CATHIE RAE - JOHN RAE - DAVE GRAY - GAVIN WILTSHIRE
Cathie Rae, our managing Director, is an experienced professional vocalist and songwriter and comes from one of Scotland's best known jazz families. She is one of the best known professional figures working in Scottish jazz today.
Cathie's sales background with the Scotsman Publications has given her multiple skills in administration, grant writing and fundraising.She is currently involved in the following;
- Managing Director Thick-Skinned Productions Ltd
- Director Scottish Jazz Federation
- Specialist music advisor to Creative Scotland
- Judge on the BASCA contemporary jazz composition awards panel
- Member of the board of Jazz Services, London
- Chair of Jazz Services touring panel (first female to do so)
- Member of the Musicians Union jazz committee
- Member of the board of the Scottish Music Industry Association (September 2011)
Past positions also include; 5 years with Glasgow Jazz Festival as project manager creating and running their successful, critically acclaimed Homegrown Showcase and fringe events.
Cathie has released four critically acclaimed CDs to date;
- Back to the Mother 2011 (on TSR)
- Flow 2005
- Time Out 2002
- Tribute to Chet Baker with Colin Steele 1999
Cathie toured extensively around the UK and most recently opposite the Brian Kellock Trio in early in 2011. Look out for her new band in 2012 and she'll be back in the recording studio early next year.
Recent Reviews:
Scotland on Sunday, Sept 11, 2011 by Alison Kerr
Back to the Mother, Cathie Rae vocal & Graeme Stephen guitar
Rating: 4 stars
"An album intimately sounding and elegantly thought-through. Excellent reworking of Eurhythmics "Here comes the rain again" ...lovely originals... "Dancing through the Light" surely inspired by Chet Baker, with whom Rae shares an appealingly vulnerable vocal quality."
The Musician, Autumn 2011
Back to the Mother, Cathie Rae vocal & Graeme Stephen guitar
"Superlative Scottish jazz collaboration. Very special indeed."
Buy CD click here
To book Cathie Rae click here
John Rae, as well as being a director of Thick-Skinned Productions Scotland and NZ, is a talented drummer, teacher and composer. Up until a few years ago John lead and toured his own bands from Scotland around Europe including the John Rae Collective and John Rae's Celtic Feet, and is considered one of Scotland's most innovative, leading jazz musicians. He is also a member of the award winning Brain Kellock Trio. He now lives and works in New Zealand.
Since finishing the Creative New Zealand / Jack C. Richards Composer in residence at the NZ School of Music in July 2010 John continues to live and work in Wellington. His most recent project is "The Troubles" with Kiwi saxophone legend Lucien Johnson. The group run one of the best jazz gigs in the Pacific every Sunday at Club Happy, Wellington and are already known as a significant voice on the NZ music scene. They are scheduled for a world tour in 2012 /13 to include dates in the UK. Book mark our sites to check back later for dates.
John has also been busy working and recording with NZ pianist Mike Nock. He recorded a trio CD with Al Campbell and Paul Dyne and with the group Happy Obscurantists.
John continues to gig and teach throughout Wellington and NZ and says he's living the dream!
To book John click here
Thick-Skinned’ s company secretary Dave has been the force behind the Sound Café Recording Studio for over twenty years. As well as having worked with artists from all over the globe David has still found time to play guitar and sing/talk(??) having toured from Poland to Gabon and worked with artists such as Fred Deakin of Lemon Jelly and Robin Jones of the Beta Band as well as playing with the Kings of Cheeze.
David is currently involved with recording new albums for Thick-Skinned Records, with releases by Cathie Rae and Graeme Stephen, and Brian Kellock with Julian Arguelles, already completed and a further solo album by Graeme Stephen due for release early 2012.
For more information on the Sound Café contact: www.sound-café.co.uk
Gavin Wiltshire is the latest member of the Thick-Skinned team. An exciting, vibrant young music producer and sound engineer, he works from our partner studios The Sound Cafe, Nine Mile Burn, near Penicuik. Over the past few years he's been involved in countless projects including many with Thick-Skinned Productions, and has worked with spectacular local and national artists. He has also developed a strong track record.
Through the studio work he undertakes with Thick Skinned, with financial investment from Creative Scotland’s YMI demo fund initiative, Gavin has been instrumental in raising the profile of numerous young Scottish artists - something he is passionate about and heavily involved in supporting.
The creation of Sound Cafe Records label (www.soundcaferecords.co.uk) with studio owner and Thick Skinned Director, Dave Gray - marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in Gavin's career, with releases from two flagship groups- Majestic Dandelion and The Rising Souls, coming early 2012. The two bands came through our Demo Fund projects.
Check out Gavin’s page, www.gw-audio.co.uk for contact details and more information on some of the exciting projects he's currently involved with.
