has been performing regularly at Epcot ever since. Their first album, Off Kilter included some traditional songs like "Dirty Old Town" and "Fields of Athenry" as well as covers of popular rock songs generally from Canadian artists...
was performed at the Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
Theatre and mixed Scottish traditional dancing with modern dance, hip-hop and traditional Indian dance. Part of this piece was performed at the opening ceremony of the Scottish National Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
and in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Rae has been involved with many groundbreaking Scottish groups including the:
- Giant Stepping Stanes : a ground breaking cross-cultural group bringing together modern jazz musicians with traditional Celtic musicians.
- Power of Scotland Big Band : a 17 piece big band featuring the cream of Scottish jazz musicians
- John Rae Collective seminal : 6-piece contemporary jazz group in the 1980s
- John Rae's Celtic Feet : A group that morphed from The Giant Stepping Stanes concept using traditional Celtic players and modern jazz players
- Afro Celtic Jazz Ensemble : contemporary group featuring a mixture of Scottish jazz musicians and Afro/American jazz musicians
- Magic Feet : 8 piece group featuring traditional Scottish musicians, Hungarian Gypsy musicians and jazz musicians
- Miraculous Meetings : An All-Star Balkan group with a jazz rhythm section
Rae is also a key member of the Brian Kellock
Brian Kellock
Brian Kellock is a Scottish jazz pianist.Born in Edinburgh, Brian graduated with a B. Music from Edinburgh University in 1986...
trio and has performed with:
- Tal FarlowTal FarlowTalmage Holt Farlow was an American jazz guitarist. Nicknamed the "Octopus", Farlow's extremely large hands spread over the fretboard as if they were tentacles. He is considered one of the all-time great jazz guitarists. Michael G...
- Joe LovanoJoe LovanoJoseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls...
- Lee KonitzLee KonitzLee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
- Ingrid Janson
- George Connigan
- Dave LiebmanDave LiebmanDave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
- Maria SchneiderMaria Schneider (musician)Maria Schneider is an American arranger, composer, and big-band leader who has won multiple awards. In 2005, her album Concert in the Garden won a Grammy for "Best Large Ensemble Album"...
- BBC Radio Big BandBBC Big BandThe BBC Big Band, originally known as the BBC Radio Big Band is a British big band run under the auspices of the BBC. Widely regarded as the UK’s leading and most versatile jazz orchestra, the band broadcasts exclusivley on BBC Radio, particularly on BBC Radio 2's long running series Big Band Special...
- Tony ScottTony ScottAnthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
- Charles MacPhersonCharles MacphersonCharles Macpherson FRAM was a Scottish organist, who served at St Paul's Cathedral. He was born in Edinburgh on 10 May 1870. His father was Burgh Architect. At the age of nine he became a chorister at St. Paul's Cathedral, later studying music at the Royal Academy of Music...
- Dave Berkman
- Sheila JordanSheila JordanSheila Jordan is an American jazz singer and songwriter. Jordan has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to a notable solo career....
- Art FarmerArt FarmerArthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
- Ethan IversonEthan IversonEthan Iverson is a pianist, composer, and critic best known for his work in the postmodern jazz trio The Bad Plus, with bassist Reid Anderson and drummer Dave King....
- Jamie CullumJamie CullumJamie Cullum is an English pop and jazz-pop singer-songwriter. Though he is primarily a vocalist/pianist he also accompanies himself on other instruments including guitar and drums. Since April 2010, he has been presenting a weekly jazz show on BBC Radio 2, broadcast on Tuesdays from 19:00.- Early...
- Warren VacheWarren VacheWarren Vaché is a jazz trumpeter, cornetist and flugelhornist born in Rahway, New Jersey. He came from a musical family as his father was a bassist. In 1976 he released his first album...
- Findlay Macdonald
- Julian ArguellesJulian ArgüellesJulian Argüelles is a saxophonist. He is currently a member of the HR Big Band in Frankfurt am Main, Germany....
- Guus JanssenGuus JanssenGuus Janssen is a Dutch composer of contemporary music and a recording artist. A pianist and harpsichordist, he is also active as a jazz performer....
- Buddy DeFrancoBuddy DeFrancoBoniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco is an American jazz clarinet player.-Biography:DeFranco began his professional career just as swing music and big bands — many of which were led by clarinetists like Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Woody Herman — were fading in popularity...
- Red RodneyRed RodneyRobert Roland Chudnick , who performed by the stage name Red Rodney, was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
- Julio Pacheco
- Mark MurphyMark MurphyMark Murphy may refer to:*Mark Murphy , American ice hockey player who plays for the DEG Metro Stars *Mark Murphy , retired American football player, now President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers...
- Pete King
- Scott HamiltonScott Hamilton (musician)Scott Hamilton is a jazz tenor saxophonist, born in 1954 and associated with swing and mainstream jazz.-Biography:He emerged in the 1970s and at the time he was considered to be one of the few musicians of real talent who carried the tradition of the classic jazz tenor saxophone in the style of...
- Jim MullenJim MullenJim Mullen is a Glasgow-born jazz guitarist with a distinctive style, like Wes Montgomery before him, picking with the thumb rather than a plectrum.-Biography:...
- Barney KesselBarney KesselBarney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies...
- Kenny WheelerKenny WheelerKenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
- Ken Paploskie
- Martin Taylor,
- Tommy SmithTommy SmithTommy Smith or Tommie Smith may refer to:* Tommy Smith , American playwright* Tommy Smith , spent much of his career with Liverpool* Tommy Smith , plays for Queens Park Rangers...
- Vijay Iller
- Jessie Davies
Selected discography
- Warren VacheWarren VacheWarren Vaché is a jazz trumpeter, cornetist and flugelhornist born in Rahway, New Jersey. He came from a musical family as his father was a bassist. In 1976 he released his first album...
- Just Hold Me INN10 - Fionna Duncan - Body and Soul TentoTen records
- Ronnie Rae - Cradle to the groove TentoTen records
- Tommy SmithTommy SmithTommy Smith or Tommie Smith may refer to:* Tommy Smith , American playwright* Tommy Smith , spent much of his career with Liverpool* Tommy Smith , plays for Queens Park Rangers...
- Giant Strides G.R.P 322 - Martin Taylor - Change of Heart LinnLinnLinn is a first name for girls. This name is common in countries such as Sweden and Norway. Otherwise it can also be spelled "Lynn".Linn may refer to:-Linn :* George Ward Linn , philatelic publisher of Ohio...
AKD - Spike RobinsonSpike RobinsonHenry Berthold "Spike" Robinson was a tenor saxophonist. He began playing at age twelve, making recordings with famous jazz and bop musicians on several labels including Discovery, Hep and Concord. However, he sought an engineering degree and followed that profession on a fulltime basis for nearly...
- Stairway To The Stars HepHep RecordsHep Records is a Scottish record label specializing in both new and reissued jazz music. The label was founded in 1974 by Alastair Robertson in Edinburgh.-Past and present artists:*Don Lanphere*Jessica Williams*Jim Mullen*Tommy Smith*Michael Hashim...
03 - Tom BancroftTom BancroftTom Bancroft is a jazz drummer and composer. He began drumming aged 7 and started off playing jazz with his father and identical twin brother Phil. After studying medicine at Cambridge University he spent a year studying composition and arranging at McGill University in Montreal...
Orchestra - Tom Bancroft Caber 001 - Hue and CryHue and CryHue and Cry is a pop duo formed in 1983 in Coatbridge, Scotland by the brothers Pat Kane and Greg Kane . They had a number of modest hits in the UK Singles Chart in the late 1980s, and early 1990s, and have released sixteen albums from 1987 to date.-Career:Their first single "Here Comes...
- Stars Crash Down EMIEMIThe EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... - Brian KellockBrian KellockBrian Kellock is a Scottish jazz pianist.Born in Edinburgh, Brian graduated with a B. Music from Edinburgh University in 1986...
Trio - Something's got to Give Caber 003 - Brian KellockBrian KellockBrian Kellock is a Scottish jazz pianist.Born in Edinburgh, Brian graduated with a B. Music from Edinburgh University in 1986...
Trio - Live at Henry's Caber 020 (BBC Album of the Year 2003) - Suzanne Bonnar - Empty Tables JB CD9001
- John Rae Collective - The Big If Smiles Again Caber 022
- John Rae's Celtic Feet - Celtic Feet Caber 010
- John Rae's Celtic Feet - Beware The Feet Caber 018
- John Burges - Urge to Burge Caber 011
- Findlay Macdonald - Findlay Macdonald Foot Stompin Records
- Colin SteeleColin SteeleColin Steele is a jazz trumpeter from Scotland.He played pop music with Hue and Cry during the 1980s but he became dissatisfied with that.After two years in France he studied jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before returning to Scotland...
- Twilight Dreams Caber 021 (BBC Album of the Year 2004) - Scottish National Jazz Orchestra - Kind of Blue, Sparticus Records
- Colin SteeleColin SteeleColin Steele is a jazz trumpeter from Scotland.He played pop music with Hue and Cry during the 1980s but he became dissatisfied with that.After two years in France he studied jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before returning to Scotland...
– The Journey Home Caber 029