About me
Since graduating with a degree in Jazz from the City of Leeds College of Music in 1992 (principal study drum kit) I have been employed as a percussion teacher in Birmingham, Angus and presently in Dundee. In Dundee I teach percussion in five secondary schools as well as running several world music ensembles. In 1998 I began studying Tabla with Vijay Kangutkar and have performed with the group Tabla Alba in concerts of Indian classical music. In 2000 I made my first study trip to Cuba where I studied traditional Afro-Cuban percussion and performed with local groups in Havana and the province of Matanzas. In 2001 I delivered four workshops on various aspects of world music at the University of Aberdeen and have since been invited back in 2002 and 2003. In 2002 I returned to Cuba where I studied Conga techniques with the master Rumba drummer Amado Dedue Garcia (Grupo Clave y Guaguanco - Grammy award winners 2001) and Congas and Bata drumming (sacred hand drums of the Santeria religion) with Emilio Del Monte (Roberto Fonseca / Cubanismo / Buena Vista, Alex Cuba, Omara Portoundo). I was once again invited to play with local groups in Havana. Also in 2002 I was invited to give a talk at the Scottish Association of Music Teachers conference at Stirling University. In have also performed with Jazz guitarist Hugh Burns (Michael Jackson, George Michael) several times during the Dundee Guitar Festival and also at the Ulapool Guiter Festival. I also run an ensemble Chango En El Nieve who specialise in of Cuban percussion and who accompanied me on my third trip to Havana in April 2004 where we studied with Amado Dedue Garcia, Emilio and Emilito Del Monte and the members of the award winning conga ensemble Hermanos Bravo. I have supported the drummer Gregg Bissonette, Salsa Celtica and Los Sonera Calaveras. In 2005 I travelled to Mumbai (Bombay) to study Tabla with Uday Raiker, a pupil of the legendary Pandit Taranath Rao. The studying culminated with me giving a solo Tabla recital in a concert of Indian classical music.
2017 © CongaPlace ALL Rights Reserved
