I'm a Scottish drummer based in London and am currently an Arts Council England 'Developing Your Creative Practice' recipient, studying privately with New York jazz drummers Ari Hoenig and Dan Weiss. I recently finished studying jazz drums at Trinity Laban where I did a fully funded Masters with an Archers and Trinity College London scholarship. My debut album Khoalesce has been released and is available at https://khoalesce.bandcamp.com

 

I played drums on the Bill Kenwright Ltd production Cruel Intentions: The 90's Musical which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, winning best musical, and as a dep bassist for SIX The Musical at London's West End. I play drums with a few small jazz groups, including jazz-fusion trio Cygnus Flare - we won the Yamaha Soho Jazz Sessions competition and this year have been playing around London, notably at Ronnie Scott's and Pizza Express Soho, and toured in Armenia. I also lead the Khoalesce project (which brings together jazz musicians in London to develop and perform original compositions), and play with Tomorrow's Warriors, the MO Jazz Orchestra, Kat Pearson's blues band, the Swinging Magpies (vintage swing band), Big Bang Roots (reggae band), and play timpani in the Amati Orchestra. I played at the Royal Festival Hall with the WOW Orchestra featuring Alice Russell and in a production of Bernstein's MASS led by conductor Marin Alsop (a protégé of Leonard Bernstein). I've recently enjoyed playing with Grammy award winning singer Lady Rizo, Bethy, Reuben Kaye, the Pico Players Orchestra on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, Movin' Melvin Brown (August show run for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016 and 2017), Sasquatch the Opera (Edinburgh Fringe 2017 show run rock opera by Roddy Bottum, keys player in rock band Faith No More), Airlie Scott's Swing from the Movies project, BBC Elstree Concert Band, the Spanner Big Band, King Groovy Big Band, Asazi Space Funk Explosion, The Quickstarters (function and cruise ship contract band), Central London Orchestra, Theme Team (10-piece TV themes jazz ensemble), London City Orchestra, Kensington Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the City, IC Sinfonietta, the Collaborative Orchestra, Thames Philharmonia Orchestra, St Bartholomew Academic Festival Orchestra, and the Rehearsal Orchestra. I also play bass in Surrey Jazz Orchestra. 

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After moving to London, I started playing as much as possible at jazz jam sessions and gigs, and played with Tomorrow's Warriors at their weekly sessions at the Southbank Centre (led by Gary Crosby). I spent two years in Boston, where I played in Harvard University's Dudley Jazz Big Band and in the percussion section with the Dudley Orchestra. I also played regularly with bands at Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory, and gigged on the local circuit, including playing in various theatre shows. I studied privately with Berklee's Chair of Percussion, John Ramsay, and Professor Ian Froman, as well as taking a few lessons with the legendary Ra-Kalam Bob Moses (his playing is on another level to anything I'd ever heard before!!). They were all hugely generous and encouraging teachers and really helped me in different ways - I’m eternally grateful to each of them. At Trinity I studied with two of my favourite drummers - Asaf Sirkis and Gene Calderazzo. I'm also thankful to many other generous and patient musicians, friends and mentors who have each enriched my life by encouraging me as a musician, including Kevin Glasgow, Gary Crosby, Rod Youngs, Abram Wilson, Sarah Politz, Vijay Iyer, Austin McMahon, Jim Walker, Eoghain Anderson, Arman Vardanyan, David Horler.. They’re all great players, please check them out.

 

I'm happy to be on the Roland UK and Protection Racket artist schemes.